I swear on the lives of every innocent who died tonight--I swear on the feelings that Shondra betrayed--I will find the woman I loved... and bring her to justice! 
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #23 is an issue of the series Batman: Shadow of the Bat (Volume 1) with a cover date of January, 1994.
Synopsis for "Bruce Wayne - Three: Curse of the Bat"
Bruce is in shock with Shondra's reaction towards him. He doesn't believe she could not recognize him, even though he is disguised as Sir Hemingford Gray. Bruce insists but Shondra makes it clear that she doesn't recognize him and that she is there with Benedict Asp as his willing partner. Some of Asp's personal security grab Bruce and drag him out of Monkleigh Hall.
Some of them were the aristocrats Bruce had had an encounter with in the morning and they are looking for some retribution. They circle Bruce but he manages to knock all of them using the canes that he uses to walk and were modified by Harold so they could throw knockout gas and be used as an electroshock weapon. Once Bruce gets rid of them all, he is unable to decide what to do next.
In the Monkleigh village, Colonel Vega and Yuri are seeking among all the population's dead bodies one to take back to Monkleigh Hall when they see Hood approaching towards them. They hide in some near trees and ambush Hood. Unable to defend himself Hood uses his flare gun as a call for help. Bruce, incapable of ignoring the calling, leaves Monkleigh Hall and knocks out Colonel Vega and Yuri with some tranquilizer darts fired from the canes. After saving Hood, Bruce returns to Monkleigh Hall.
Asp suspects that somebody is tracking Shondra and decides to leave the place for good. He sends some secret service agents to help Vega and Yuri to retrieve a body as he packs the psionic weapon they've designed. Then he leaves Jack Drake to die in a cellar, knocks out Shondra and drags her to a secret escape route. When Bruce arrives to Monkleigh Hall, he finds himself against the secret service agents. With some help of Hood, he enters the Hall to find it utterly empty except for an agonizing but still alive Jack Drake. After calling an ambulance for Drake, Bruce heads out of the Hall just to watch Asp leaving the place in a helicopter with Shondra by his side.
The secret service agents are tied down and Hood explains to Bruce that everyone in Monkleigh is dead. Bruce fears for Alfred's life and heads for the village, finding dead bodies everywhere. When all hope is lost, Alfred appears out of nowhere and explains that he had gone to take a walk out of the village. When Alfred catches up on events, he decides not to tell Bruce the troubles of the new Batman at Gotham City.
After all the events, Hood approaches Alfred and tells him what a privilege it is to work with the Batman and that they may rest assured that he will not tell anybody the Batman's secret. Bruce is thinking of all what just happened and feels betrayed. He thinks he was fooled by Shondra, that she had planned all the scheme. He solemnly swears to find Shondra and to bring her to justice.
Appearing in "Bruce Wayne - Three: Curse of the Bat"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Benedict Asp
- Colonel Vega
Other Characters:
- Jack Drake
- Harold Allnut (Mentioned only)
- Yuri
Locations:
Notes
- This issue is part of the "Knightquest: The Search" crossover.
- This issue is reprinted in Batman: Shadow of the Bat Vol. 2, Batman: Knightfall Omnibus Vol. 2 - Knightquest and Batman: Knightquest - The Search.
Trivia
- Despite being part of Knightquest, this issue wasn't included in the Batman: Knightfall Volume Two - Knightquest collection.
- Hood came to the wrong conclusion that Batman was really an English aristo-in-exile.
See Also
- Cover gallery for the Batman: Shadow of the Bat series
- Images from Batman: Shadow of the Bat Vol 1 23
