Batman #345

Issue Details

Synopsis

CALLING DOCTOR DEATH Archie Keswick is brought to the sanctum of Doctor Death by Death's servant Togo. Doctor Death has discovered that Keswick was planning to betray him to the police. To punish Keswick, Death covers him in a poisonous dust. Keswick is later found dead in Gotham River. Batman arrives to help Commissioner Gordon look at the body. Keswick is covered in boils and his skin is discolored.  Batman returns to his apartment and changes clothes to become Bruce Wayne. Having resigned as head of the Wayne Foundation, he is able to attend a party without being the focus. Vicki Vale tears a floozy named Cindy off of Bruce and takes his arm. They meet up with Dick Grayson and Dick's mysterious new older girlfriend Dala. The guest of honor is Dr. Karl Hellfern, a high-priced healer bringing homeopathic remedies to the wealthy. Dick steps outside with Dala. They are covered in dust by a mysterious figure flying across Gotham. Batman and Robin meet up later in the Batcave with Alfred. Robin does an analysis on the dust, and learns that he has been exposed to a deadly super-allergen.   Commissioner Gordon confronts Hamilton Hill, who recently won the Mayoral election. Hill repeats his campaign promise to demand Gordon's resignation as his first official act in office. Gordon angrily insists that Hill doesn't care about the good of the people, he is simply on a personal vendetta. Hill says that in 24 hours he will stop calling for Gordon's resignation and start calling for his impeachment. Gordon angrily storms out, and Hill's secret beeper goes off.   Batman and Robin visit the morgue to determine that Archie Keswick died from the same dust. They interrogate several hoodlums, and their search leads them to Relief Island in Gotham River. They enter the abandoned hospital on Relief Island, although Robin is visibly weakening. Inside they are attacked by Togo and several other martial artists. They defeat Robin in his weakened state, and Togo knocks out Batman while he's distracted. When Batman and Robin wake up, they are handcuffed together on the underside of Gotham River Bridge. Doctor Death explains that Batman cannot free himself without letting Robin fall to his death. Doctor Death announces that he is taking Gotham City hostage, and Batman will not live to see it happen. TERROR TRAIN After having left Gotham City, Selina Kyle is approached by an official agency who want to hire her to solve the mystery of some passenger train cars that seem to disappear and reappear between Gotham and Chicago.   After learning the details about the mysterious trains, Selina agrees to perform the task as Catwoman and she is placed inside one of those trains. During the journey, the train enters a tunnel, but after a long time it doesn't come out on the other end. Catwoman investigates and she finds that the train has been taken somwhere near a graveyard and several spectral ghosts are terrorizing the passengers. When she tries to confront one of the ghosts, her hand phases right through it and soon she finds herself at the end of a ghostly noose.