Batman Family #3

Issue Details

Synopsis

ISLE OF THE THOUSAND THRILLS! While on a visit to Princetown, Babara Gordon and Dick Grayson are forced to become Batgirl and Robin when dinosaurs attack the city and lead them to the "Isle of a Thousand Thrills". The island is complete with dinosaurs, warriors from the future, and the Spanish Inquisition and many of the people of Princetown follow the heroes to the location. The island proves to be very dangerous until Major Montana appears and reveals the truth behind the mysterious creatures. Montana prepared these illusions in order to provide the people of Princetown unending thrills without risks and after learning that there is no real danger, Batgirl and Robin leave the island for the enjoyment of the citizens of Princetown.  However, as they admire the dedication by Major Montana, both heroes reveal the fact that they know each other's identities, but they part ways without explaining how they deduced their secrets. THE CHALLENGE OF BATWOMAN This story is reprinted from Batman #105. Kathy Kane, still bound by her promise to Batman, not to assume her Batwoman identity to fight crime, does it nonetheless to go to a costume party. At the same time, Batman and Robin are carrying out an attack on the mob of a mysterious, masked gang boss who is attempting to loot the mail car of a passing train. In the chase, Batman twists his ankle and is rendered helpless. The masked gangster, whose mask covers the same area of his face as Batman's, tries to escape on the train but is choked by its smoke and falls off, hitting the ground so hard he gets amnesia.   As fate would have it, Batwoman is passing by on her Batcycle and sees Robin chasing the gang-boss, who has instinctively discarded his mask. When she catches up to them, she recognizes Briggs as a former athlete and gym owner and deduces incorrectly that he is Batman, because of the soot marks on his lower face. Robin, knowing that her seeing the real Batman and Bruce Wayne both with a sprained ankle would lead her to link the two identities, plays along with her.   They go to Batwoman's Batcavern, where Robin keeps the real Batman updated with his belt-radio. Brigg's faulty memory causes him to tip them off to his gang's next robbery attempt at a museum. The threesome goes there to combat the crooks, but a second blow to the head returns Briggs' memory. The pseudo-Batman plots to lure his two compatriots into a trap. Robin reports him doing nothing more harmful than squeezing a rubber ball, but when they next encounter Briggs' gang, he turns on his "partners" and helps his gang capture them. Then another factor enters the puzzle: the real Batman appears, apparently standing on a large statue, ropes Briggs, and gives the other two time to defeat the gang. Batman explains that Briggs, a physical culture enthusiast, gave himself away by squeezing the rubber ball, an isometric exercise. Kathy goes back into retirement, and Batman explains to Robin later that he is able to stand by strapping his lower leg to his thigh and standing on a dummy leg. When Kathy meets the lamed Bruce later on she berates him for not being heroic like Batman. CRIMES OF THE KITE-MAN This story is reprinted from Batman #133. Batman and Robin arrive at a penthouse party for a visiting Indian Rajah when a mysterious box-kite begins dropping tear gas bombs on the party-goers. This serves as a well-enough diversion for Kite-Man, using his jet-kite, to steal the Rajah's ruby. Although Robin manages to lasso the villain's leg, Kite-Man continues his escape. The Boy Wonder loses his grip and falls safely into a rooftop water tank.   The Dynamic Duo, well aware of Kite-Man's crime spree, drive to Gotham Bay to judge a kite-skiing contest. Nearby in Gotham Bay Prison, Kite-Man uses a giant kite to free Big Bill Collins, a notorious racketeer. Batman has Robin pilot a motorboat as he glides aloft in a ski-kite and reaches the fugitives only to knocked out by yet another trick kite. Batman is taken to Kite-Man's lair where he invites a number of gangsters to torture the hero.   Batman wakes up in a cell and uses the room's wallpaper to form a makeshift Bat-Signal. Robin soon rescues his partner and the duo use a number of Kite-Man's gimmick kites to fell their foes, and Batman captures Kite-Man as he attempts to escape. THE YEAR 3000! This story is reprinted from Batman #26. Saturnian warlord Fura's robotic forces conquer Earth on April 19, 3000. Shortly thereafter, Brane (the newly-enslaved descendant of Bruce Wayne) and his young counterpart Ricky find a time capsule containing an audio-visual recording of the original Batman and Robin in action. The duo are inspired to strike back at their alien overlord in the guise of the Dynamic Duo. Eventually, the new Batman and Robin succeed in leading Earth's people to victory against the tyrant from space.