Card Show Top 20 - #4 Rocket Robin

Item #7 off the FCB card show game plan:

7) One oddball non-sports card. Just one.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

1966 Topps Batman Series 2 "Red Bat" series

#27A Striking Out The Cobra

I am rendered speechless by this utterly perfect painting. Hang that thing up in the Louvre right next to ol' whats her face. Here's the back.

Here's the complete story on the back for posterity:

Dick Grayson was enjoying himself at the local ball park when suddenly the Cobra Gang appeared. Changing into Robin, he rushed into the game and struck many of the crooks out. The newspapers called it, "Robin's Shut Out Game!" 

Grant Morrison it ain't, but it works. Just don't think about it too hard. Your brain will ask questions. Like Why would a bank robbing gang of thieves crash a ballgame after a heist? Why would a gang choose a blue sport coat over an orange sweater as a uniform? Where the heck did Robin hide that suit before he changed? Did  1960's era ballparks even have phonebooths?

Don't think about all that. Just think of bad guys showing up at a ballgame and Robin doing his best Bob Gibson impression to save the day. Comic books are about the art, not the writing. The art here was provided by Topps regular Norman Saunders, who also worked on Mars Attacks and Wacky Packages. There were a bunch of Batman card sets released in 1966, this particular one has puzzles on the back:

Oh yeah, that's some nightmare fuel right there. I thought about maybe trying to collect all 6 puzzle pieces, but  this bit here is disturbing enough.

The Top 20 List:

#20 Reds' Heavy Artillery

#19 Blue MadDog

#18 Lil' Jimmy

#17 Real Fake '52

#16 First Topps

#15 Bogus Boog

#14 V103 Tree

#13 Sertoma Rico

#12 '55 Finishers

#11 Hey Shiny

#10 What the Dickens

#9 '60 Spahnnie

#8 Lonely '53

#7 Super Chief

#6 Original Frank

#5 Hoops Inspiration

#4 Rocket Robin

#3 Wizard Off Kilter

#2 Shenanigans Were Called

#1 The Holy Grail of Commons

Only three to go!