Batman #255

Issue Details

Synopsis

MOON OF THE WOLF During a full moon night in Gotham City, Batman spots a terrible creature climbing the side of a building and entering the apartment of a young woman. After killing the lady's pet, the beast directs his attention to the woman, but Batman arrives in time to stop the beast from harming his victim. Without an easy way out, the beast grabs the woman and tosses her out through the window, several stores from the ground. Batman dives behind and grabs the woman during the free fall before using his Batrope to swing her back to safety. By the time Batman takes the woman to a safe place, the ferocious beast has escaped leaving no traces behind.   Batman then pays a visit to Commissioner Gordon at the GCPD Headquarters, where he informs the Commissioner about his latest encounter with the man disguised as a beast. Gordon then tells Batman about the robbery of a couple of timber wolves from the Gotham Zoo and he believes that there is a connection between both crimes. Batman agrees, but he also starts to suspect that maybe the attacker was not wearing a disguise.  At dawn, the beast returns to the hidden laboratory of Professor Milo where he transforms back to his human form of Anthony Lupus, a former professional athlete who started having unbearable headaches due to an illness known as lycanthropy. Lupus sought medical help, but nobody was able to provide a cure for his illness, until he met Milo, who gave him a serum that stopped his constant headaches, but instead, it caused him to turn into a werewolf during full moon nights. Lupus explains that his transformations are worsening and that he might lose control of his acts when transformed into a werewolf, which is why he needs a cure from Milo, but Milo refuses to give him the antidote until he has succeeded in killing Milo's personal enemy, Batman.   Seeking to lure Batman into a trap, Lupus puts out word about a charity donation he wants to deliver to Batman personally and this reaches Bruce Wayne's ears. One night, Batman goes to Lupus' place in order to receive the donation, but he is taken inside a locked room, where he is knocked unconscious with gas.  Moments later, Lupus takes Batman to a construction site near Milo's secret laboratory and he handcuffs the hero to the ground with chains before going to Milo's lab and asking one more time for the cure. Milo wouldn't give the antidote until Batman has been murdered by the werewolf, but Lupus knows that he will lose control of his next transformation. Milo doesn't heed the warning and when the full moon rises, Lupus turns into a werewolf and attacks Milo, destroying the antidote.   In the meantime, Batman has recovered and he tries to break free from the chains, when the werewolf appears and prepares an attack on the Caped Crusader. Batman manages to break free in time to fight back and as they struggle, a storm unleashes. With rain and thunders as their background, Batman and the werewolf take the fight to the construction site, several stories above the ground. Once there, the fight continues and Batman uses a metallic rod to impale the beast in the shoulder. However, the werewolf doesn't seem to feel pain and he starts pulling the object out of his body until a lightning strikes at him, attracted by the metallic rod. Batman is only able to watch as the burning body of the werewolf collapses to the ground and by the time Batman reaches the spot where the werewolf landed, he is only able to find the charred metallic rod.   Nothing is ever known about the werewolf in Gotham City, but not long after this, the legend about a man hunting wolves, and a pack led by a beast start to spread in the cold lands of Alaska. THE FIRST BATMAN After seeing an old home movie of his father, Dr. Thomas Wayne, in a "Batman" costume for a masquerade party, and learning from Dr. Wayne's diary that he was marked for death by gangster Lew Moxon, Batman and Robin realize that Joe Chill was only a hired gun of Moxon's to Kill Bruce's parents. They resolve to go after the mastermind of Waynes' murder only to find he has no memory of Wayne or Chill, or so he claims.   Batman decides to wear his father's Bat-costume after his own costume is torn apprehending Moxon's gang and in doing so forces Moxon to reveal the truth. The shock of seeing what he thinks is the spirit of Thomas Wayne, causes Moxon not only to tell the truth, but also run away in fear and despair. As Moxon runs away from Batman, the hero tries to warn the thug about an incoming truck, but Moxon ends up killed by the vehicle. In the end, Bruce places his father's Bat-Costume in the trophy room of the Batcave, as a reminder of the late Thomas Wayne and his murderer, who met the same kind of justice. THE DUPED DOMESTICS! Alfred has been acting strangely in the last few days without an apparent reason. Batman and Robin save one of the butlers that works for a rich man nearby and the butler tells them that he was attacked by some criminals who wanted to take away a picture of a lady called Belinda from him. The butler is apparently in love with this girl and soon, it is revealed that Alfred has also fallen for this lady.   While Bruce and Dick are outside, Alfred spends his time going to the park to meet with Belinda and he tries to court her by telling her that he knows the Batman personally. Belinda dares Alfred to prove his claim and Alfred tells her that he is going to call Batman, but he is not going to be able to return. As Alfred returns to Wayne Manor, he picks one of Bruce's spare Batsuits and he puts it on. Dressed as Batman, Alfred returns to the park and posing as the dark knight, he talks wonders about Alfred to Belinda. At that moment a couple of thugs appear out of nowhere and knock Alfred unconscious. The thugs think they've captured Batman and Belinda instructs them to take the man away as it is revealed that she is none other than Catwoman and she has been luring the butlers of wealthy people to get information from them.   