Detective Comics #33

Issue Details

Synopsis

ICARUS PART 4 The Squid has been shot by Holter - a member of the Kings of the Sun biker gang - and now the Squid's little brother Jonny wants revenge. The remains of the ruined aquarium soon erupt into violence as the rival gangs attack each other, and Batman intervenes. As the Squid begs Holter to put a stop to it, the biker explains that the attack was meant for Jonny, but that doesn't mean they will stop. However, the police soon arrive in riot gear, warning everyone to put their hands over their heads, including Batman. Rather than allow his own capture, Batman releases smoke from his gauntlets and hurries away before the police can get a bead on him.  Elsewhere, Harvey Bullock interrogates Jeb Lester, a Wayne Industries executive who signed off on all of the shipping containers that were used for human trafficking. Bullock wants to know who used Lester to do it, knowing the man could not be a criminal mastermind. His interrogation methods involve the unorthodox method of using Lester as a punching bag, recalling his past as a boxer. Weakly, Lester admits at last that Bruce Wayne has nothing to do with it - it was all the work of Congressman Sam Young. Satisfied, Bullock places Lester in custody for his own safety.   Soon, Harvey gets word from Detective Maggie Yip that she has a lead on one of the missing shipments. Harvey's attraction is apparent, and she comments that if he continues to profess not to want a partner, he'd better stop asking her for favors. She already has a partner. To business, she explains that WayneCorp used the docks for commercial goods, and Lester was doctoring the paperwork to allow the trafficking to slip by. Two months ago, he put in an order for high-level waster containers - for radioactive material. Yip has determined that those shipments ended up at the abandoned Kane Power Plant. She warns that if he intends to check the plant out, he'd better take backup. Harvey, of course, refuses - unless she is willing to join him.   Just outside Gotham, Batman has come upon one of the bases Kings of the Sun, thanks to Alfred Pennyworth's research. Just from looking at it, Batman can't identify exactly what the base is being used for, but it's clear that it's important. Keeping his distance, Batman records feed of what's going on, sending images of serial numbers on crates the gang is loading in their warehouse to Alfred for tracing. Judging by the photos and clippings lying around, the Kings of the Sun have taken a particular interest in Annette Aguila.   That night, at her hotel room, Annette Aguila is wakened from her drug and alcohol induced malaise by the insistent knocking of Holter's fist against her door. Reluctantly, she gets the door, and the man presents her with a badly beaten Jonny Loman, whom he informs is responsible for the death of Annette's mother thanks to the drug Icarus.   Batman is unsurprised by the Kings of the Sun gang's attempt to make a play in Gotham, given the gang war between the Penguin and the Falcone Crime Family. It is they who are responsible for the production of Icarus, having built a lab capable of handling the radioactive material within the narcotic - however, he determined that they have not produced a batch for a while. Bruce believes that the gang's interest in the Aguilas - who share a home town with them in New Orleans - is a personal one. And the serial numbers they captured suggest that the latest batch was cooked in Gotham at the old Kane plant on the East End waterfront.   Holter explains to Annette that he and Elena went way back, growing up together in New Orleans. He had loved her, though she never told Annette about her. He believes, though, that he is her father, and he intends to hunt down the men who hired Jonny to kill Elena and make them pay. First, though, he places a revolver in her hand and tells her to make things right.   At the old Kane Laboratories plant, Harvey Bullock begins checking the place out, and soon becomes aware of Batman's presence. He warns that Gotham doesn't need a vigilante - it needs a true detective. Batman responds that planting evidence and falsifying reports is not part of the Sergeant's job description - and he knows what Harvey did to his own partner six years back. Angrily, Harvey spits in Batman's face that he should never talk about his ex-partner. The tension meets its pinnacle in a fist-fight that is interrupted suddenly by a radioactive explosion caused by a victim of Icarus.