Batman/Deadman: Death and Glory is a one-shot with a cover date of February, 1997.
Synopsis for the 1st Story
Batman is chasing the Joker across the face of a clock tower. The Joker falls off, but Batman catches him with the Batrope, only for the Joker to burn the rope with the acid from his lapel flower and fall anyway.
An hour later, Batman is in a blood-soaked restaurant, holding a knife to a woman's throat. He has no memory of how he got there or what happened in the missing hour.
The GCPD demand the release of the hostage, but Commissioner Gordon feels so betrayed by Batman's murder of Councilman Lopez and his guests that he wants to go in guns blazing. Murrey starts firing wildly, giving Batman the chance to throw down the hostage and escape.
Batman loses another five minutes while driving the Batmobile. In the Batcave, he watches the coverage and learns from his hostage's testimony that he was yelling for a man named "Yeats." Albert Yeats, the man in question, has taken refuge in a church where he is found by Remy DeShard's animal-headed goons, but he escapes.
Batman consults with Felix Faust. He believes Deadman possessed him and killed those people, and with one of Faust's books, he performs a ritual to summon Deadman but immediately realizes it wasn't him.
Deadman possesses Alfred's body and explains that he's on the same case: Frederick Chaplin sold his soul to the Devil fifteen years ago for wealth and power, and now at the end of his pact, he hired a mage called Remy DeShard to transfer the curse onto Albert Yeats, a drug addict dying from AIDS, who will be the Second Coming in his next reincarnation, which can't happen if he goes to Hell. The Devil sent a spirit called the Clown to claim Yeats's soul, and the Clown was the one who possessed Batman in the restaurant.
Batman and Deadman follow reports of the animal-headed goons, who chase Yeats through a tent city. Batman saves Yeats, but then has to run himself when the GCPD arrive to arrest Batman. Deadman leads Yeats away while Batman goes to meet Gordon. Gordon still believes Batman killed Lopez, and at his order, the police surround him.
Deadman helps Batman escape, though he gets shot, and once they're away, Gordon reveals the bullet had a homing beacon attached. The bullet leads them to Clement Park, where Hill's Circus is currently camped. The GCPD and Remy DeShard both converge on the location, and while fighting them, Batman and Deadman realizes Gordon is possessed by the Clown.
The combined presence of Deadman and the Clown allows the whole audience to see the ghosts and witness the Clown's confession that he possessed Batman for the massacre and Gordon afterwards.
The Clown possesses Batman and threatens to kill him if Yeats doesn't come out. Deadman tries to convince him not to, but after everything Batman has done for him, Yeats decides to do one good thing in his life and comes forward. The Clown leaves Batman's body, declaring Yeats isn't the one, "not anymore."
Yeats dies of AIDS in March, and Deadman comes to escort him to Heaven.
Appearing in the 1st Story
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Gotham City Police Department
- Commissioner Gordon
- Lowe
- Murrey
- Harris
- Alfred
- Vashnu (Flashback and main story)
- Rama Kushna (Flashback only)
Antagonists:
- The Clown
- Felix Faust
- Frederick Chaplin
- Remy DeShard
- Joker
Other Characters:
- Albert Yeats
- Miss Cummings
- Councilman Martin Lopez (Deceased)
- Dr. Strothers
- Angela
- Yvonne Conner (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Batcave
- Paris Overpass
- Clement Park
- Hill's Circus
Items:
Vehicles:
