Batman Annual #10

Issue Details

Synopsis

DOWN TO BONE The shareholders of the Wayne Foundation and Wayne Enterprises have been intimidated into selling their stock, giving away their combined shares of the company to a mysterious man. Like this, Bruce Wayne loses his company and not even Lucius Fox can help him. As soon as this happens, Alfred has a stroke which leaves him incapacitated at the Gotham General Hospital. The next day, Wayne Manor is taken repossessed in order to pay Bruce Wayne's debts as all his accounts have been seized. Without money to sustain himself, the Child Welfare Bureau takes away Jason's custody temporarily. The situation couldn't be worse and Batman realizes too late that someone is out to get him. Now penniless and homeless Batman must use just his wits to solve the caper and regain all he's lost.  In his first course of action, Batman investigates the shareholders who sold their actions and learns that they were somehow blackmailed and one of them with a special holographic system. The next clue about the person behind it all comes when Batman learns that someone is impersonating him and commuting crimes across Gotham. Making a last minute call to Lucius Fox, he learns the name of the person who acquired Wayne Manor is "Steven Strangways". This, combined with all the evidence gives Batman all the information necessary to deduce that the criminal behind it all is none other than his old enemy, Hugo Strange   After taking Robin from the Child Welfare Bureau, Batman returns to Wayne Manor and with the Boy Wonder at his side, they defeat the many robots of Hugo Strange until they reach the Batcave, where they learn that Hugo Strange did not die in the previous encounter as he was never present in that moment. Despite their combined efforts, Batman and Robin are unable to capture Strange and he escapes using the Batmobile. Taking the Bat-Copter, Batman and Robin chase Strange and force him to crash the Batmobile, ending his criminal career. When the police arrive to retrieve Strange, Batman tells Commissioner Gordon that he "hypnotized" Strange to make him believe he is Bruce Wayne, all with the intention of keeping his secret when Strange recovers and tries to reveal his secret to the world. The plan succeeds and Strange is locked away, claiming that Bruce Wayne is Batman, but with nobody taking him seriously.   In the end, Bruce Wayne recovers everything, including Alfred and Jason, who return home safe and sound and that is the only thing Bruce was really yearning for.