Batman: The Dark Knight #16

Issue Details

Synopsis

TOUCH OF CRAZY Over the last week, several riots have taken place in Devil's Square, Old Town, and Robinson Park, spurred by panic at the rash of kidnappings that have occurred in Gotham City recently. What's worst about it is that there seems to be no pattern to them, nor linking factor between the victims. This, Batman finds highly unsatisfying.   The kidnappers are growing bolder, too. Tonight, there is a kidnapping raid on a sweatshop in Chinatown, and though the GCPD will not likely make it in time, Batman is on the scene quickly, thanks to the Batplane. Unfortunately, in addition to having grown bolder, the kidnappers are better armed, and he is shot down by a man with a rocket launcher.   Batman survives the crash, and finds himself as just one man against seventeen. The kidnappers are merciless, shooting their own men in order to delay Batman and escape with their victims. Having knocked one man down, Batman watches as the wig falls from his head, and inexplicably kneels in place, only to be shot dead by his companions.   Crawling into the wreckage of the Batplane, Batman activates its still-functioning engines, sending the plane rocketing forward, soon overtaking the kidnappers' van. As he blows past, his vehicle rips the side door of the van off, allowing him to slow down and shoot a small explosive into the van, blowing out a hole in the other side. Speedily, he leaps into the van, grabbing one of the victims, and escaping through the hole. Confused, the kidnappers are caught in an explosion as the unmanned plane collides with their van. Though he saved one woman, the kidnappers had other vans, and he could not save their victims.   Upon returning to Wayne Manor, Bruce finds his girlfriend Natalya waiting for him. They had had a date that evening. Though she is obviously not pleased, she is less concerned about his having missed it than about the bruises that cover his face. Awkwardly, Bruce claims that his injuries are the result of a car accident he had, thanks to the mist on the roads. Natalya is unconvinced, reminding him that she is much more than just eye-candy. Noting their similarities, she warns that she had been sharing a private part of herself with him when she had told him of her childhood in Kiev. She had trusted him, but he had never done her the same courtesy. Still, she knows what he is like, and in fact, she knows who he is. Momentarily shaken, Bruce disbelievingly responds that she does not, and makes his excuses to leave. Before he can go, she warns that their relationship will be over if he leaves now - she can't handle the secrets. Walking out, he responds that he can't handle staying, either.   That night, Batman pays a visit to the Penguin at his Iceberg Casino. He states that he knows Cobblepot is responsible for the kidnappings, listing the high tech weaponry, the size of the operation, and the bowler hats that the kidnappers wore as evidence. Calmly, Penguin responds that if Batman were sure it was him, he wouldn't have bothered to talk at all. Rather, he suggests that he is not the only player in Gotham with a fondness for hats.   Returning to the scene of the crime, Batman retrieves the discarded wig from the downed kidnapper, and discovers a transmitter inside, confirming that his enemy is the Mad Hatter.   The Hatter's plans for his kidnapped victims has to do with a particular set of roles that he'd like them to play out, but as yet, he has been unsatisfied with a great many of them, which required them to be shot in the head. He does not take failure lightly. When one of those he has kept under control via a mind-controlling hat begins complaining of the scope of the project, Hatter orders that a step-ladder be brought out for him. Climbing to the top step, Hatter rises to equal height with the man, and then plunges his thumbs into the other man's eye sockets, killing him.