What do you think?
Rate this book
Batman (1940-2011)
Batman (1940-2011) #156
Batman and Robin fight an enormous stone idol!
26 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 5, 1963
About the author
Jack Schiff
271 books1 followerJack Schiff (1909 – April 30, 1999) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for his work editing various Batman comic book series for DC Comics from 1942 to 1964. He was the co-creator of Starman, Tommy Tomorrow, and the Wyoming Kid.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 11, 2021
El día que me encontré al Hombre Hormiga en un Batman (Detective Comics) de 1963
Lo habría comentado en mi canal de YouTube , pero eso tiene que esperar todavía unas semanas: nueva casa, nuevo estudio, nuevo todo...
Pero acabo de leer Batman #156 (1963) por la curiosidad de lo que anuncia en portada: la "primera" muerte de Robin.
En su interior, lo que uno suele esperar y las firmas de los habituales de la época: Jack Schiff, Bill Finger, Henry Boltinoff, Sheldon Moldoff, Charles Paris y Gaspar Saladino.
Para los jóvenes lectores, este tipo de historias es a buen seguro toda una sorpresa por lo ridículas que pueden ser.
Pongamos por caso, un niño encuentra un alce vivo del tamaño de un pie. Lo mete en una jaula para loros y se lo lleva a su profesor de biología. Tal cual.
Fragmento de mi review en «Dentro del laberinto»
LEE LA REVIEW COMPLETA
Lo habría comentado en mi canal de YouTube , pero eso tiene que esperar todavía unas semanas: nueva casa, nuevo estudio, nuevo todo...
Pero acabo de leer Batman #156 (1963) por la curiosidad de lo que anuncia en portada: la "primera" muerte de Robin.
En su interior, lo que uno suele esperar y las firmas de los habituales de la época: Jack Schiff, Bill Finger, Henry Boltinoff, Sheldon Moldoff, Charles Paris y Gaspar Saladino.
Para los jóvenes lectores, este tipo de historias es a buen seguro toda una sorpresa por lo ridículas que pueden ser.
Pongamos por caso, un niño encuentra un alce vivo del tamaño de un pie. Lo mete en una jaula para loros y se lo lleva a su profesor de biología. Tal cual.
Fragmento de mi review en «Dentro del laberinto»
LEE LA REVIEW COMPLETA
August 25, 2026
Pioneering cover!
I bought this facsimile single comic book issue in physical form, but I am choosing this kindle edition since I didn’t find a paperback edition in GR.
Creative Team
Writer: Bill Finger
Illustrator: Sheldon Moldoff
ICONIC MOMENT FOR COMIC BOOK COVERS
This comic book from 1963 features three stories (all three focused on Robin) and while they’re okay for that moment…
..what makes iconic this comic book deserving to have a facsimile edition is its epic cover…
…if you’re into comics, you’ll remember having seen this scene but with more modern art or even with totally different characters, even a totally different publishing house…
…and you won’t be wrong!
Funny thing is that this pionering comic book cover was forgotten from the mass memory and substuted with its more modern homages (or rip-offs in some cases, you choose), without counting openly expressed tributes or parodies…
…there are three relevant mentions…
…of course, the moment in the Death in the Family (1988) four-part event, where in an inner panel, you have a modern art replica of the kinda same situation of Batman carrying a dead robin, and a different interpretation was used for the collected TPB cover…
…but also it was used before on the iconic cover of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 (1985) where in a similar fashion, Superman is carrying a dead Supergirl…
…BUT even quite before of that, in Marvel Comics, in X-Men #136 (1980) as part of the “Dark Phoenix Saga”, you have Cyclops carrying a dead Jean Grey…
…but…
…everything began here, in 1963 with this Golden Age comic book of Batman.
ROBIN DIES AT DAWN!
Okay, as I commented, what is iconic is the cover, but the stories featured here are alright, taking in account that they’re Golden Age tales…
…you have three stories…
…first, Robin is allied with the mysterious “Ant-Man” (yes, you read right, DC has first an Ant-Man, way before than Marvel) who is a micronized man but he’s unable to change his size. Batman is missing and Robin needs to join forces with this mysterious character to deal with some gangters stealing jewelry (I won’t spoil the details of the outcome)…
…later, Batman is an alien planet and Robin “dies” saving the life of the Caped Crusader but you don’t trust everything you see (I won’t spoil anything more)…
…finally, Batman is found and rejoins with Robin but the Caped Crusader is still psychologically affected for the events of previous story and he’s putting in danger the life of the Boy Wonder (I can´t detail more wiithout spoiling key info of the second story).
I bought this facsimile single comic book issue in physical form, but I am choosing this kindle edition since I didn’t find a paperback edition in GR.
Creative Team
Writer: Bill Finger
Illustrator: Sheldon Moldoff
ICONIC MOMENT FOR COMIC BOOK COVERS
This comic book from 1963 features three stories (all three focused on Robin) and while they’re okay for that moment…
..what makes iconic this comic book deserving to have a facsimile edition is its epic cover…
…if you’re into comics, you’ll remember having seen this scene but with more modern art or even with totally different characters, even a totally different publishing house…
…and you won’t be wrong!
