Detective Comics #571

Issue Details

Synopsis

FEAR FOR $ALE Bruce Wayne and Jason Todd attend a racetrack. Bruce explains that there have been several recent accidents involving major sports figures. A famous high-diver nearly broke his back attempting a stunt no one has ever done before, and a famous hang-glider died swooping too low. The athletes were too good to make those mistakes, and he believes this can't be a coincidence. They notice a driver named Jack Hogan is taking dangerous chances and not wearing his safety harness. Bruce and Jason switch into costume as Batman and Robin. Hogan gets into a fiery car-wreck. Batman has Robin hose him down while he runs directly into the blaze and drags Hogan out. Hogan survives and is taken to the hospital, but shows no signs of regret for his actions.  Later in the Batcave, Batman runs tests on Hogan's blood and discovers traces of Scarecrow's Fear Toxin. Alfred supplies Batman with a new costume that isn't on fire and they swing out into the night again.  Robin waits at the hospital for Scarecrow to show up. Scarecrow arrives to extort Hogan for money. It's explained that Scarecrow's new toxin actually eliminates fear from the brain. He's been tricking athletes into buying it as a performance enhancer, and then charging $50,000 when they beg him for the antidote. Robin swoops in to attack Scarecrow, but Scarecrow hits him with a dose of the standard Fear Toxin. Robin hallucinates a vision of Batman dying, which allows Scarecrow to kidnap him in a sack. Scarecrow dares Hogan to see if he can survive leaping out the window, and Hogan happily jumps to his death.   Scarecrow's next intended victim is a daredevil named Alvin Kenner. He quickly deduces that Batman is disguised as Kenner and shoots him full of drugged darts. Scarecrow leaves Batman lying on the floor with a clue to where he's holding Robin. Batman wakes up under the influence of Scarecrow's new drug, which makes him fearless and over-confident.  Batman deduces that Scarecrow is holding Robin at a factory called Atlas Concrete. Scarecrow makes him run through a series of deadly traps. Batman struggles to keep himself under control, as the drug makes him want to ignore danger and show off. He slips through a series of trucks sent to run him over, and makes it inside the warehouse by blowing up a metal grinder with his Utility Belt. In the hallway, a rolling wheel covered in spikes chases him into a pit. When he dives into the water below, machine guns appear out of the walls and fire for ten minutes straight. Scarecrow brags to Robin that Batman must be either shot dead or drowned, since nobody could survive 10 minutes underwater. Batman bursts through the door. Scarecrow asks how he possibly could have survived, and Batman says "you'll never know" then knocks him out with one pounch. Batman explains to Robin that he trapped some air in the folds of his cape and used it to breathe underwater for 10 minutes. Robin asks how Batman could have overcome the effects of Scarecrow's drug, and Batman explains that he replaced the missing fears with the greatest fear he could imagine. Robin asks what this was, and Batman says "maybe someday I'll tell you." In Batman's mind we see he was imagining Robin's tombstone.