Detective Comics #832

Issue Details

Synopsis

TRIAGE Batman and Commissioner Gordon are in a harbor surrounded by fake pirate ships; they are looking at the dead body of Sherman Shackley, "The Shark" of the Terrible Trio, a group of thugs that committed crimes by air, land, and sea. His body was mangled by sharks, and his face is gone.   Gordon believes this is a mafia-style execution, but Batman believes otherwise, pointing out that the pirate mannequins are positioned to imitate a funeral in sea. The Batman suggests that other partners in the Trio will be targeted eventually; Gordon states that his men have the Vulture in custody, but cannot locate the Fox.  In the Batcave, as Batman mulls over the Trio and their methodology for clues, Alfred suggests that a fox being chased always sticks to the ground, and Batman concludes the Fox could be in the subway tunnels. Indeed, the Dark Knight finds the Fox there, claiming he was harassed by a person who calls himself the "Fourth Man. "   As Batman interrogates Fox, the Fourth Man shows up and releases wolves to attack them both, determining that Fox must die for his crimes. However, Batman fights off the wolves, and the Fourth Man flees, but not before setting off dynamite in an attempt to collapse the tunnels   Later, Batman talks with Gordon and explains that the Fourth Man is killing the Terrible Trio in symbolic ways: the Shark was buried at sea, while the attempt on the Fox's life was based off an ancient Greek war ritual. Gordon tells Batman that the Vulture escaped from custody earlier, and Batman realizes where the Fourth Man has him.   In the Gotham City Aviary, the Fourth Man, disguising himself in a hat and overcoat, has the Vulture tied to a pillar, with cages full of vultures everywhere. He explains that the Zoroastrians fed their dead to vultures in order not to pollute the soil, and sets them free. Batman interferes with the murder attempt, prompting the Fourth Man to use a harpoon launcher against him. This confirms Batman's suspicions, and the Fourth Man is revealed to be the Shark himself. Revealing rows and rows of sharp teeth, he attempts to bite Batman, but is defeated and thrown out the window into the river below, though he survives.   Later, Commissioner Gordon explained that the Shark suffered a psychotic episode rooted in a desire to separate himself from his role as part of the Trio; he wanted to bury his past, and his friends along with it. Gordon then expresses a mock sympathy for Shackley, as his rehabilitation in Arkham Asylum involves group therapy.   In Arkham, Shackley watches Vulture and Fox introduce the newest member of the Trio: The Great White Shark.