Ace, along with Batwoman, Bat-Girl, and Bat-Mite, was retired from the comic in 1964, when editor Julius Schwartz instituted a "New Look" Batman that shed some of the sillier elements in the series.[4]
Fictional character biography
Pre-Crisis
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.[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 a dog 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 to Bat-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 with night terrors, Robin suggested that Ace sleep beside him.[12]
Ace disappeared from the Batman comics after Julius Schwartz took over as editor in 1964. His last appearance was a cameo in a story where Batman had lost his fighting spirit.[13]
The original Ace appears as a resident of Limbo in Animal Man and Final Crisis, while a new dog character based on him is introduced. He is a former guide dog who Batman adopts following the death of his owner Black Wolf.[14][15]
First appearing in Batman Beyond, this version is a Great Dane mix who was involved in an illegal dog fighting ring as a puppy, but eventually escaped and was adopted by an elderly Bruce Wayne, becoming his sole companion in Wayne Manor until they meet Terry McGinnis.
Ace makes a cameo appearance in the Static Shock episode "Future Shock".
Ace appears in DC League of Super-Pets, voiced by Kevin Hart.[23][24][21] This version is a boxer who was abandoned by his family after he bit their infant daughter's arm while saving her from falling down a flight of stairs. In the present, he gains super-strength and invulnerability from exposure to orange Kryptonite and joins forces with Krypto and other empowered shelter pets to rescue the Justice League. Following this, Ace is adopted by Batman and becomes a founding member of the titular League of Super-Pets.
Ace appears as an unlockable playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, with vocal effects provided again by Dee Bradley Baker.[26]
Ace appears as a playable character in DC League of Super Pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace.[27][28]
Miscellaneous
Ace's appeal is discussed in Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross. Ross feels that as a child, the idea of Batman having a dog is "cool", but as an adult the same idea is "outrageous".[29]
^Irvine, Alex (2010). "1950s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.). DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 77. ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9. 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.
^Wells, John (2015). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-64. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 167–169. ISBN978-1605490458.
^ abcdefghi"Ace the Bat-Hound Voices (Batman)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 13, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
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