Detective Comics #435 is an issue of the series Detective Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1973.
Synopsis for "The Spook Strikes Again!"
Batman continues his impersonation of a notorious criminal who has been taken to prison in order to force The Spook to confront him. Unfortunately, Batman's plan is deduced by The Spook, who dupes Batman and frees the real criminal. Baffled, Batman starts his investigation from zero and finally he finds a secret passage that would lead him to The Spook's hideout.
Batman and The Spook have their first confrontation in The Spook's lair, where the criminal manages to outsmarth Batman at every turn until Batman uses The Spook's own ego and gullibility to reveal his tricks and learn how to defeat him. When Batman has finally captured the master escapist, he takes the crook to the GCPD Headquarters and turns him into the authorities. However, when the police verify the man's fingerprints, they reckon that he is Val Kaliban, a convicted murderer who was killed years prior.
Appearing in "The Spook Strikes Again!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Spook
- Big Turk Ramis (Final appearance)
Other Characters:
- Jim Baines (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Gotham City Prison
- Gotham City Police Headquarters
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Case of the Dead-On Target!"
Jason Bard investigates the in-air murder of a skydiver.
Appearing in "Case of the Dead-On Target!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Donna (Single appearance)
- Flap (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Rip (Single appearance; dies)
- Ted Crane (Single appearance)
- Alli Crane (Single appearance)
- Silk Norbus (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
- Plane
Notes
- "Case of the Dead-On Target!" is reprinted in The Best of DC #30.
- "The Spook Strikes Again!" continues in Batman #252.
- This is the first issue of Detective Comics which is not published in a monthly schedule. The title was modified to different schedules, from bi-monthly, to monthly, to eight times a year until it finally returned to a permanent monthly schedule in issue #489.
Trivia
- Mike W. Barr is on the letters page.