DC Special #1 is an issue of the series DC Special (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1968. It was published on August 6, 1968.
Synopsis for Batman: "Mystery of the Menacing Mask"
This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #327.
A heated debate over Gotham Village has begun. While anti-crime groups want the area of Gotham City destroyed and rebuilt, there are those who are asking for conservation of the location as a historical landmark, because its destruction would lead to many becoming homeless and many businesses going under.
As part of the committee, Bruce Wayne and his ward Dick Grayson decide to take a walk through Gotham Village where they are confronted by Linda Greene, who asks Wayne to help preserve Gotham Village. She tells how she and her fiancé James Packer grew up there and will be married. She also explains that she is worried because James has been away from home at odd hours and she found a map. When seeing a circled x Batman and Robin recall an earlier evening when they were doused with an isotope that put the same mark on their foreheads. Learning what kind of isotope it was and who in Gotham last ordered it they followed their lead to criminal Frank Fenton who flaunts stolen goods in their faces. Batman and Robin are unable to stop Fenton because the isotope they were exposed too allows Fenton to paralyze them until he can make his escape.
Finishing their recollection Linda spots her fiancé, and Bruce and Dick offer to speak to him on her behalf, but instead change to Batman and Robin to pursue him. They end up finding a secret tunnel way to the criminal organization which runs in the Gotham Village area. When Fenton tries to paralyze them again, he soon finds it doesn't work and Batman and Robin manage to round up the whole crowd.
When the police arrive, Batman notices the ring leader is wearing a fake mask and removes it to reveal that he is Roland Meacham, the head of the preservation committee of Gotham Village. When asked how they managed to counteract the effect of the isotope Batman then reveals that they used lead shielding in order to block the commands from Fenton and were able to stop all the crooks.
Later, back in their civilian guises Bruce and Dick see that Linda and James have patched things up and bring them news that the committee had decided to preserve Gotham Village after all.
Appearing in Batman: "Mystery of the Menacing Mask"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Linda Greene (Single appearance)
Antagonists:
- Frank Fenton (Single appearance)
- Smiler (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Gotham City Police Department
- Unnamed Police Captain
- Andrew Wallis (Single appearance)
- James Packer (Single appearance)
Locations:
Synopsis for Flash: "Doorway to the Unknown"
This story is reprinted from The Flash #148.
A mysterious man appears in Flash's apartment. He identifies himself as Fred Dallman, Vice president of the National Bank in Arizona City. He confesses that he has been embezzling $300,000 from customer accounts. His crimes were close to being discovered. Dallman then frames a young teller at the bank named David Dean who gets arrested for Dallmans crimes. Dean is sent to prison but he is then abducted by four hardened criminals from prison who demand that Dean reveal where he hid the embezzled funds. Dallman hears about the jailbreak and steps forward to ask Flash for his help in rescuing Dean. Dallman fades away and disappears as he finishes his story. Flash then rushes across the country to Arizona where he rescues Dean and lets him know that he was falsely imprisoned. Dean then reveals that he is concerned about his younger brother who he fears is turning to a life of crime in his absence. He implores Flash to help his kid brother jack before he robs a local drugstore. Flash rushes to a nearby city to stop Deans brother from committing a crime. He arrives just in time to subdue a couple of criminals who were urging Jack to rob a drugstore. He takes Jack home and heads back to Central City where a police officer informs Flash that Fred Dallman who appeared on Flash's apartment at midnight is actually dead. He died in a car accident at midnight the previous night with the $300,000 in his car. Flash assumes that Dallman was on his way to Arizona City to turn himself in when he heard about Deans abduction. Dallman had somehow found a way to save Dean and his younger brother Jack.
Appearing in Flash: "Doorway to the Unknown"
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Synopsis for Detective Chimp: "The Scientific Crook-Catcher"
This story is reprinted from Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #29.
Bobo the detective chimp narrates a story in which he goes after a wanted criminal named Larry the Lynx. Bobo surmises that Larry the Lynx is on his way to attend a scientific convention to steal an object known as Weapon X. Bobo infiltrates the convention by walking on stilts and disguising himself as an elderly professor. He walks among the scientists undetected until his disguise is sucked up by a man wielding a vacuum cleaner. Bobo correctly assumes that the man with the vacuum cleaner is Larry the Lynx in disguise and gives chase. Bobo follows the thief into a large room containing a giant pendulum which circles the room. He jumps on the pendulum to avoid gunshots from the Lynx. Once the gun is spent, Bobo jumps on a lever containing a huge model of the earth and launches it upwards. The model ricochets off the ceiling and hits the Lynx on the head knocking him out. Larry the Lynx is placed in jail and Bobo is awarded an honorary degree from the grateful scientists.