Later, Batman and Robin return home and they realize that Alfred is gone. Looking through Alfred's personal things, they find a poem dedicated to Belinda and guided by Alfred's poetic description of her, they deduce that she is Catwoman. The duo leave Wayne Manor as Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson to talk to a neighbor and ask if the butler has also been acting strangely, but upon arriving they are captured by Catwoman and her gang and they are locked away in a cold room along with Alfred disguised as Batman.   Working together, Alfred, Bruce and Dick manage to break free and the real Batman and Robin get into action. The dynamic duo rush to Wayne Manor, the place that Catwoman and her gang are stealing, but Alfred can't keep up with them and stays behind. Batman and Robin take care of the criminal gang by capturing all the thugs, but the sneaky Catwoman manages to escape unnoticed. As she returns to her hideout, she encounters Alfred, who was still wearing the Batsuit. At the sight of Batman, Catwoman surrenders and allows "Batman" to arrest her. However, Alfred has something else in mind before taking her to the police and he tells her that the punishment will hurt her more than it will hurt him.   Back in Wayne Manor the Gotham City Police Department take the criminals away, leaving Bruce and Dick safe in their home. The duo realize that Alfred hasn't returned yet and a few moments later, someone knocks the door. Bruce answers the door and he is surprised to see Alfred, still wearing the batsuit and carrying Catwoman with him. Alfred, pretending to be Batman, asks Bruce for a telephone to contact the police and inform them of his capture. While Alfred calls the police, Dick tells Catwoman to sit down until they police arrive, but she is not willing to sit down as a result of Alfred's punishment.   The next day, Alfred's attitude has improved and he has returned to act normally. While he tells Bruce and Dick about Catwoman's plan to steal from everyone in the vicinity, Bruce remarks that maybe Alfred was a bit too harsh with her. Alfred insists that she deserved it for toying with his affections and he also tells the duo that he performed quite good as Batman; to which Bruce replies that he was more than good according to Catwoman. THE TRUE-FALSE FACE OF BATMAN! One night, a group of thieves break into the Amerindian Museum to steal solid gold insects that are on display there. Their plan is foiled when Batgirl arrives to break things up, she is later joined by Batman and Robin who were alerted of the robbery, the Dynamic Duo are surprised to find her there. With the crooks wrapped up, Batman offers to show Batgirl a secret and takes her to the Batcave blindfolded. On the ride there, Batgirl reflects on how she got wind of the robbery in her civilian guise of Barbara Gordon when one of the patrons of her library (Paul Crowell) would borrow books that contained plots that were later reenacted in real crimes.   Arriving at the Batcave, Batman shows Batgirl his real identity as Bruce Wayne (much to the shock of Robin) however, Batgirl never says his name out loud. As they blind fold her and take her back to the city, Batman silently pulls a hidden bug and shows it to Robin. After dropping Batgirl off, the two heroes hide out in a cabin hoping that the crooks who planted the bug, in an attempt to get Batgirl's knowledge of Batman's real identity, would play into their hands.   This plan works, and Batman and Robin take the crooks by surprise and capture them all with the help of Batgirl who had followed them to the cabin as well. Questioning one of the thugs, they find out he's under the employ of a crook named Mr. Brains and explains how their ring worked by use of library books.   Returning to the Batcave, Batman reveals to Robin that although he revealed his true identity to Batgirl, he made it look as if the face of Bruce Wayne was really a rushed disguise job by applying a sloppy wax and dye job, knowing that Batgirl would notice these things and figure that the Bruce Wayne identity was a fraud. The next day, the Brain arrives at the library to return the book detailing his next crime. He's revealed to be John Heart, and he is soon captured by Batman and Robin. Later, having dinner with the Gordons, the Commissioner remarks about how Batman "borrowed" Bruce's face to help crack a case. CRAZY-QUILT COMES BACK! THE OUTSIDER STRIKES AGAIN! When trying to stop some crooks on Pirate Bluff, Batman and Robin soon find that their weapons are turned against them, and actually attack them. Freeing themselves, they later find out this is just the latest in attacks made on them by the mysterious Outsider.   Taunted by the villain over the Batphone, the dynamic duo learn that the Outsider is using a special golden bead that when, exposed to a special kind of radiation, could allow him to animate lifeless objects. Finished explaining he then makes the Batmobile come to life and attack them. Batman and Robin manage to stop the Batmobile, however it explodes and dust from the debris coats their costumes.   Returning to Wayne Manor, Batman gets a call from Commissioner Gordon telling him that some thieves entered the Athletic Hall of Fame, however when some police officers tried to follow them, they were stopped by an invisible barrier, and a message proclaiming at only Batman can enter appeared above it.   Rushing to the Batcave, Batman is suddenly attacked by his own devices until he realizes that the dust on his costume from the Batmobile explosion stops them. Coming up with a solution, Batman takes more of the dust from Robin's costume and is able to get past the barrier at the Athletic Hall of Fame and stop the crooks.   Returning home, Batman (in his identity of Bruce Wayne) is just in time for Dick to return from his prom with an idea on how to block the Outsider from using his device on them, by blocking his signal in the future.