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| Publisher |
DC |
| Writer |
David Vern |
| Artist |
Jim Aparo |
| Published | May 1978 |
THE ISLAND OF PURPLE MIST! Batman encounters a costumed Baxter Baines, the wealthy Gothamite responsible for giving away clues to Batman's secret identity. Batman and Baines work together to put away a gang of hoods who wanted to force the information about Batman's identity from Baines. Afterwards, Baines admits that unmasking Batman is one of his main goals in life, but Batman points out that all of Baines's "clues" point towards Baines as much as Batman, and Baines confesses that he would like to be Batman's replacement if he should ever retire or be disabled. He then tries to unmask Batman, but Batman unmasks Baines in the brawl, dumps him in a gutter outside, and uses Baines's skywriting machine to write out his own clue: "His initials are B.B." Fearful for his life, Baines takes off for Capri. Batman, knowing the cultists will search for him at Baines's penthouse, uses Baines's gimmicks to put a trace radiation on them when they search the place and, not finding him, leave. He trails them to the cult's island hideout, where the Mamaloi Sorceress has her thug, Rico dressed as Batman, bound alongside Evans Aldrich, and sacrifices him to convince the cult of her power. Batman rescues Aldrich and defeats the cultists in battle, discrediting the priestess. Finally, he tells Commissioner Gordon that the cult was dealing in suicide hit-men, and that Aldrich had stumbled onto her operation-- as had Batman.
