Batman #126

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE MYSTERY OF THE 49TH STAR Batman and Robin are called in to help an old friend recover stolen diamonds. The friend, Chalmers, lives in Alaska and made his fortune there; the diamonds, 49 of them, were cut in star shapes and set in an "American flag," to be presented to the Alaskan government to commemorate Alaska's admission into the Union. Chalmers' guard, Atkins, informs Batman that he was slugged from behind by three bandits. From fingerprints, Batman and Robin determine the thieves to be the Brady Brothers, notorious criminals. By canvassing bush pilots, they find that the three Bradys split up and were flown to different areas. They capture Will Brady in the Valley of 10,000 Smokes, a volcanic region; Bart Brady is taken near Kodiak Island; and Matt Brady is caught in the Eskimo territory of northern Alaska. Each possesses 16 diamonds, totaling 48 in all; the 49th, symbolizing Alaska, remains missing. Batman and Robin return to Chalmers, who waits for them with Atkins at a mining plant. Batman tackles Atkins and recovers the 49th star, telling him that he could not have known there was three thieves if he was knocked out from behind. Afterward, Batman salutes the American diamond-flag, and pay special tribute to Alaska. THE BATMAN LIGHTHOUSE Gotham City has recently erected a lighthouse in the shape of a giant Batman holding a torch, which figures in the lives of three separate individuals. When bandits overpower night watchman Dan Grady and lock him in a warehouse's stockroom, he forms a "bat-signal" from parts of a bicycle reflector pasted to board, shines it by the light of the nearby lighthouse, and thus signals Batman and Robin to rescue him and defeat the thieves. Later, political refugee Carlo Luria gazes on the lighthouse from within a ship; with him he has a report which, when presented to the American government, will block their loan to his small nation and thus enable a dictatorship to be overthrown. However, agents from the nation are on board, start a fire, pose as firemen and attempt to abduct Luria. Batman and Robin are drawn from their Batboat search for gangster Hack Jorgens by the fire, and the fact that the ship's "firemen" are ignorant of firefighting terminology tips them off to the agents' true nature. They are able to rescue Luria and subdue the agents. Finally, Batman realizes that Hack Jorgens has holed up in the Batman Lighthouse when he notes that the beacon is revolving too slowly; the clockwork mechanism must be cranked up every four hours, and the lighthouse keeper, tied up by Jorgen, has not been able to do it. Batman chases Jorgen up the arm of the giant Batman to the torch, where he tackles him, finally bringing the gangster to bay. Later on, in prison, Jorgens is given a cell facing the Batman Lighthouse. THE MENACE OF THE FIREFLY A new costumed criminal, the Firefly, and his gang crash a party at the Carson Mansion at Gotham which Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson are attending. Batman and Robin attempt to interfere with the Firefly's theft of gold nuggets from the Carson family's first gold strike, but the Firefly blinds them momentarily with a powerful light beam from his helmet and ensures his gang's getaway. Later, Bruce Wayne finds Kathy Kane spurning him for Ted Carson, causing him to exclaim that he now has both the Firefly and Carson to worry about. Soon, Batman, Robin and Batwoman are summoned to combat the Firefly at the Gotham Glassworks, but they discover that the Firefly possesses a sonic weapon that can shatter glass and are forced to take cover while the criminals flee, though one is caught. As they part, Batwoman reveals to Batman that she knows his secret identity. Later, Bruce Wayne calls upon Kathy Kane, only to find Ted Carson already there. After a few minutes, Ted gets up to leave and asks Bruce to see Kathy to dinner; she feigns a headache and gets Bruce's raincoat, still leaving him in the dark as to whether or not she suspects him of being Batman. After Bruce leaves, a fallen piece of paper reveals to Kathy the Firefly's plans to rob the Gotham Natural History Museum. She becomes Batwoman and travels to Ted Carson's house, telling him to become Batman and accompany her to foil the Firefly's plans, and revealing she saw him change from a uniform into civilian clothes at the party. Carson leaves, and emerges in his uniform--the Firefly's. He proceeds to tie Batwoman up and joins his gang at the museum, attempting to steal silver relics. But Batman and Robin have deduced his next crime, and Batwoman has freed herself, and the crime-fighters bring the criminals down. Later, Batwoman reveals that she thought Bruce Wayne was the Firefly because she had mistakenly given Bruce Ted's coat, from which the plans for robbing the museum had dropped. Still later, Kathy Kane, dancing with Bruce, contemplates him as a candidate for Batman, and rejects the notion.