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| Publisher |
DC |
| Writer |
David Vern |
| Artist |
Ernie Chan |
| Colorist |
Tatjana Wood |
| Cover Artist |
Tatjana Wood |
| Published | June 1976 |
THE HAUNTING OF THE SPOOK! Batman encounters the Spook while crossing the Kingsboro Bridge and battles him, but cannot catch his elusive enemy. Nonetheless, the Spook uses subliminal messages on Batman, which gives him the clue to the Spook's next caper. The two enemies have two more encounters, which proceed in much the same way, except that Batman gets progressively more savage with each battle, and the Spook keeps encouraging Batman to kill him. Eventually, Batman realizes about Spook's subliminal messages. In their next fight, Batman drops in his tracks and feigns death. The Spook, not knowing that Batman is using meditation techniques to dull his pulse rate, finds no vital signs and assumes Batman has died. He screams out that he himself was to have faked death, using the same techniques, and Batman, who would have been unable to trust himself not to kill again, would have hung up his cape. After Batman is carried off by an ambulance, he revives himself, reports to Commissioner Gordon, and finally confronts the Spook, who is unable to fight back due to the shock of seeing Batman alive. With the Spook locked away, Bruce Wayne can return to his normal activities without having the urge to obey the criminal's subliminal messages.