Appearing in Detective Chimp: "The Scientific Crook-Catcher"
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Synopsis for Adam Strange: "Mystery of the Giant Footprints"
This story is reprinted from Mystery in Space #57.
On the planet Rann, Alanna waits for Adam Strange's scheduled arrival via the Zeta Beam. When he arrives he isn't wearing his rocket suit. He explains that the Zeta-Beam targeted a small sinking island off the Pacific that was near a US air force base and so he choose not to wear it so as to not attract undue attention to himself. Returning to Alanna's home and dawning a spare rocket suit, Alanna tells Adam that Rann has its own sinking island. The two decide to go and explore it.
Arriving at the island located on the Sea of Ybss, they are shocked to find a giant foot print. Going in for a closer look the two are soon captured by a giant alien from the Rhollian race. Caging the two explorers, the out-of-breath alien explains how the Rhollian's have been searching for planets that have Orichalkum for the past twenty thousand years because it's destroy is essential component to slowing their growth rate and preventing their young from growing lungs that are too big to intake the oxygen they need to live. It then explains that they intend to sink this island.
Fearing that it would cause untold ecological damage, Alanna and Adam free themselves to try and stop the Rhollians from activating their earthquake machine. Adam gets the Rhollian's to chase them until the island starts to sink. Thinking that their earthquake device is the cause, the Rhollian's leave believing their mission was accomplished.
Rescued by a ship investigating the earthquake, Adam orders Alanna to send a space fleet out to bring back the aliens so they don't attempt to sink the island again. Just then his Zeta-Beam wears off and is transported back to Earth.
Appearing in Adam Strange: "Mystery of the Giant Footprints"
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Synopsis for "Challenge of the Headless Baseball Team"
This story is reprinted from The Brave and the Bold #45.
The New York Jets are playing in the final game of the World Series when an alien spaceship appears in the sky. The stadium in encased in a force field and a mysterious voice announces that they have come to challenge the Jets to a baseball game. The aliens reveal that if they win, they want to be awarded the championship flag. The Jets accept the challenge and a group of headless baseball players emerge from the strange spaceship. The game commences and the Jets hold their own against the mysterious players. At one point, a Jets player named Lefty gets knocked out in a head on collision attempting to retrieve a ground ball. While unconscious, he hears a mysterious voice explain that they are actually playing a band of interplanetary warriors. The invaders conquered the world of Ilaran with the help of a metal called Protana which creates gaps in the space-time continuum. The voice goes on to explain that a rebel warrior named Enath was able to sneak aboard the invading spaceship to steal the valuable metal. He steals the Protana and hijacks a small spaceship to escape to Earth. Enath discovers that the metal actually gives off a radiation which can be tracked by his enemies. He also discovers that the radiation can be encased by covering the Protana in gold. He heads towards Earth knowing that the planet contains gold for his use. He lands near the baseball stadium and encases the Protana metal in the gold knob of the championship banner. Enath then disguises himself as a normal earthling to guard the precious metal. Unbeknownst to Enath, the Krann had utilized a super X Rayscope to discover the location of the Protana. The Krann had also discovered that the case holding the championship banner had been booby trapped and that is why they had to win the banner from the humans so they could take the banner out of the case for them. Lefty Clark regains consciousness and the game progresses. The Jets play with renewed vigor and Lefty Clark hits the winning homerun winning the game. The aliens leave the planet but announce that they will now destroy the earth. They fire their weapons but they self-destruct. Enath had Jammed their Ray guns causing a devastating explosion which blows up their ship.
Appearing in "Challenge of the Headless Baseball Team"
Featured Characters:
- New York Jets (Single appearance)
- Lefty Clark (Single appearance)
- Chopper (Single appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Enath (alien) (Flashback and main story)
Antagonists:
- The Krann (Alien Race) (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth
- Ilaran
Items:
- Protana Globe
Vehicles:
- Alien Vessel (Destroyed)
See Also