Detective Comics #362

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE NIGHT BATMAN DESTROYED GOTHAM CITY Robin is spending time with under privileged kids at a Wayne Foundation slot-car event, where the boys play with slot cars fashioned after the Batmobile, the winner being awarded a years enrollment in a prep school. When Robin hands out the certificate to the winner, it's realized that it has been replaced with a riddle, signaling to Batman and Robin that the Riddler has once more returned to Gotham City. When deciphering the riddle, Batman and Robin incorrectly deduce that the Riddler is going to rob the Stove Insurance company, but learn later that the Riddler has instead robbed Grill Manufacturing Corporation. This failure, leads Batman and Robin to be more careful about guessing the answers to the Riddler's riddles. While at the Riddler's hideout, the Riddler and his henchmen gloat over their successful heist. The Riddler boasts about his new method will set Batman and Robin up for an even more elaborate puzzle within his riddles when they realize that there is a pattern involved. When a bunch of crooks attempt to rob the Gotham Museum, Batman and Robin arrive to break it up, and returning to the Batmobile, Robin sits on a tack that was left on his seat. Examining it, Batman finds that there is a riddle painted on the tack's head. With the answer, Robin believe that the Riddler is going to rob the P.J. Stone Brokerage outfit. However, Batman sees a pattern when he realizes that each of the answers have a smaller version, such as with a smaller stove is called a grill, and as such deduces that the Riddler intends to rob the Pebble Beach Fun House. There they arrive in time to find the Riddler attempting to steal the money collected for a special charity where the rich and wealthy would pay 100 dollars admission into the park. Despite their best efforts, the Dynamic Duo fail to capture the Riddler who escapes from them through the Pebble Beach Fun House. As a consolation however, Batman is aware that in order to avoid thefts of the money collected, the fundraiser organized for people to give fake 100 dollar bills, as the carnival goers had already prepaid in advance. However, the Riddler knows this and intended to steal the bogus money for his next spectacular riddle themed crime. Sending the fake money to Commissioner Gordon, Batman and Robin arrive and find that the money has all been glued together to spell out yet another riddle. Deducing that Gotham City is the answer, they deduce that the Riddler intends to rob the Little Gotham Bank and rush to the location just in time to catch the Riddler in the act. Although the Riddler puts up a fight, he is easily defeated by Batman and Robin. However, the Riddler informs Batman that he has planet a bomb in "Little Gotham" and tells him another riddle. Batman realizes that the Riddler has planted the bomb within a model of Gotham City on display. He then succeeds in smashing "Little Gotham" city to pieces destroying the bomb that threatened to kill them all. THE HORSE THAT HUNTED HOODS