Funny thing is that this pionering comic book cover was forgotten from the mass memory and substuted with its more modern homages (or rip-offs in some cases, you choose), without counting openly expressed tributes or parodies…
…there are three relevant mentions…
…of course, the moment in the Death in the Family (1988) four-part event, where in an inner panel, you have a modern art replica of the kinda same situation of Batman carrying a dead robin, and a different interpretation was used for the collected TPB cover…
…but also it was used before on the iconic cover of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 (1985) where in a similar fashion, Superman is carrying a dead Supergirl…
…BUT even quite before of that, in Marvel Comics, in X-Men #136 (1980) as part of the “Dark Phoenix Saga”, you have Cyclops carrying a dead Jean Grey…
…but…
…everything began here, in 1963 with this Golden Age comic book of Batman.
ROBIN DIES AT DAWN!
Okay, as I commented, what is iconic is the cover, but the stories featured here are alright, taking in account that they’re Golden Age tales…
…you have three stories…
…first, Robin is allied with the mysterious “Ant-Man” (yes, you read right, DC has first an Ant-Man, way before than Marvel) who is a micronized man but he’s unable to change his size. Batman is missing and Robin needs to join forces with this mysterious character to deal with some gangters stealing jewelry (I won’t spoil the details of the outcome)…
…later, Batman is an alien planet and Robin “dies” saving the life of the Caped Crusader but you don’t trust everything you see (I won’t spoil anything more)…
…finally, Batman is found and rejoins with Robin but the Caped Crusader is still psychologically affected for the events of previous story and he’s putting in danger the life of the Boy Wonder (I can´t detail more wiithout spoiling key info of the second story).
July 1, 2026
It's almost surreal to realize that DC "killed" Robin more than twenty years before A Death in the Family. The difference is that this time readers didn't get to vote—because, thankfully, it never actually happened.
The central premise is surprisingly dark for the era: Batman volunteers for an experiment simulating the psychological effects of isolation in space, begins suffering increasingly disturbing hallucinations, and witnesses Robin's apparent death. On paper, that sounds like the setup for a compelling psychological story.
Unfortunately, this is still the Silver Age, and the execution constantly undercuts itself. Batman is participating in a bizarre astronaut experiment for reasons that barely make sense, the issue casually reminds us that Bruce Wayne owns Ace the Bat-Hound (yes, the dog has a secret identity too...), and the whole affair ultimately turns out to be little more than an extended fake-out.
The strangest part is that the hallucinations continue even after the experiment has ended, leading Batman to conclude that he should retire—not because he's psychologically unfit, but because he can no longer protect Robin. It's a leap in logic that feels every bit as arbitrary as the rest of the plot.
I can't help but sympathize with writers like Jack Schiff, who had to navigate the suffocating restrictions of the Comics Code, where genuine drama was often buried beneath absurd gimmicks and forced optimism. You can occasionally glimpse the outline of a more interesting Batman story struggling to emerge, but it's trapped inside a comic that can't fully commit to its own premise.
Historically, it's an intriguing curiosity because of its apparent foreshadowing of Robin's "death." As an actual Batman story, though, it's mostly an oddity—interesting to look back on, but not especially enjoyable to read.
The central premise is surprisingly dark for the era: Batman volunteers for an experiment simulating the psychological effects of isolation in space, begins suffering increasingly disturbing hallucinations, and witnesses Robin's apparent death. On paper, that sounds like the setup for a compelling psychological story.
Unfortunately, this is still the Silver Age, and the execution constantly undercuts itself. Batman is participating in a bizarre astronaut experiment for reasons that barely make sense, the issue casually reminds us that Bruce Wayne owns Ace the Bat-Hound (yes, the dog has a secret identity too...), and the whole affair ultimately turns out to be little more than an extended fake-out.
The strangest part is that the hallucinations continue even after the experiment has ended, leading Batman to conclude that he should retire—not because he's psychologically unfit, but because he can no longer protect Robin. It's a leap in logic that feels every bit as arbitrary as the rest of the plot.
I can't help but sympathize with writers like Jack Schiff, who had to navigate the suffocating restrictions of the Comics Code, where genuine drama was often buried beneath absurd gimmicks and forced optimism. You can occasionally glimpse the outline of a more interesting Batman story struggling to emerge, but it's trapped inside a comic that can't fully commit to its own premise.
Historically, it's an intriguing curiosity because of its apparent foreshadowing of Robin's "death." As an actual Batman story, though, it's mostly an oddity—interesting to look back on, but not especially enjoyable to read.
September 1, 2026
A unique Batman story from the early Silver Age with a dramatic cover of a weeping Batman carrying the prone figure of Robin amidst the backdrop of dawn in an alien world.
I have always though early Batman stories were the Dynamic Duo grinning while gunning down gangsters, or like the prelude of this issue that had DC's version of "Ant-Man" just like how Marvel spells their own. Instead, the main story has Batman undergo an experiment that simulated the rigors of spaceflight and space exploration. He does not emerge unscathed from this experience.
I have always though early Batman stories were the Dynamic Duo grinning while gunning down gangsters, or like the prelude of this issue that had DC's version of "Ant-Man" just like how Marvel spells their own. Instead, the main story has Batman undergo an experiment that simulated the rigors of spaceflight and space exploration. He does not emerge unscathed from this experience.
August 13, 2023
Really fun silver age issue. The Ant-man story was insane but Robin Dies At Dawn was a really engaging read with some great art.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews