Ace the Bat-Hound (Earth-One)

Ace was a German Shepherd dog originally owned by an engraver named John Wilker. He was found by Batman and Robin after his master was kidnapped by a gang of counterfeiters. Batman used Ace to try to locate Wilker. Because he had already placed a large number of "lost dog" announcements for Ace in his civilian identity of Bruce Wayne, he was concerned that anyone recognizing Ace (who had a prominent star-shaped marking on his forehead) might make the connection between Bruce Wayne and Batman. To forestall that problem, he hastily improvised a hood-like mask for the dog that incorporated the bat emblem as a dog tag dangling from Ace's collar. Ace was subsequently christened "The Bat-Hound" by a criminal he helped Batman to apprehend.

Giving Bat-Mite a lift

Wilker later took a new job that made it difficult for him to take care of Ace, so he left the dog to Bruce Wayne. Wilker was never aware that Ace was the Bat-Hound or that Bruce Wayne was Batman.

Publishing History

Ace the Bat-Hound was the canine crime-fighting partner of Batman and Robin in DC Comics of the 1950s and 1960s. Ace debuted in Batman #92 (cover-dated June 1955). Ace's creation was likely inspired by the success of Krypto (Earth-One)\Krypto's debut in Adventure Comics #210 (March 1955). He was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Sheldon Moldoff, who said the character was inspired by Rin Tin Tin.

Ace disappeared from the Batman comics after Julius Schwartz took over as editor in 1964, and made only very occasional comic book appearances (such as in Ambush Bug #3, 1984, which looked at what were considered some of the sillier areas of the DC universe) in the years afterward. Three months into Schwartz's "new look", Bat-Hound made his final bow, a brief two-panel cameo in WORLD'S FINEST # 143.

A modern-day version of Ace was reintroduced in Batman #462 (1991), although he has been little seen in recent years. This version originally belonged to a Native American shaman and had a distinctive bat-shaped patch on his shoulder. He didn't wear a mask, nor was he referred to as Bat-Hound. The dog at times helped Batman on cases, but disappeared after the events of the No Man's Land storyline in the late 1990s.

Powers and Abilities

Strength level

Ace possessed the strength level of a fully grown canine who engaged in intensive regular exercise.

Paraphernalia

Transportation

Ace occasionally traveled inside the Batmobile.

Notes

Ace the Bat-Hound's existence is exclusive to Pre-Crisis, Earth-One continuity.

It is fair to assume that in the continuity of Earth-One, Ace the Bat-Hound likely passed away of old age.

Trivia

As illogical as it may seem, Ace wore a domino-mask in order to protect his secret identity, due to a prominent star-shaped marking on his forehead.

In the modern, Post-Crisis continuity, Robin (Tim Drake) briefly adopted a German Shepherd named Ace, which he used to aid him on several adventures.

In the continuity of the Batman Beyond animated television series, elderly Bruce Wayne owns a pet dog named Ace.

A version of Ace has also appeared on the children's animated series Krypto, the Super-Dog.

In Mark Waid and Alex Ross' Kingdom Come mini-series, Ace is portrayed as the giant winged steed of the Fourth World Batwoman. Ace is also mentioned in Howard Chaykin's Batman/Houdini Elseworlds series. During a seance attended by Bruce Wayne and mystic debunker Harry Houdini, Ace was referred to as Bruce Wayne's childhood pet. In the Frankenstein pastiche Batman: Castle of the Bat, Dr Bruce Wayne tests his theories by creating a literal Bat-Hound; a dog with some of the attributes of a bat.

In Pre-Crisis continuity, Superman's Batman-like identity of Nightwing included a Kandorian counterpart to the Bat-Hound, a telepathic dog named "Nighthound".

Links and References

Ace the Bat-Hound article at Wikipedia

Footnotes

Ace the Bat-Hound (Earth-One)

From DC Database

Contents

History