Detective Comics #572

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE DOOMSDAY BOOK Slam Bradley spends Christmas drinking alone in a Gotham City bar, thinking about his dead partner Shorty Morgan. In his office, Bradley is visited by a man named Thomas Morgan who hires Bradley to find his fiancee. Bradley notices Thomas has been followed, and they slip out the window just as men with guns burst in and shoot up the office. Bradley and Thomas are cornered in the alley outside, but Batman and Robin arrive to save them. They defeat all of the goons except for one, who takes Thomas as a hostage and escapes. Batman tells Robin they are following this case to London. Slam decides to continue investigating the man's missing fiancée.  Slam Bradley believes there is a connection between the goons who attacked him and the I.R.A.. He visits every Irish pub in Gotham asking about the girl, until he sees a goon respond suspiciously. The goon places a warning call to his superiors using the public telephone outside, but Bradley has already tapped the phone. This call leads him to the cable car station on Gotham Island. Bradley looks through the nearby windows and sees the girl. He is immediately spotted by goons, so he smashes through the window and shoots the first man through the door. He takes the girl and runs into the garage with more men chasing him. The goons open fire, but Slam throws a gasoline canister at them and shoots it in midair, killing most of them probably. He slugs the last remaining guy in the jaw and knocks him out. Outside, the woman reveals that her name is Mary Watson... and her fiance's name is not Thomas Morgan, it's Thomas Moriarty.  Elongated Man is visiting London with his wife Sue Dibny on vacation. He decides to visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221B Baker Street, and he's surprised to see someone shooting at a figure in the window. Elongated Man runs up the stairs and finds the museum's caretaker Richard Waid has been shot using an "air gun." A cloaked villain walks through the door with several goons looking for the "Watson manuscript." Elongated Man takes out several of the goons before the villain, identifying himself as Edgar Moriarty (great-grandnephew of the original Professor Moriarty), takes Waid hostage. Moriarty has Elongated Man knocked out and his goons set the building on fire before leaving. Slam Bradley and Mary Watson arrive just in time to put out the fire and save Elongated Man. They recover the manuscript, which was hidden in Holmes' gasogene. Elongated Man reasons it must contain a clue to Moriarty's plan.  Back in 1886, Sherlock Holmes and his partner Dr. Watson are approached by a man named Nigel Brewster. Brewster is a newlywed and one of the Queen's doctors. He is concerned that people have reported seeing him in places he's never been. Holmes wakes Watson up in the middle of the night to go out on their case. He explains that he believes there is an unknown master criminal manipulating events. They visit the Brewster household, where Nigel Brewster lies nearly dead with a red leech on his chest. They save him but they are ambushed by Brewster's wife, who is working for someone called the "Professor." She dies in the struggle. Holmes and Watson rush to Buckingham Palace, where Inspector Lestrade helps them stop an imposter posing as Brewster. The imposter was planning to kill the Queen with a red leech similar to the one used on Brewster. Afterwards, Holmes explains his deductions, and tells Watson not to publish this account until they can find more information on the ringleader. Just then a rock crashes through their window, with a note that says "If you cross my path again it shall go hard on you."  Batman and Robin arrive in London, where they meet up with Elongated Man and Slam Bradley. Batman explains that he has gathered information and he believes Moriarty is attempting to assassinate the Queen. Robin informs Batman that Alfred called with a message from an unknown caller, but Batman says he has no time for this. That night the Queen is supposed to dedicate Grimsby Castle Museum, and then later receive a newly compiled edition of "The Doomsday Book" (which is much more boring than its title implies). The heroes split up.  Edgar Moriarty has his men attack the military base at Greenham Common, where a truck is transporting nuclear missiles. They kill the drivers using nerve gas, arm the missiles, and place the kidnapped Thomas Moriarty in the driver seat. Elongated Man, Slam Bradley, and Robin arrive in time to beat up the goons. Edgar manages to launch one missile, but Elongated Man and Robin grab onto it. Elongated Man breaks the guidance system so the missile explodes harmlessly overhead, and then Robin floats to safety with Elongated Man as his parachute. Slam Bradley knocks Edgar Moriarty out.  Batman arrives at Grimsby Castle, where he has alerted Inspector Foxborough of Scotland Yard to the danger. Foxborough tells his men to shoot Batman on sight, and Batman realizes Foxborough is part of the conspiracy. He breaks into the crowded building just as the Queen is standing next to the Doomsday Book and he punts it away from her. The book explodes harmlessly. Foxborough tries to run away, but he is tripped by an elderly man. Batman is shocked to see that this man is none other than Sherlock Holmes himself. Outside, the elderly Holmes explains that he has survived the last 100 years through a proper diet and the atmosphere of his home in Tibet. His contacts in London helped him discover the Moriarty plot, and he was the one who called Batman earlier... having easily deduced Batman's secret identity. Sherlock congratulates Thomas and Mary on their engagement, thanks the group, and wanders off into the night. Elongated Man insists they should ask Holmes more questions, but Batman tells him Holmes has "earned his privacy." The encounter also inspired Slam Bradley to give up smoking, as he's now "plannin' on bein' around for awhile."