Detective Comics #594

Issue Details

Synopsis

ESCTASY Four drug addicts on the street attack a driving vehicle and the driver turns the vehicle around, in an attempt to run them over. Batman shows up in time and stops the driver from killing the junkies. However, the man behind the wheel is clearly unstable as he keeps hearing voices in his head. The man steps out of the car and, thinking that he needs no trouble with Batman or the authorities, decides to give away his vehicle to the junkies as a gift. Batman can't do much after this shocking turn of events and he stands in the middle of the street as the junkies take the vehicle and the former owner walks away. Just a few seconds afterwards, another man appears and stops the junkies from driving away in the car, pointing a gun at them. Batman confronts the man and the junkies are forced to stop the car. At that moment, the previous owner of the vehicle, who is still nearby, decides to pull the plug and a bomb that he has placed inside the car, blows with the unsuspecting junkies inside, killing them instantly.  Batman has to stop fighting the man as the explosion distracts them long enough to realize they have made a mistake. Batman learns that the man who tried to stop the car is Joe Potato, a private detective who was hired to stop a man called Ed Hallen from blowing up the drug trade in Gotham. Batman then deduces that the man who abandoned the car must be Hallen and he goes looking for him, while Potato (who resembles his namesake), explains the situation to the Gotham City Police Department and then continues his investigation to stop Hallen.   In the meantime, Hallen walks the streets of Gotham, still disturbed by the voice in his head, which he can only call "Ecstasy". The voice compels Hallen to blow the Ventriloquist Club, former hideout of The Ventriloquist, and major base of operations for the drug trade. Shortly afterwards, Batman learns about the incident by following the path of destruction, but when he learns that Hallen has one last bomb, he needs more background information to locate the madman. Batman calls Alfred in the middle of the night and asks him to investigate Ed Hallen using the Batcomputer. With Alfred's help, Batman learns about Hallen's day job and he goes to the place without delay.   Indeed, Hallen is headed to the Bruford Tower, where he is currently employed and goes directly to his working station, where many of his co-workers are surprised to see him as the last time they saw him was when they consumed drugs together and Ed apparently overdosed with ecstasy. Minutes later, Batman goes to the place and he is spotted by Joe Potato, who follows Batman and arrives at the building shortly after the Dark Knight. Batman is the first to break into Hallen's office, where the man is about to blow the last bomb, killing the ones responsible for his current state. However, when Potato shows up, Hallen recognizes he hired the private detective in a moment of sanity in order to stop himself, but knowing of this betrayal, the voice in his head now is more determined to kill Hallen and end the torment for good. Batman and Potato work together and manage to toss Hallen inside a safe vault, seconds before he could activate the bomb. The affair ends with Hallen blowing himself to pieces inside the vault and afterwards, Batman captures the ones responsible for providing Hallen the drugs in the first place.   Once the situation is under control, Batman and Potato realize that they have found a valuable ally in one another, but despite their mutual respect, they go their own separate ways.