Batman #70

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE ROBOT COP OF GOTHAM CITY A scientist has created a robot capable of performing amazing athletic feats and he gives the machine to the Gotham City Police Department. The robot is an amazing crime fighter and soon it is promoted to work together with Batman. The robot is contunually proves his benefit over Batman. Commissioner Gordon soon considers appointing the robot as Gotham's primary crime-fighter and putting Batman in a desk job. However, Gordon changes his mind after Batman captures a criminal that the robot couldn't due to a technical fault in his construction, and the robot is decommissioned. THE MASTERMINDS OF CRIME! A new crime agency has appeared in Gotham City and the criminals have been training to become extremely efficient. Batman infiltrates the place and manages to give away the location to the Police and the whole organization is taken down. THE PARASOLS OF PLUNDER The Penguin has been released after promising to give up birds, as they had proved too much of a temptation to commit crime. He dutifully (and tearfully) releases most of his birds in the sight of Batman, but keeps the most valuable to sell. With the money from the sale, he starts an umbrella business. Batman pays a visit to the factory and, finding nothing suspicious about the umbrellas, asks instead how he's going to sell them at twice the price of the market leaders. The Penguin demonstrates that his are much better quality, and asks Batman for an endorsement. Batman turns him down, and the Penguin declares that Batman will endorse the umbrellas, whether he wants to or not. Bruce and Dick speculate about the Penguin's real motives back at Wayne Manor, when they see a newspaper article proclaiming the Penguin's 50,000 umbrella milestone. But they are interrupted by the Bat-Signal. As they leave to investigate, Penguin orders reporters and photographers to a certain street for one hour later. Commissioner Gordon presents Batman with some tantalizing clues that he interprets as an attempt to make secret contact. A helicopter that appears to carry the person who left the clues comes by later with a rope trailing. Batman grabs the rope, telling Robin to follow in the Bat-plane. But, after entering a street to narrow for Robin to pass, the rope is loosened and Batman is left to fall 25 stories. Fortunately, an umbrella has been dropped, that Batman can use to slow his descent. He lands among the press photographers and finds that the umbrella had a message written on it, endorsing the Penguin's umbrellas. The next morning, advertisements fill the papers and everyone is suddenly eager to buy the umbrellas. Then, when Bruce, Dick and a business partner leave the office in the rain (with Penguin umbrellas), everyone's watch goes wrong, except that of a man with no umbrella. Bruce determines that the steel in the umbrellas is magnetized and he and Dick change into Batman and Robin as all the umbrellas are drawn to a huge stainless-steel statue, carrying the hapless owners up into the air. The Penguin comes by with a large truck, demanding all the people give him their valuables, or he'll cut the current and let everyone fall. Batman and Robin swing into action and, though they drive off the Penguin, Robin is captured. Batman gives chase and so the Penguin dumps Robin off an overpass to distract him. By the time Batman saved Robin, the Penguin had escaped. Later, Penguin tells his crooks that he's only just begun in the umbrella business. At his abandoned factory, Batman discovers that he's also made a batch of beach umbrellas that can be traced. Then, a week later in the Caribbean, the Penguin sets out his umbrellas for his "Umbrella Club", really his crooks in swimsuits. While preparing, the Bat-plane arrives to locate the Penguin and he starts earlier than planned, activating motors that make the umbrellas spin and kick up a sand cloud that allows the Penguin and his cronies (wearing gas masks) to loot unobserved and prevents the Bat-plane from landing safely. Batman goes up above the clouds and "seeds" the clouds with silver iodide to force them to rain, soaking the dust storm and prompting the Penguin to make a fast getaway in a row boat waiting nearby. Rather than risk his neck dropping on the Penguin, Batman scoops up a net full of fish and drops that on the Penguin instead. A flock of seagulls descend and the distraction allows Batman to safely apprehend the Penguin. They return him to prison where he despairs of ever learning that you can't beat the law.