Batman #340

Issue Details

Synopsis

A MAN CALLED MOLE! It's night in Gotham City and a man walks home after a long day at work. Suddenly, the streets of Gotham start bulging as a terrible creature makes its way towards the lone man of the streets. The man tries to run, but whatever is chasing him doesn't stop until there is nowhere else to run and the man is dragged into the whole in the ground. Later, the Gotham City Police Department and Commissioner Gordon summon Batman to help them figure out the crime, but Batman is just as baffled as they are.   The next night, Batman goes out on patrol and listens to a man in distress. Upon arriving at the place, Batman finds a similar scene with a hole in the ground. The man who witnessed the scene tells Batman that a man was dragged into the hole and Batman dives into the hole looking for the responsible. After digging his way through the underground tunnel, Batman finds a large creature that calls himself the Mole. After a brief confrontation, the Mole manages to get away and Batman returns to the surface to tell the police of the events.  After going back to the Batcave, Batman does some background research and finds a connection between the Mole and a criminal he and Superman captured years prior and who was locked at the Gotham State Penitentiary, but has recently escaped. The man was a professional tunnel digger who was denied parole and finally, Batman makes a connection to the victims, who denied Mole parole. Knowing this information, Batman has the mission to protect the last member of the parole board: Sandra Clark.   The next day, the Mole learns through the newspapers that Sandra Clark is going to stay at Wayne Manor and he digs his way to the outskirts of Gotham. Bruce has allowed Sandra to stay and when everyone at home goes to sleep, Bruce goes to the original Batcave, to prepare the battleground when the Mole arrives. A few hours later, the Mole finds the cave underneath Wayne Manor and makes his way to the kitchen, where Sarah was taking a midnight snack. Shortly after, Sandra wakes up in the cave underneath Wayne Manor and she is rescued by Batman, who uses a water pipeline to flood the place. In the ensuing battle, the Mole explains that after he escaped from prison as a normal person, he came in touch with contaminated water, which transformed into the Mole creature. Batman manages to defeat the Mole and the creature is dragged by the current of the water. Having saved Sandra, Batman feels accomplished and all he wants is a well deserved rest.