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"Arwin's Theory of Devolution": Batman is on his way to deliver a vaccine to a rescue station when some looters catch his attention. Batman stops the looters but one of them escapes and runs towards the Gotham University. Batman follows the man to the ruins of the

Quote1 Don't filth like you have a conscience? Quote2
Batman

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #77 is an issue of the series Batman: Shadow of the Bat (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 1998.

Synopsis for "Arwin's Theory of Devolution"

Batman is on his way to deliver a vaccine to a rescue station when some looters catch his attention. Batman stops the looters but one of them escapes and runs towards the Gotham University. Batman follows the man to the ruins of the building. Once inside, the looter and Batman find a professor teaching to a class full of dead students. The professor is armed with a gun and take Batman and the looter as hostages and as experimental subjects to prove his theory. The professor survived the quake while his whole class died, and he had survived eating snacks and stale water. He found the gun in the principal's desk and the whole experience was enough to drive him mad. The professor refused Darwin's theory of evolution saying that it wasn't the fittest who survives, but the luckiest and he is determined to use Batman and the looter to prove his theory is valid.

Batman is forced to walk blindfolded along a girder because if he refuses, the professor will kill the the looter. Batman does as the professor asks, and he almost falls from the girder twice. The second time is used by the looter to attack the professor and disarm him. The looter pushes the professor down to the abyss and Batman drops trying to save the man and as the whole building starts to collapse the looter falls to the abyss as well among with debris from the building. Batman saves the professor but is unable to help the looter who dies crushed by the debris.

Batman knocks out the professor and takes him to the rescue station where Mackenzie Bock is waiting for him and the vaccine. Batman tells Bock about the looters he stopped and about the professor who might need psychological advise and medical care. In the end Batman considers that it isn't the fittest who survive, neither the luckiest, but only survivors survive and he continues working to save the people in Gotham.

Appearing in "Arwin's Theory of Devolution"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:


Antagonists:

  • Looters (Single appearance)
    • Leader (Single appearance; dies)
  • Arwin (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:



Notes

Trivia


See Also


Links and References

Batman Shadow of the Bat Vol 1 73
Batman: Cataclysm Crossover
DC Rebirth Logo

This issue is a part of the Cataclysm crossover that swept through all Batman Family Titles during 1998. Gotham City was almost completely destroyed by a massive earthquake. This story led into the events that would eventually create No Man's Land.

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