Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Annual (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1997.
Synopsis for "I Am a Gun"
A man crashes through the glass roof of Wayne Enterprises while Bruce Wayne is in the middle of a meeting. Bruce saw an old biplane in the air seconds before the man fell to the ground, dead, which leads him to Savage Field, near Opal City, where an aerial circus performs in honor of Steve Savage, the Balloon Buster.
Bruce goes undercover as "Terry Malone," a mechanic. Sam Drago, who runs the circus, tells him that Raul, their former mechanic, disappeared and speculates he left in search of Steve Savage's treasure. When the pilots go out for a drink, Bruce dons his Batman costume and has a brief altercation with an unknown figure.
Bruce witnesses an argument between Sam Drago and Clem Jennings, a wealthy farmer who bought Savage Field and offered to hire the circus as his employees. He later investigates Steve Savage in the local library. He learns Savage was engaged to a French woman named Rochelle during World War I, only to lose her when her village was overrun by Germans. When the war ended, Savage returned to the United States with the engagement present Rochelle's father gave him.
Bruce realizes the killer and Raul were working together before the killer turned on him. He tells the aerial circus that he found a trunk with a map made by Steve Savage inside, and that night, Batman lies in wait for the killer. Smitty appears, dressed in the same costume he was wearing when Batman fought him before. Smitty admits he killed Raul for talking too much.
Batman goes to arrest him, but Amy appears before he can. Smitty takes her hostage and flies off with her in a biplane while Batman pursues. They have an aerial duel that ends when Batman jumps from his plane to Smitty's, rescuing Amy, and then jumping back. Smitty's plane crashes with him inside.
Jennings again approaches Drago with his offer of employment. He reveals Savage's treasure was vine cuttings from Rochelle's family vineyard in France, which Savage gave to a friend after Rochelle's death made him spurn farming. Jennings, whose family became rich due to Savage's generosity, wants to honor his memory by turning Savage Field into part museum and part live show. The men toast to the deal and Savage's memory.
Appearing in "I Am a Gun"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Balloon Buster
- Sam Drago
- Amy
- Luca Biagini
- Dan Kraft
- Raul (Dies)
- Clem Jennings
Antagonists:
- Smitty (Dies)
- Rudy (Dies in flashback)
- Karl (Dies in flashback)
Other Characters:
- Alfred Pennyworth
- Commissioner Gordon
- Barry
- Rochelle Lang (Dies in flashback)
- Guillume Lang (Dies in flashback)
- Danny (Flashback only)
- Harold Jennings (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Opal City (Mentioned only)
- Savage Field
- Drake's (Mentioned only)
Items:
Vehicles:
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
Pulp Heroes Annual This issue was part of the 1997 Pulp Heroes Annuals crossover event. This template will categorize articles that include it into the Annuals and Pulp Heroes Annuals category. Checklist
Action Comics Annual #9 • Adventures of Superman Annual #9 • Aquaman Annual (Volume 5) #3 • Azrael Annual #3 • Batman Annual #21 • Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #7 • Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #5 • Catwoman Annual (Volume 2) #4 • Detective Comics Annual #10 • The Flash Annual (Volume 2) #10 • Green Lantern Annual (Volume 3) #6 • Hitman Annual #1 • Impulse Annual #2 • JLA Annual #1 • Nightwing Annual (Volume 2) #1 • Robin Annual (Volume 2) #6 • Starman Annual (Volume 2) #2 • Superboy Annual (Volume 4) #4 • Supergirl Annual (Volume 4) #2 • Superman Annual (Volume 2) #9 • Superman: The Man of Steel Annual #6 • Teen Titans Annual (Volume 2) #1 • Wonder Woman Annual (Volume 2) #6 |