Batman Annual #3 is an issue of the series Batman Annual (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 1962. It was published on June 19, 1962.
Synopsis for "The Mad Hatter of Gotham City"
This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #230.
A new criminal who calls himself The Mad Hatter has been collecting hats from all round the world and most of them have been stolen from different museums. The Mad Hatter finally seeks one crowning trophy for his collection of famous headgear: Batman's cowl. For this purpose, the Mad Hatter tries to remove Batman's cowl by force and by tricking the Dark Knight into removing it, but he fails on both occassions. When he finally manages to steal the cowl from Batman, it only leads the Dynamic Duo to his secret hideout by way of a radiation detecting Geiger counter, where he is finally captured. Soon after his trial has concluded and he is sentenced to a long prison term.
Appearing in "The Mad Hatter of Gotham City"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mad Hatter II (First appearance)
- Pete (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Mr. Brumer (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Human Firefly!"
This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #184.
Garfield Lynns is a special effects creator who turns to crime and tries to rob the rich of Gotham City during a gala premiere of a stage musical. The robbery is stopped by Batman and Robin, who pursue Lynns into the swamps. In the swamps a simple firefly distracts the two heroes long enough for Lynns to make his escape. Lynns decides to take on the super-villain persona of The Firefly and launches a series of spectacular crimes.
Whenever Batman and Robin confront Firefly, they often find themselves at the mercy of the villain's arsenal of tricks from his colored beams, projected from his own utility belt. Using his knowledge on special effects, Firefly manages to create distractions using light effects that allow him to escape during every one of his crimes. When the villain is confronted by the Dynamic Duo on a lighthouse he manages to trick the heroes and locks them inside a cellar. Using one of his special effects lights Firefly prevents Batman and Robin from escaping while he moves on to commit more crimes. Batman and Robin find a way out of the cellar and using the Firefly's own creation, they manage to capture the villain and his gang, ending the criminal spree of the Firefly.
Appearing in "The Human Firefly!"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Firefly (First appearance)
- Linky Thomas (Single appearance; dies)
- Snails (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Gotham City Police Department
- Mr. Chadwycke (Single appearance)
- Mrs. Chadwycke (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Gotham City Museum
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Mental Giant of Gotham City!"
This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #217.
Barney Barrows' ultimate ambition is to become a police detective, but as he applies at the GCPD Headquarters, he learns that he can't pass the mental test to become one. Barrows is allowed to keep a job as a janitor at the GCPD and during his daily cleaning routine, he causes a freak explosion in the Police lab, exposing himself to radiation which swells his mental capacity and head. He figures out Batman and Robin's true identities and forces the Dynamic Duo to do his bidding.
Using his brainpower, Barrows sends the heroes on missions to capture different crooks, but his methods become too ruthless and Batman has to come up with a plan to stop the mental giant. Barrows however, is always one step ahead of the Caped Crusader and he manages to outsmart him. After their final encounter where Barrows passes out, Barrows brain power and his head return to normal and he doesn't remember anything that happened. In order to help Barrows fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, Batman talks with Commissioner Gordon and asks him to allow Barrows to use a police uniform during his janitor duties, which makes Barrows very grateful.
Appearing in "The Mental Giant of Gotham City!"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Metal Mob (Single appearance)
- Kyler (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Barney Barrow (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Joker's Aces!"
This story is reprinted from World's Finest #59.
The Joker is out to commit a series of crimes, employing several men that he calls "his Aces", whose abilities are appropriate for the crimes involved. Joker plans to use Bruce Wayne in one of these crimes, but in doing this, he brings doom upon his elaborate scheme, for Batman manages to stop him without delay.
Appearing in "The Joker's Aces!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Joker
- Brice (Single appearance)
- Hopkins (Single appearance)
- Baker (Single appearance)
- Hop Dooley (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Danny Farrow (Single appearance)
- P.W. Raleigh (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Gorilla Boss of Gotham City!"
This story is reprinted from Batman #75.
Boss Dyke is executed in the gas chambers for his crimes and his body is taken to a doctor who transplants the criminal's brain into that of a large gorilla. As a result, the gorilla gains consciousness and tells the doctor that after he and his gang have secured needed funds, he wants his brain then transplanted into the Batman's body and Batman's brain put into the gorilla.
