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| Issue |
Detective
469 |
| Subtitle |
By
Death's Deadly Light; The Origin of Dr. Phosphorus |
| Date |
May
1977 |
| Writer(s) |
Steve
Englehart |
| Artist(s) |
Walt
Simonson, Al Milgrom |
| storyline |
By
Death's Eerie Light
Batman returned to the Wayne Foundation penthouse, where
Bruce Wayne resided. As he entered, Alfred collapsed.
He called for an ambulance, but there were none available.
Bruce got Alfred to a hospital, then returned as Batman.
Batman spoke with Gordon, who'd received a note from
someone claiming responsibility for the epidemic. He
called himself Dr. Phosphorus.
Batman soon learned the source of the illness - Gotham
City's drinking water. Commissioner Gordon had been
stricken already. Batman went to the reservoir and found
the man at the heart of the situation - Dr. Phosphorus.
He appeared to be the living embodiment of phosphorus
and Batman was burned when they touched. They struggled
into the water supply (which had been turned off). Phosphorus
escaped.
The
Origin of Dr. Phosphorus
Dr. Phosphorus arrived at the residence of one of his
old colleagues, Dr. Bell. He told Bell his true identity,
Dr. Alex Sartorius. He'd gone into a partnership with
Rupert Thorne on a power plant. Gotham voted it down,
so they had to build it in the Atlantic. A problem with
the reactor caused an explosion, and Dr. Sartorius was
thought dead. He'd been blasted with radioactive sand
and transformed.
He promised the old group would be safe if they could
keep Batman out of his way.
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|
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|
| Issue |
Detective
470 |
| Subtitle |
The
Master Plan of Dr. Phosphorus |
| Date |
June
1977 |
| Writer(s) |
Steve
Englehart |
| Artist(s) |
Walt
Simonson, Al Milgrom |
| storyline |
Batman
took down a smalltime burglar and was slapped with a subpoena.
He went to see Gordon (who was recovering and sharing
a hospital room with Alfred). Gordon knew nothing and
figured it to be something of Thorne's doing.
Back in the cave, Batman received a call from Chief O'Hara.
Now that Gordon was out of commission, the City Council
had marked Batman as off-limits. O'Hara was brief: Dr.
Phosphorus had struck at a concert. The Geiger counter
picked up readings where Batman had been touched by Phosphorus.
He headed to the power plant offshore, but was greeted
hastily by the workers. He returned home.
Soon after, Bruce Wayne threw a party. Among the invitees
were Rupert Thorne, Dr. Bell, and much of the city council.
He also met a woman named Silver St. Cloud. He snuck away
from the party (on his yacht in the harbor) and visited
the power plant again. Dr. Phosphorus attacked him and
was killed when he collided with the reactor. Batman returned
to his boat; Wayne rejoined Silver and the party. |
|
|
|
| Issue |
Detective
471 |
| Subtitle |
The
Dead Yet Live |
| Date |
August
1977 |
| Writer(s) |
Steve
Englehart |
| Artist(s) |
Marshall
Rogers, Terry Austin |
| storyline |
Though
Phosphorus was thought dead, Thorne held everyone to the
original plan - Batman must be destroyed. Bruce still
had burns from his encounter with Dr. Phosphorus, so he
checked himself into a "no questions asked"
clinic he'd heard of. He was drugged and locked in. Batman
escaped and came back in to take down the curator, who
turned out to be Dr. Hugo Strange (thought dead). He'd
been doping Gotham's elite and having them bring their
friends. Strange had a deadly snake bite Batman. He administered
the anti-venom in time to save the vigilante. When he
awakened, Dr. Strange had unmasked him. |
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|
|
| Issue |
Detective
472 |
| Subtitle |
I
Am the Batman |
| Date |
September
1977 |
| Writer(s) |
Steve
Englehart |
| Artist(s) |
Marshall
Rogers, Terry Austin |
| storyline |
Dr.
Hugo Strange assumed not only the guise of Batman, but
also of Bruce Wayne. He planned to embezzle from the various
Wayne companies. Strange, as Wayne, began selling stock
like mad. Silver came to visit him in his office, and
he broke it off with her. Suspicious, she visited the
clinic again for Wayne and was again asked to leave. She
called Dick at college, who was secretly worried. Soon
later, Robin burst in on the scene.
Bruce began to build a tolerance for the drugs he was
being given. Alfred tried to help him. Strange's monsters
attacked Silver as he planned to auction Batman's true
identity. Using the info gained from Silver, Robin found
Bruce and Alfred. He battled through the monsters and
freed them. He then went after Strange, not knowing he'd
been abducted by Thorne's men. He had them torture the
doctor, but he refused to give up the secret. Strange
died at the hands of Thorne's goons. |
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|
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| Issue |
Detective
473 |
| Subtitle |
The
Malay Penguin |
| Date |
November
1977 |
| Writer(s) |
Steve
Englehart |
| Artist(s) |
Marshall
Rogers, Terry Austin |
| storyline |
Batman
and Robin took on some of Thorne's men who were dumping
Strange's body. They had to split when the cops came -
they were still on the outs due to Thorne's propaganda.
Penguin (who'd broken out of jail three weeks previous),
not knowing Strange had been killed, showed up for the
auction of Batman's identity. He and his men scattered
when they heard the Joker's laugh. Batman saw that an
art gallery was displaying a penguin item and confronted
the curator.
When they returned to the penthouse, Alfred told them
the money Strange was laundering had been recovered. They
grabbed some ZZZs, then visited Silver, who was recovering
in the hospital. That night, they found Penguin coming
out of the museum. He gave them the slip with one of his
trick umbrellas.
