Detective Comics #484

Issue Details

Synopsis

ASSAULT ON OLYMPUS! When a searchlight mocking the Bat-Signal appears in the dark sky of Gotham City, Batman goes to the source of the light and finds that it is being projected on a metallic tower. As he approaches the place with the Batmobile, the tower activates an electric charge towards the vehicle, causing a big explosion. Although Batman manages to get out unscathed, a couple of kids that are nearby were injured. After making sure that the kids are fine, Batman deduces the identity of the man behind the vicious attack.  At that moment on the Olympus building in the middle of Gotham, Maxie Zeus is informed about the failure of his trap for Batman. Zeus continues on his delusion that he is the embodiment of the Greek Mythological God, Zeus, but despite his crazy ideas, his henchmen stick with him because of Zeus' intellect and mind for business. After learning that Batman survived the attack, Zeus reinforces his defenses by placing several henchmen on his building.   Moments later, Batman goes to the Wayne Foundation to pick up a Bat-Glider that will help him reach Zeus' building unnoticed. True to his plans, Batman gets to surprise the thugs located on the rooftop thanks to his stealth. Batman decides to avoid some of Zeus' henchmen by breaking by the side of the building, knocking a couple of his henchmen. As he walks into a big room, Batman falls into a trap, where the roof slowly comes down on him, giant rotating blades block the back exit and three wolves come from the front, where Maxie Zeus stands watching as Batman struggles to find a way out of the trap.   Zeus explains that the wolves would attack Batman once the roof hits the floor, leaving him enough time to escape. Batman manages to tilt the roof to one side and uses it as a shield and plank, forcing the wolves to run directly into the blades, killing the animals and breaking the blades. After he crawls out of the collapsed roof, Batman takes a moment to recover his strength before confronting and defeating the last of Zeus' henchmen, a young archer by the alias of Odysseus.   Knowing that he had depleted his energy and that he wouldn't reach Zeus in time, Batman uses one of the radios in the building to contact Zeus' private vehicle. Maxie Zeus is about to board a ship towards Europe when he listens Batman's message. The Dark Knights taunts Zeus to the point where Zeus decides to go back and confront Batman, just to prove the vigilante wrong. Minutes later, Batman captures Zeus and his thug, clearly admiring the pride in the criminal's mind, which Zeus finds as the most fitting compliment for a god like himself. THE 'WHO IS FLOYD FENDERMAN ANYWAY?' CONTRACT! THE RACE AGAINST MURDER! Commissioner Gordon receives a bomb letter, which he opens just as Batgirl decides visit him at the GCPD Headquarters. Batgirl breaks into the office after the bomb had exploded and helps Commissioner Gordon to reach the street, where an ambulance is waiting for him. Batgirl starts working on the case, but the Gotham City Police Department decide to activate the Bat-Signal in order to summon Batman, much to Batgirl's dismay.   Nevertheless, Batgirl continues her investigation and first, she interrogates the courier who delivered the letter. Later, she goes to the place of Ross Canton, a well known gangster and learns that he is planning to attack Gordon while he is at the hospital.   Batgirl arrives in time to stop a fake nurse from attacking her father, but afterwards, she learns that Canton is not responsible for the bomb. At that moment, Batgirl recalls that the remains of the letter's envelope had no stamps or post mark.   Finally, Batgirl tracks down the courier and learns that he was once a low profile criminal that was captured by Gordon and sent to prison. Years later, he planned his revenge on Gordon and tried to get him killed, but now that Batgirl has learned the truth, he is captured by the Dark Knight Damsel. THE RETURN OF THE FLYING GRAYSONS! Certain day, the Haly's Circus arrives to New Carthage and Dick Grayson becomes skeptical when he learns that the headlining act are The Flying Graysons. Going into action as Robin to lock a lion that escaped from its cage, Robin meets Linda from the New Flying Graysons before he is reunited with Mr. Haly.   Haly explains to him that when a new family of trapaze artist showed up, he decided to use the name of his old headlining act to attract more people to the audience, but the idea seemed to have backfired as there is someone sabotaging their acts.   Robin decides to help Haly and he goes as part of the audience to see the new Flying Graysons perform. When Linda is about to fall after a failed move, Robin goes into action and saves the girl. Her step-father, Dirk Greystone claims that there was something wrong with his bar, which prevented him from catching Linda. Robin goes to investigate the bars at night, but he finds nothing unusual. While he is up in the air, he notices Greystone burning the entire place down after he explained that he wanted to get rid of Linda and her mother to force Haly to sell the circus to him.   Robin is trapped in the bars, but he gets unexpected help to reach the final bar. Once out of danger, Robin captures Greystone and takes him to the authorities while the whole tent burns down. Robin feels bad for Haly, but the elder ringmaster tells Robin not to worry as he has enough money to repair everything thanks to a mysterious benefactor, who Robin recognizes as Bruce Wayne.   After the whole case is solved, Robin is still puzzled at the miraculous thing that happened in the tent and he wonders if the spirit of the original Flying Graysons had somehow been present to help their son in the time of need and if that was the case, the Flying Graysons had in fact returned for one special night. TYME HAS NO SECRETS! Baron Tyme is furious at the absence of Merlin's body. He threatens Jason Blood to reveal the wizards whereabouts or suffer. With no knowledge of the mystery, there is nothing Jason can say and quickly evades Tyme's sorcery assault by pushing over a crumbling pillar. Jason runs from the crypt into the cold night air only to be intercepted by Tyme via conjured portal. The Baron envelopes Jason in a magic "shroud," giving him one last chance to speak, or be slowly crushed to death.   Unable to tell Tyme anything he wants to hear, Jason faces certain death, until Inspector Stavic interrupts, surrounded by a mob of scared villagers. The timely distraction allows Blood to once again summon Etrigan who has more than enough strength to break the eldritch ensnarement. The Demon launches himself at Baron Tyme who drops the Eternity Book in the attack. As the two extramundane foes tussle, Stavic picks up the spellbook. The terrified villages are eager to kill both unnatural beings, and despite the Inspector's reason, they surround the brawling "monsters." The rivals cease fighting when they notice their common enemy. Etrigan's ring of flame holds them back, but not their projectiles. Tyme disappears through another portal leaving Etrigan to confront the rabble alone. The Demon warns his aggressors that it is their blood that will spill should they take him on, but a gunshot breaks the tension and Inspector Stavic steps forward. Hoping to end things before they begin, Stavic hands the Eternity Book over to Etrigan who obligingly takes his leave. Embittered that the supernatural threats escaped, some villagers are not quite ready to call it an end.   Baron Tyme's portal transports him once more inside Merlin's tomb, hoping the crypt itself - a replica of the Eternity Book - will still provide the incantations required to control the Demon. Before he can even study the inscriptions, a great explosion from outside collapses the tomb above him, burying him in rubble. The villagers are now content that there will be no more trouble at Castle Branek.   In Gotham City, Abner Beckermann tries to dismiss an unscheduled visitor to his office, but his secretary is most insistent he see the unholy fiend squatting on her desk.   As the sun rises over Castle Branek, a hand bursts from the debris and Baron Tyme drags himself out, swearing that final victory with be his. THE GALILEO SOLUTION Batman records the events of a recent case in which a professor discovered a formula for the Universal Solvent and accidentally killed a museum guard with it.   The case is of great importance to Batman since he could've captured the scientist and recovered the formula, but he couldn't get any of them when the solvent destroyed the formula, leaving no trace behind. Having lost the only evidence of the crime, the scientist was never convicted and the formula was never again known to mankind. A truly unsolved case of Batman.