| Ace the Bat-Hound | |
|---|---|
 Ace the Bat-Hound as depicted inBatman: Urban Legends #15 (May 2022), art by Karl Mostert andTrish Mulvihill. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Batman #92 (June1955) |
| Created by |
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| In-story information | |
| Species | Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) |
| Place of origin | Earth |
| Team affiliations | Justice League Legion of Super-Pets Space Canine Patrol Agents |
| Supporting character of | |
| Abilities |
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Ace the Bat-Hound is asuperherodog appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics. He is commonly featured as the canine crime-fighting partner ofBatman and as an ally of other animal superheroes, such asKrypto,Streaky, and theLegion of Super-Pets.
The character made his cinematic debut in the animated filmDC League of Super-Pets, which was released in the United States on July 29, 2022.[1]
Ace debuted inBatman #92 (June 1955) and was created by writerBill Finger and artistSheldon Moldoff.[2] Ace's introduction followed onKrypto the Superdog's debut inAdventure Comics #210 (March 1955),[3] and byGerman Shepherd dogs from detective films and serials, such asRin Tin Tin andAce the Wonder Dog.
Ace, along withBatwoman,Bat-Girl, andBat-Mite, was retired from the comic in 1964, when editorJulius Schwartz instituted a "New Look" Batman that shed some of the sillier elements in the series.[4]
Ace was aGerman Shepherd Dog originally owned by an engraver named John Wilker. He was found by Batman andRobin after his master was kidnapped by a gang of counterfeiters.[5] 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 might make the connection between Bruce Wayne and Batman. To forestall that problem, he improvised a hood-like mask for the dog that incorporated the bat-emblem as adog tag.[6] Ace was subsequently christened the Bat-Hound by a criminal that the dog helped Batman to apprehend.[7]
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.[8] Wilker was never aware that Bruce Wayne was Batman.
An early case involved Ace tracking down a mentally unhinged ancient weapons expert.[9] At one point, Ace acquired superpowers thanks toBat-Mite, but this was short-lived.[10] He did have his own training. For example; his specialized radio collar, when activated, told him to don his own mask (via a hands-free device) and track down Batman and Robin.[11] Ace was used less and less over time, and for various reasons. When Bruce was overcome withnight terrors, Robin suggested that Ace sleep beside him.[12]
Ace disappeared from theBatman comics afterJulius Schwartz took over as editor in 1964. His last appearance was a cameo in a story where Batman had lost his fighting spirit.[13]
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The original Ace appears as a resident ofLimbo inAnimal Man andFinal Crisis.[14][15]
A post-Crisis version of Ace is reintroduced inBatman #462 (June 1991) byAlan Grant andNorm Breyfogle. This version is anEnglish Mastiff and was originally aguide dog belonging to a blindNative American named Black Wolf, who simply called him "Dog". The dog assists Batman in fighting men from Black Wolf's tribe, who are suspects in the murder of a collector of Native American material culture. Following Black Wolf's death, Batman adopts Dog, renaming him Ace. Ace has at times helped Batman on cases and is depicted to be very affectionate towards his owner and vice versa.[16]
After Batman has his back broken byBane,Azrael takes over the identity during his recovery and ejects Ace,Nightwing,Robin, andHarold Allnut from theBatcave. Harold, a trusted confidante of Batman, takes in Ace; they live in a part of the caverns that Azrael is unfamiliar with.[17][18]
InBatman and Robin Vol. 1: Born to Kill, as part ofThe New 52 (a 2011 reboot of the DC Comics universe), Bruce is seen purchasing a black Great Dane from a kennel. He later gives this dog to his son, Damian, who names him Titus. Damian rejects the dog at first, but eventually bonds with him.[19] WriterPeter Tomasi revealed that he thought about naming Damian's dog Ace, but decided that "it was best not to drop [Ace] in at this point in the New 52".[20]
InDC Rebirth, a different Ace was introduced inBatman vol. 3 Annual #1, in which he is depicted as a former guard dog of theJoker who fought Batman until Joker left him and the other dogs without food in a ditch to fight amongst themselves. The dogs had card symbols on them, and the brown dog with an ace on it killed the others. He was sent to the Gotham Pound, andAlfred adopted him two days later. To facilitate this, Alfred actually purchases the Gotham Pound, turning it into the Martha and Thomas Wayne Humane Society. Alfred spends the next couple of months training the dog despite Bruce's objections, as he thinks Ace's wounds from the Joker's actions cannot be healed. Despite this, Alfred manages to properly train him in time for Christmas, and Bruce starts bonding with the dog after getting injured during one of his night shifts. He gets Ace a bat-mask for Christmas and calls him a "Bat Hound".[21]
Once Superman had a dog, Batman got one too, in "Ace, the Bat-Hound!" In the story by writer Bill Finger and artist Sheldon Moldoff, Batman and Robin found a German Shepherd called Ace.