As a gorilla, Dyke starts a series of crimes that would cause him to be chased by the authorities and his main goal is to make the Police unknowingly kill the Batman after the transplant had been performed. However, Batman is able to escape from the gorilla's grasp and the monster climbs to the top of a building before plunging to the ground, where he remains unconscious. Batman finally discovers the truth about the experiment and the crimes of Boss Dyke are finally revealed.
Appearing in "The Gorilla Boss of Gotham City!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Gorilla Boss of Gotham City (First appearance)
- Doc Willard (First appearance)
- Gopher (Single appearance)
- Horton (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The New Crimes of Two-Face!"
This story is reprinted from Batman #68.
A film studio hires actor Paul Sloane to perform the role of Two-Face on a biographical film about the former notorious criminal. During the scene in which they reenact the tragic accident that scarred Harvey Dent's face, the substance that hits Sloane's face is actual acid and the man in charge of the props is found guilty of placing the acid in the bottle.
Sloane is taken to a hospital, where he learns that his face has been scarred in the exact same way as the real Two-Face. Using the prop coin, he turns it into the famous Two-Face's Coin and he decides to turn to crime as the new Two-Face.
Two-Face starts a crime spree following the method from the original Two-Face and the Dynamic Duo are unable to catch him. In a desperate attempt to change the man's criminal attitude, Batman gets Harvey Dent to send a message to Sloane, but the former actor has become mentally ill to the point where he believes he is the only and real Two-Face.
Batman manages to find Sloane's hideout on a submarine and after reaching the place, they start fighting each other. During the struggle, Batman switches Two-Face's coin and allows himself to be captured. Batman then asks Sloane to toss the coin to decide his future and if the coin lands on the edge, he would turn to the authorities and undergo plastic surgery to repair the scarring of his face. Sloane tosses the coin and because Batman had switched the coin, the fake coin lands on the edge and Sloane, sticks to his word. In this way, the criminal spree of Two-Face III comes to an end.
Appearing in "The New Crimes of Two-Face!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Two-Face III (Paul Sloane) (Single appearance)
- Blinky (Single appearance)
- Joe (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Harvey Dent
- Professor Hodge (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Mysterious Mirror-Man!"
This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #213.
Batman agrees to write an article to a local newspaper about his career, in exchange for a $25,000 donation by the newspaper's publisher to end juvenile delinquency. Meanwhile, in the Gotham State Penitentiary, Floyd Ventris, a convict who is just brought in, manages to escape by night, using shards of a broken mirror to distract the guards. For this reason, Ventris decides to use mirrors for a life of crime under the identity of the Mirror-Man.
After creating a special machine capable of seeing through objects, the Mirror Man's main goal is to get Batman in position so that he can use his special machine and uncover Batman's secret identity. During one of his crimes, Mirror Man manages to see underneath Batman's cowl and learns that he is Bruce Wayne. Knowing that his identity could be exposed, Batman decides to write the article on the Gotham Gazette about the several times his identity has falsely been exposed as Bruce Wayne. For this reason, the Mirror Man's discovery is pointless, since nobody believes him. On a last effort to show the world that Batman is Bruce Wayne, Mirror Man tries to get a similar image of Batman, but he fails and he is finally captured and sent back to prison. Batman then reveals that the Mirror Man's machine didn't work because he was using a special cowl made of mirrors, which distorted the image, preventing Mirror Man from getting another chance to expose Batman's identity.
Appearing in "The Mysterious Mirror-Man!"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mirror Man (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Mr. Weldon (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Mount Malador
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This entire issue was reprinted in DC Comics Classics Library: The Batman Annuals Vol. 1.
- From this issue's page on the Grand Comics Database regarding "The New Crimes of Two-Face!": "The final 2 panels of page 2 and the 1st panel of page 3 have been cut and substituted with 2 newly created panels. The original story depicted actor Paul Sloane becoming Two-Face after being scarred by a vial of acid, the version in this issue has Sloane being disfigured by an exploding Klieg light." Presumably a dictate of the Comics Code Authority.