Batman: Shadow of the Bat (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1992.
Synopsis for "The Ugly American"
Jon Kennedy Payne drives a car full of young kids off a bridge because they're driving a foreign-made vehicle. He goes to Sam's Place, a bar, looking for his daughter, Tina. He resorts to violence against the bartender to learn her whereabouts. Batman travels to the bridge where Commissioner Gordon listens to eyewitness testimony about the car crash. Three C.I.A. agents arrive trying to get through the police barricade. After threats don't work, Dr. Woolf pleads that their case is life or death and Gordon lets them pass. Batman follows in the Batmobile. Payne goes to Kim's Mini-Mart and finds his daughter there. When she introduces her husband, an oriental man, he gets violent accusing her of marrying the enemy. The C.I.A. agents go to Sam's Place where they learn that Payne had been there and find out where he's heading next. They leave and encounter Batman snooping around their car. They blow him off and head to Kim's Mini-Mart. Batman, however, has swiped Payne's file from the vehicle. From it, he learns that Payne's father died in the Korean War and, 20 years later during another war, Payne snaps at the sight of flag-burners. He was sent to prison for life leaving his wife and his 2-year old daughter behind. In prison, Payne underwent experimentation in exchange for a pardon. The experiments amplified his patriotism/prejudices as well as his fighting skills. When he went over the top, they resorted to keeping him in prison. He managed to escape.
Batman makes it to Kim's before the C.I.A. and manages to subdue Payne after a fight. When the C.I.A. arrive, they immediately kill Payne. Batman lashes out at the agents and threatens to take Payne's file to the press. Instead, he leaves the file with an anonymous note, with Payne's daughter. In the note he includes the name of a lawyer who specializes in anti-government lawsuits.
Appearing in "The Ugly American"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Commissioner Gordon
- Tina Payne Cheung (Single appearance)
- Kim Cheung (Single appearance)
Antagonists:
- Jon Payne (Single appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- C.I.A.
- Agent Burr
- Agent Remington
- Doctor Thomas Woolf
- Mrs. Harkness
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Sam's Place on Damzen Street
- Kim's Mini-Mart on Geest Street
Items:
Vehicles:
- Batmobile
- Toyola
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Batman: Shadow of the Bat Vol. 1.
See Also
- Cover gallery for the Batman: Shadow of the Bat series
- Images from Batman: Shadow of the Bat Vol 1 6