Batman Family #1

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE INVADER FROM HELL! Barbara Gordon has summoned Dick Grayson to be her assistant for during the Congressional hearings. As the people at the Capitol Building prepare to celebrate the Bicentennial, the evil spectre of Benedict Arnold appears and starts creating havoc in order to rehabilitate his soiled reputation.  Batgirl and Robin take action against the ghost of Benedict Arnold when he attempts to control Washington, D.C.. The heroes are lead to a place outside, where they fight the army of Arnold and they manage to overcome their enemies. However, they are eventually confronted by Arnold himself, who has help from a mysterious man that provides them with mystical swords. Batgirl and Robin work together as a team in order to defeat Arnold and when the ghost is defeated, his mysterious companion reveals himself to be a Demon from hell, who takes Arnold back after his failure to defeat the heroes.   Batgirl and Robin finally realize that Arnold was trying to destroy them, but that their teamwork overpowered his evil nature. After a successful mission, Robin tries to give Batgirl the "quit the crusade" bit, but she is faster than him and shuts him up by giving him a powerful kiss. The young heroes part ways and later, they meet again as Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson back at the Capitol Building, where the bicentennial celebration continues. THE GREAT HANDCUFF KING! This story is reprinted from Batman #28. Alfred the butler purchases a set of handcuffs to aid him in capturing criminals. He takes the cuffs to a friend's house to show off his new purchase. Unbeknownst to Alfred , his friend Ronny Lowndes has been replaced as the household butler by a criminal. Alfred proceeds to demonstrate his cuffs by handcuffing the unsuspecting criminal to a pole. In the meantime another group of criminals arrive to rob the house safe. Alfred struggles with them and manages to cuff them too. The police arrive to arrest the Morton gang that Alfred has captured. Later at the Wayne Mansion, Alfred announces that he will dispose of his cuffs because they are way too dangerous. COMMISSIONER GORDON'S DEATH-THREAT! This story is reprinted from Batman #186. Batman receives a call from commissioner Gordon. Gordon tells Batman that he is in hiding in a hotel due to the recent release of a criminal named Fred Purley. Gordon had busted Purley 40 years earlier for robbery and he threatened Gordon at his sentencing. Now that Purley is out, Gordon fears for his life. Batman tells Gordon to stay put and that he is on his way. After the call it is revealed that Batman had been talking to Purley the whole time while Purley imitated Gordon’s voice. Batman is led into a trap where an explosion almost eliminates him. In the meantime Robin is on patrol when he runs into three thugs robbing a jewelry store. He tangles with them but they overpower Robin when one of them does a commissioner Gordon voice imitation. Robin is whacked on the back of the head and the criminals speed off. Robin and Batman eventually meet up at police headquarters and compare notes on their experiences. Robin recalls that one of the thugs had a commuter pass to Flame Island and they surmise that the criminals are holding Commissioner Gordon in that area. They fly the Batcopter over the island and they spot a makeshift bat signal coming from a house. They conclude it is a signal from Gordon letting them know where to look. Batman and Robin break into the house and rescue Gordon. They easily capture Purley and his gang. CHALLENGE OF THE MAN-BAT This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #400. Zoologist Kirk Langstrom is working late at the Gotham Natural History Museum putting together a bat habitat. Curator Wilkins bids him goodnight and leaves Langstrom alone in the museum. Now Langstrom can pursue his true interests -- perfecting a serum that can endow people with enhanced auditory abilities via a specialized bat gland extract.   Elsewhere in the city, a group of thieves known as the Blackout Gang break into a vault. They equip themselves with black body stockings, infrared goggles and ultra-sonic tools that enable them to conduct themselves effectively in total darkness. For all their prowess however, the Batman still manages to get the drop on them. The criminals have a momentary advantage as Batman cannot see where they are, but for every punch one of them lands against him, the Batman is able to throw one right back at them. Realizing that their heist has gone sour, the Blackout Gang escapes from the building. One of them however, mistakenly leaves behind his ultra-sonic cutter. Batman recovers it and brings it back to the Wayne Foundation for analysis.   Back at the museum, Kirk Langstrom is pleased with his progress and decides to test his new formula upon himself. The serum produces immediate results and Langstrom's hearing increases to superhuman levels. The dripping sounds from a leaky faucet drive him from the room. He quickly determines that his eyes have now become greatly more sensitive to light and he deftly shuts off all the lights in the laboratory and dons a pair of sunglasses.   At the Wayne Foundation, Bruce inspects the ultra-sonic cutter and determines the frequency that the device operates off of. He develops a sonar detector calibrated to the cutter's unique frequency. He has Alfred help him to test out his new crime-fighting tools.   Back at the museum, Kirk Langstrom continues to mutate. He grabs his coat and hat, but grows frightened when something pushes his hat off of his head. Finding a mirror, he learns to his horror what is happening. Kirk Langtrom is physically turning into a Man-Bat. He decides that he must go into hiding until he can affect a cure for his condition. He telephones the curator and tells him that he has to leave town for a little while. He neglects to mention the true reason for his departure.   That evening, the Blackout Gang decides to rob the Gotham Natural History Museum. Once they activate the sonic cutter, Batman is able to locate them and track them down. The leader of the gang suspected that Batman might have divined a way to find them, so he confounds his efforts by casting a handful of ping pong balls across the floor. As Batman is wearing a special hearing aid to find the gang members in the dark, he becomes instantly disoriented from the amplified sound of the bouncing metal balls.   Although the Blackout Gang were prepared for Batman, they were not prepared for the museum's "other" nocturnal guardian -- the Man-Bat. The Man-Bat and Batman team-up and together they bring down the Blackout Gang. Once everything calms down, Batman casts his flashlight upon the Man-Bat's face and thanks him for his assistance. Batman is impressed by the Man-Bat's awe-inspiring "disguise", but the Man-Bat shies away, declaring that he is not wearing a disguise. As the Man-Bat runs off into the night, Batman wonders if he just made a formidable friend... or a foe.