Batman foiled his plan - he wasn't out to get the bird
(he'd stolen it weeks before - the one in the museum was
a fake), he was hijacking a plane full of dignitaries.
The Dynamic Duo took him down easily. |
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|
|
| Issue |
Detective
474 |
| Subtitle |
The
Deadshot Ricochet |
| Date |
December
1977 |
| Writer(s) |
Steve
Englehart |
| Artist(s) |
Marshall
Rogers, Terry Austin |
| storyline |
Batman
and Robin returned to the cave after taking down Penguin
and sparred a bit. After their exercise was over, Dick
got a call from Wonder Girl - important Titans business.
After Bruce insisted, Dick reluctantly left.
Penguin was placed in a cell adjacent to Floyd Lawton
- Deadshot. Lawton snatched Cobblepot's escape tool and
broke out. Batman visited Thorne. When he left, for a
second time, the mob boss saw a vision of Hugo Strange.
Bruce and Silver had lunch together. He felt them growing
closer. She asked him about his relationship with Commissioner
Gordon and the Batman. That night, Batman was attacked
by Deadshot. He took the assassin down in Silver's presence.
She was convinced Batman was Bruce. |
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|
|
| Issue |
Detective
475 |
| Subtitle |
The
Laughing Fish |
| Date |
February
1978 |
| Writer(s) |
Steve
Englehart |
| Artist(s) |
Marshall
Rogers, Terry Austin |
| storyline |
Batman
spied on Silver as she readied for her date with Bruce
Wayne. He burst into her apartment and asked her what
she'd wanted from him the night before. She played it
off, and he left. As soon as he got through her window,
Bruce called to postpone their date.
The next morning, the news broke that fish all across
the eastern and western US coasts were tainted with the
Joker's smile. The madman went to a copyright lawyer and
attempted to get profit from each fish sold with his image.
The man balked, but Joker gave him some time to think
about it. Thorne was threatened by Joker. He made sure
the man realized killing Batman would be a mistake. Thorne
left town.
Joker hijacked TV later that day, announcing he would
kill the lawyer at midnight. Batman, Gordon, and the GCPD
were on hand, and the man died by gas. Joker made another
appearance with another threat.
Silver St. Cloud, hitchhiking, got in the car with Rupert
Thorne. |
|
|
|
| Issue |
Detective
476 |
| Subtitle |
Sign
of the Joker |
| Date |
April
1978 |
| Writer(s) |
Steve
Englehart |
| Artist(s) |
Marshall
Rogers, Terry Austin |
| storyline |
The
Joker's next target died on schedule, even though he and
Batman had traded identities for the event. Batman searched
outside the house and thought he saw an apparition of
Hugo Strange.
Thorne and St. Cloud had an argument about the Batman
after hearing a news piece on the Joker. He forced her
out of his car. She wandered to a nearby house where the
owner was working on his plane.
Batman and the police readied for Joker's next attack;
Batman noticed him in a GCPD uniform. They fought onto
a fire escape. Silver got back to town in time to see
them battling. Lightning struck the Joker's platform and
he fell into the river below.
Silver confronted her lover and told him they could never
be together. Gordon came to him with news - Thorne had
been picked up in another state - he'd confessed to every
crime he'd ever committed. |
|
|
|
| Issue |
Detective
478 |
| Subtitle |
The
Coming of Clayface III |
| Date |
August
1978 |
| Writer(s) |
Len
Wein |
| Artist(s) |
Marshall
Rogers, Dick Giordano |
| storyline |
With
the loss of Silver still fresh on Bruce's mind, Clayface
(III: Preston Payne) surfaced. Gordon clued Batman in
- he'd killed a night watchman / former police officer.
Batman soon caught up with him at S.T.A.R. Labs attempting
to swipe a device. He warned Batman that he had no quarrel
with him, but the effects of Matt Hagen's blood got to
him. With Batman down, Clayface dropped a glove and went
for his face. |
|
|
|
| Issue |
Detective
479 |
| Subtitle |
If
a Man be Made of Clay |
| Date |
October
1978 |
| Writer(s) |
Len
Wein |
| Artist(s) |
Marshall
Rogers, Dick Giordano |
| storyline |
Batman
was able to dodge Clayface's touch and zap him with electricity.
Clayface escaped and put the Batmobile out of commission
on his way out. Payne's fever worsened and he crashed
his car. The next car was an easy target for him - he
killed the driver and took it (the driver's wife escaped).
An eyewitness called the cops. They set up a road block
and nabbed Clayface. Batman gave chase, but the freak
jumped from a bridge into the river. Batman was able to
trail him to his hide-out: a wax museum. They fought,
and a fire was started. Batman was able to stop the battery
pack feeding his exoskeleton and best Clayface. They exited.
Clayface noticed the fire and rushed back in. After the
blaze was stopped, they found no trace of his body.
A strange female visitor attempted to get an appointment
with Bruce. |
|
| Reprinted
as Shadow of the Batman 1-5 (December 1985 - April 1986) |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| trade
paperback edition |
 |
| Notes,
references to time, and chronology: |
| |
This fits
in place during Tales of the
Demon and spans less than one month in continuity. |
| |
"The
Dead Yet Live" takes place about a week after the previous
stories: "...Where ever he touched me, he burned me. It's
been a week now! They're not healing!" [Batman] |
| |
"The
Dead Yet Live" takes place around a year after the introduction
of Ra's al Ghul: "...Just last year, that Ra's al Ghul
character tried to frame him for murder..." [city councilman] |
| |
"I
am the Batman" Dick is in college. |
| |
"I
am the Batman" Bruce is Strange's prisoner for about a
week: "...They've kept him drugged for a week, but I've
looked after him." [Alfred] |
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