Detective Comics #411

Issue Details

Synopsis

INTO THE DEN OF THE DEATH-DEALERS! Batman scales the side of the Statue of Freedom for a secret meeting with an informant inside the torch. The informant wants police protection in exchange for turning over evidence on Doctor Darkkk and the League of Assassins. Before the criminal can reveal anything however, an assassin sneaks into the chamber and stabs him from behind. He then hurls himself at Batman who manages to judo flip him away. The assassin throws a handful of spiked tetsu-bishi onto the floor and makes his escape. Turning back to the informant, Batman hears the dying man's final words. The man tells him to find Darrk on the Soom Express.  Days later, Batman disguises himself as an old woman and books passage on the Soom Express. As suspected, he finds Doctor Darrk among the passengers. Attending him is a young lady. As the train slows down, Darrk leaps from the car dragging his companion behind him. Batman sheds his disguise and leaps after them. Confronting Darrk, he soon finds himself surrounded by Darrk's League of Assassins. The assassins assault Batman with bo-sticks, ultimately knocking him unconscious.   When he awakens, he finds himself in a dungeon unmasked. Besides him is Darrk's companion, who introduces herself as Talia - the Daughter of the Demon; and tells Batman that Darrk has had a falling out with her father Ra's al Ghul and kidnapped her outside of Cairo. Darrk arrives and places Batman inside of an arena where he is forced to fight an angry bull while Talia is tied to a post. Batman defeats the bull and rescues Talia before he captures Doctor Darrk and begins marching him towards the railroad tracks. Darrk uses a gas pellet hidden in his tie to escape from Batman and then lunges at him with a knife. Talia picks up Darrk's gun and shoots him in the chest. Darrk falls back just as the Soom Express passes over the railroad tracks, killing him immediately. Shocked by what she just did, Talia falls on Batman's arms, shedding a tear. CUT... AND RUN! Batgirl has stumbled upon criminal activity involving the latest fashion sensation of the worlds greatest fashion model Mamie Archeson, a discovery that has her strapped onto a fabric cutter by the crook known as Serpy.   Setting the cutter to automatic, Serpy leaves Batgirl to her demise, but she is rescued at the last minute by Milt, who tells her that Serpy is heading to the Riviera to collect his I.O.U. from Mamie Archeson herself. When her initial call warning Mamie is dismissed as a hoax, Batgirl arranges to fly to the Riviera herself and fights off Serpy and his goons.   Later, Mamie is revealed to be totally healed, and she goes on the runway to show off her latest fashion sensation: A dress inspired by Batgirl.