The Human Bat and The Black Phantom (1899-1901)

Spring-Heeled Jack: The Human Bat (1899-1901) brings together two long-lost Victorian serials from The Funny Wonder, The Human Bat and The Black Phantom, now edited and introduced by J.S. Mackley. Running for more than two years between 1899 and 1901, these sensational tales transform the legend of Spring-Heeled Jack from London's leaping ghost into a proto-supernatural detective story of vampires, vengeance, and empire.

The story follows Lionel Hope, a Yorkshire clerk accused of being the mysterious "Human Bat" who terrifies Bevington's citizens. Assisted by his loyal friends-Tom Robbins and boy-detective Jack Hunt-Lionel struggles to clear his name and unmask the winged terror stalking the night. Written in the feverish idiom of the penny serial, the narrative merges Gothic melodrama with the emerging tropes of detective and horror fiction, offering early examples of serialised cliff-hangers, masked avengers, and public "guess-the-villain" contests.

The comprehensive introduction reconstructs the publication history of the Funny Wonder story-papers, the competition that promised readers a gold watch for revealing the Bat's identity, and the serial's influence on later works such as The Winged Man (1913) and Man or Fiend (1904). His commentary situates The Human Bat within fin-de-siecle anxieties about technology, empire, and the monstrous.

Richly annotated and restored from fragile British Library originals, this edition continues The Spring-Heeled Jack Library series, preserving one of the most extraordinary experiments in Victorian popular storytelling.