Batman: Run, Riddler, Run #1 is an issue of the series Batman: Run, Riddler, Run (Volume 1) with a cover date of June, 1992.
Synopsis for "The Road to Hell"
The socialite Donna DiForza talks to Bruce Wayne at a party. DiForza plans to demolish several miles of housing projects, and replace them with a facility called "New Gotham." This will be a giant complex with corporate offices, high end retail, and new cleaner housing. She describes it as a community "free of crime" thanks to their private security force. This intrigues Bruce. DiForza asks for his help in relocating the "criminals" and "squatters" who occupy these tenements. They are interrupted by the Riddler, who pulls a ribbon to undress one of the women present. The Riddler explains that he is on parole, and DiForza hired him as a security consultant. Bruce despises the Riddler, but he agrees to support New Gotham.
That night, Batman enters the housing projects. He tells the residents that by squatting they are breaking the law, and that makes them criminals. Their community leader is a woman named Roberta Cifuentes. She tells him that they are not crack dealers, but just people trying to survive. There is an explosion in the building, and Cifuentes believes this was an attack. Everybody rushes out of the fire, but Cifuentes runs to save a child and Batman follows her. The building collapses on top of them. They are rescued by a man in a robotic exo-skeleton, who is part of a group called "Perfect Security."
DiForza is furious when she sees how the Riddler has been spending her money. Instead of designing a security system that will keep everyone out, he created a life-threatening puzzle that must be solved to enter. It is a network of sliding ramps above a tank filled with sharks. The Riddler treats this as a game, and tells her she is missing the point. DiForza threatens to fire him and speak to his parole officer if he does not give her what she wants. The Riddler leaves. Fritz Olmstedt walks in, head of Perfect Security. Donna and Fritz are trying to keep a secret. Fritz believes the Riddler is a liability.
Alfred Pennyworth prepares Bruce for a press conference with DiForza and Mayor Lieberman. They are met by angry protesters who demand housing. DiForza insists that this demolition is for their own good. They will be allowed to stay in New Gotham if their lifestyle meets New Gotham standards. These protesters rush the stage, and Cifuentes tries to speak to reporters. She is blasted by a member of Perfect Security, and the protesters disperse. Bruce tells Donna that her security is too violent. It is revealed that Fritz Olmstedt used to be a Stasi agent. Donna insists she is trying to give him a chance at a better life. Donna flirts with Bruce and they go swimming together.
The Riddler sends Batman a note through Commissioner Gordon. It leads him to the tenements, where Perfect Security is planning something else. Cifuentes lends her car to a friend and it explodes. They arrest her for possessing explosives. Batman tries to fight them, but they are too strong. The police arrive and they side with Perfect Security, taking Cifuentes into custody. Batman urges her not to resist, and she calls him naive for believing the justice system will be fair to her. Gordon tells Batman that Perfect Security has been deputized into the GCPD. Batman vows to prove that Olmstedt is a criminal.
Batman returns to the tenements, where a lone member of Perfect Security is destroying a building. He is shooting holes in the roof to get the building condemned. Batman attacks using batarangs and smoke bombs to disorient the soldier. He throws a small bomb to damage the suit, but there is a large explosion that kills the man inside. Batman is horrified. The Riddler gleefully watches on a monitor. Donna DiForza finally fires the Riddler for incompetence. The button she presses to call security dumps him outside the building through a trap door. The Riddler remarks that he has only begun playing games, and this is going to be fun.
Appearing in "The Road to Hell"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Alfred Pennyworth
- Commissioner Gordon
- Donna DiForza (First appearance)
- Mayor Lieberman
- Roberta "Bob" Cifuentes (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Perfect Security (First appearance)
- Friedrich "Fritz" Olmstedt (First appearance)
- The Riddler
Other Characters:
- Alonso (Single appearance; dies)
- Gotham City Police Department
- Hassan (tenement resident)
- Satoru (Single appearance; dies)
- Seiji (Perfect Security)
- Shondra (tenement resident)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
See Also
- Cover gallery for the Batman: Run, Riddler, Run series
- Images from Batman: Run, Riddler, Run Vol 1 1
Recommended Reading