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| Publisher |
DC |
| Published | October 2013 |
THE HATTER TAKES THE CROWN When several members of the Queen's Guard report their caps stolen, Batman, Robin, and Alfred travel to England, suspecting the Mad Hatter responsible. These suspicions soon prove correct; mere moments after the trio arrive at Heathrow International and board their custom-made British Batmobile, the Hatter invades the Tower of London and (whilst giving a lecture on the cultural significance of hats) steals the famed Crown Jewels. Upon seeing the Dynamic Duo in pursuit, the Hatter and his men take to the air in hat-shaped hovercrafts. This dissuades neither Batman, who grapples onto one of the hovercrafts with Batarang and rope, nor Robin and Alfred, who follow at ground-level in the Batmobile. To the Hatter's further frustration, all of London's inhabitants idolize Batman, and take pains to help his pursuit. The chase finally ends atop the River Thames, where (after subduing the Hatter's gang with a fire-boat's hose), Batman orders his compatriots to fire the Batmobile's Bat-Ray at the Hatter. Robin and Alfred do so with flawless timing, grounding the Hatter's craft just over Westminster Bridge - thus preventing any of the jewels from falling into the river. As the Dynamic Duo recover the jewels, the Hatter and his men are quickly remanded to Scotland Yard. Even in defeat, however, the Hatter cannot resist his urge to steal the caps of the arresting officers. THE CLOCK KING STRIKES! Scotland Yard throws the Dynamic Duo a banquet to celebrate their capture of the Mad Hatter, but in the middle of the first toast, Batman recalls an anomaly that had happened during the Hatter's flight: Big Ben had chimed twice, at a moment that was neither an hour nor a half-hour. From this, Batman deduces the clocktower had been occupied by an accomplice of the Hatter's, possibly one who had supplied the hover-hats. Once again, reality bears out these deductions: the clocktower now harbors the Clock King, whose technical knowledge had been aiding the Hatter all along. When the Dynamic Duo enter the clocktower to apprehend him, however, they find themselves facing not only human minions but a pair of androids, mentally tireless and physically built of ultra-strong steel. With quick thinking and quicker movement, Batman and Robin bait the androids into beating all the human minions unconscious, then trick one into smashing the other. Nevertheless, the remaining android remains a significant threat - until Batman lures it before the central bell just as the hour strikes midnight. In short order, the android is crushed by the bell's hammer, leaving the Clock King and his gang easy arrests for Scotland Yard.
