Detective Comics #514

Issue Details

Synopsis

HAVEN! Maxie Zeus has escaped from Arkham Asylum and he goes away through a snowy area, closely followed by Batman. Zeus and his thugs drive their vehicle off the road, forcing Batman to change directions quickly, but the conditions of the area prevent the Batmobile from turning in time and Batman falls to a chasm and lands on a soft snow area while the Batmobile is destroyed. Batman falls unconscious and he is soon found by a mysterious man, while Zeus and his thugs become stranded a few miles away.  When Batman recovers, he finds himself inside a cabin, filled with small critters and animals, all of them friends of the kind mountaineer named Haven. The man is a pacifist and tries to convince Batman so stay with him until the storm is over, but Batman's determination makes him go out to look for Zeus. Meanwhile, Maxie and his thugs have decided to go out of their vehicle and look for shelter.   A few minutes later, Batman regrets leaving Haven's cabin, but before he could decide what to do next, he is attacked by a bear. Using all his skills, Batman saves himself from the bear just as Haven finds him and takes him back home. Unfortunately, while they were away, Zeus and his thugs have taken possession of the cabin. The madman and his thugs then decide that it would be fun to have Batman and Haven fight each other to death, but Haven refuses to fight. Even after Zeus' thugs mock him, hurt him and wreck his place, he remains calm. However, when Zeus kills a small bird inside the cabin, Haven loses his temper and attacks Zeus. The madman's thugs shoot at Haven and Batman is unable to save him in time. After taking down the thugs, Batman follows Zeus to the outside, where the lunatic is attacked by the same bear that Batman confronted earlier. Using a smoke bomb from his Utility Belt, Batman scares the bear away, saving Zeus, who ends up badly injured.   Batman returns to the cabin and ties the criminals outside, after which he tries to help Haven, but the man is slowly dying. With his last breath, Haven tells Batman that all he wanted was peace and that he retreated to the mountains to control his temper, which had caused the death of another man. After Haven passes away surrounded by his friends, Batman digs a grave for the mountain loner. SHARPER THAN A SERPENT'S TOOTH A carnival is passing through Gotham City and certain night, the barker is attacked by Lady Viper, the former "Snake Woman" who has turned into a real monster.   The next day, Barbara Gordon finds through the newspaper about the mysterious "vampire attack" and after dark, she investigates the corpse of the victim. In the meantime, Lady Viper strikes again and steals a valuable snake item from a wealthy man in town.   During her investigations, Batgirl finds that the victim was the barker at the carnival and she goes to investigate at the place, where she is confronted by Lady Viper.