Batman '66 #10

Issue Details

Synopsis

MR. FREEZE BREAKS THE ICE! In the midst of a brutal August heatwave, Gotham's citizens are grateful to be offered "You-Coolers" - handheld devices that instantly create a heat-repelling field. Only Batman and Robin are suspicious of these devices, correctly deducing that they were invented by Mr. Freeze for yet another revenge scheme.  After the You-Coolers have circulated by the thousands, Freeze forces them all to maximum power, burying all of Gotham in an unending winter. Soon, the snow grows thick enough to paralyze all traffic, including the Batmobile; undaunted, Batman and Robin ski into the city, tracing the You-Coolers' broadcast signal to an abandoned news tower. There, a gloating Freeze confronts them with his signature freeze-gun modified into a tank.   Outsized and outgunned, Batman and Robin pursue their one advantage over Freeze's tank: maneuverability. The Dynamic Duo ski circles around Freeze's tank, letting their overconfident foe fire shot after shot, building patch after patch of ice that eventually walls his own vehicle in. The duo then apprehend Freeze and his gang, cheerily noting the misanthropic scientist has ironically given Gotham's children their funniest summer yet. CLEOPATRA'S REIGN Bruce Wayne is hospitalized for snakebite under suspicious circumstances, prompting both Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon to investigate. On her own, Barbara discovers that Bruce's latest paramour Lisa Carson had once been kidnapped by King Tut, and forced to pose as Cleopatra; though Lisa was physically rescued, her mental recovery remains uncertain, especially given her strange donations to Gotham's herpetology center.   In truth, Lisa has indeed succumbed to her "Egypt identity", and reinvented herself as a new arch-criminal: Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile. Despite her inexperience, the deluded heiress easily assembles a gang and traps an investigating Batgirl. When questioned, Cleopatra heartily admits to poisoning Bruce for rejecting her marriage proposal; she then approaches Batgirl with an asp, threatening the same if Batgirl refuses to join her "court".   Unperturbed, Batgirl quickly frees herself, downs Cleopatra's men, and captures the asp for analysis. A furious Cleopatra tries to fight Batgirl herself, but surrenders after one slap; subsequently, Robin (who had independently traced Cleopatra's hideout) drives them to the hospital, where a proper antivenom is soon given. Once Bruce is safe, the crimefighters depart, blithely leaving Lisa in the custody of a psychiatrist who may not be all he seems.