Batman #90

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE WEB OF DOOM! A research scientist, Dr. Peter Driscoll, trips and bangs his head, and drops a package. He comes round with amnesia, wandering off and forgetting the package. When he is found, he cannot remember where he dropped it, and his research partner explains that it contains deadly germs. A warning is broadcast through Gotham, and Batman comes up with a plan to jog Driscoll's memory: dressing up three former inmates who'd been used as test subjects in exchange for pardons. The first, Tom Bailey, had returned to his small home town. When Batman arrives, he finds that despite being a model citizen, all the evidence points to his having murdered his employer, and so cannot be released. In court, Bailey claims his fingerprints are on the hammer used as the murder weapon because he picked it up when he found the body. Batman identifies the hammer as that of a cooper, and uses the tannoy system of the nearby barrel factory to announce the upcoming arrest of the real murderer. The murderer panics when he sees Batman and Robin and tries to flee, revealing himself as had been the plan all along. They catch him and take him to the local police station. The second ex-con is Brad Carson, who changed his name to Carter and moved to Civic City. When Batman asks Carson to help, he refuses as he won't risk the newspapers finding out and ruining his reputation with his new family. While they are there, the town's loudspeaker broadcast the news of three escaped convicts, Mitch Rollins, Joe Tyler and Paul Wade - the third man on Batman's list - taking refuge atop an oil tank. Mitch Rollins threatens to blow up the high-pressure tank, and whole town, unless he's given a getaway car. Wade tries to dissuade him from the course of action, but fails. Meanwhile, Batman tells Carson that his family is now in danger much like Gotham City. He then borrows a circus cannon the fire him and Robin to the top of the tank to take the fugitives by surprise. The convicts are captured, but in the process, Rollins shoots Wade. Afterwards, Carson agrees to come, but Wade is too badly injured to help and will instead go up against the prison Parole Board, where his heroism will hopefully be taken into account. Nonetheless, all three in their prison scrubs appear in front of Driscoll, triggering his total recall. He shows Batman where he dropped the package, arriving just before an inquisitive young boy opens it. Later Batman reveals that he was fortunately able to disguise himself as Wade, because he would not have been able to pose as Carson or Bailey being of totally different sizes and builds. In the end all three ex-cons were given new lives and Gotham is saved. CITY OF FANTASY! Dr. Frank Bolton has invented an "illusion ray" machine, but his assistant Parker steals it and partners with gangsters to distort people's vision and commit crimes. At first, Batman and Robin are helpless, until they learn to rely on hearing and radar instead of vision. Using their advanced equipment and a pair of confiscated goggles that filter the machines illusions, the Dynamic Duo manage to capture the criminals and the machine is destroyed in the struggle. THE ADVENTURES OF BATBOY! While Batman is out of town, a new vigilante appears. Batboy is apparently a young boy, who fights crime using baseball bats as his main theme. When Robin learns of this new adventurer, he meets Batboy and realizes that he is in fact a midget, who had been a circus performer. Batboy explains that he was part of a circus act until his partners were killed by a gangster called Tapper Nolan, who set fire to the circus tent to cause panic and steal the gate receipts. Realizing that Batboy's past is similar to his own, Robin decides to help Batboy capture the criminal he is looking for, and together they make short work of the thugs. After the criminals are captured and arrested, Batboy wants to retire from being a vigilante and Robin helps him land a job on a local baseball team as the batboy.