- Listen, Batman... Maybe a weak sister like Commissioner Gordon puts up with some costumed freak mixin' into police business... I don't.
Detective Comics #441 is an issue of the series Detective Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1974.
Synopsis for Batman: "Judgment Day"
Batman captures a common criminal in the streets of Gotham City, much to Lieutenant Bullock's annoyance. A few moments later, Batman learns about the abduction of Robin, he goes to investigate and is lured into an abandoned house, where a mysterious man who calls himself the Judge has prepared several deadly traps for him.
Batman is forced to elude the traps while trying to rescue Robin from one of these traps as well, but he is unable to reach the youngster as the Judge keeps him busy with his traps. Eventually, Batman learns that the Judge wants to make Batman pay for causing his daughter to turn blind after an accident a few years in the past. During the struggle, Batman recognizes the Judge as a wanted criminal in the case from the past and the Judge reveals that he had to commit the crime to keep his good reputation. At that moment, Robin breaks free from the trap and he helps Batman stop the Judge. However, the Judge tells them that the entire house is booby trapped, with deadly surprises in every corner. Unfortunately, the Judge's daughter becomes the first and last victim of these traps and the Judge allows Batman and Robin to take him to the authorities.
Appearing in Batman: "Judgment Day"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Alfred Pennyworth
- Lt. Bullock (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- The Judge (Judge Clay) (First appearance)
- Cutler (hostage-taker) (Single appearance)
- Snow (resort owner and drug smuggler) (Dies in flashback)
Other Characters:
- Melissa Clay (Judge Clay's daughter) (Single appearance; dies)
Locations:
- New Carthage
- Gotham City
- Sea Spray Inn (an abandoned summer resort)
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Plastic Man: "Woozy Winks – Wanted for Murder!"
This story is reprinted from Plastic Man #3.
When a gossip columnist begins writing malicious stuff about various public figures, he is promptly knocked off. On the list of suspects is Plas' pal Woozy. The two shake down the other suspects to try and clear Woozy's name.
Appearing in Plastic Man: "Woozy Winks – Wanted for Murder!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Cynthia Bender
Other Characters:
- Snoopy Hawks (Dies)
- John T. Wales
- Kayo Randy
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Batman: "The Case of the Prophetic Pictures"
This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #42.
Pierre Antal, a famous portrait artist and womanizing ne'er-do-well discovers that his paintings have been defaced or damaged. The subjects of the paintings are also dead.
In the following days, a millionaire and an opera singer have portraits done by Antal, only to later find that the pictures are later altered, showing them being killed by different weapons. The day after each portrait is completed, each person is killed exactly in the manner their portrait predicts.
Batman tries to prevent a hanging of one subject of the paintings, Mr. Warren, and climbs the outside of a skyscraper to Warren's penthouse in hopes of surprising the killer, but arrives too late and when police arrive, Warren is already swinging, so of course they suspect Batman of doing the murders, and there's a brief chase
Later, Robin manages to find the killer on a yacht, disguised in a painter's smock and beret, while wearing a green skull and pursuing his next victim. Although he saves the intended victim, the killer escapes.
To lure him out, Bruce Wayne has a painting done by Antal and sets up a dummy to fool the killer. In his mansion's study, Batman manages to detain and unmask the killer, who turns out to be Wylie, a financially-stressed socialite who was trying to raise the prices of his art collection via this elaborate and murderous ruse. Soon after being caught, Wylie commits suicide with his own handgun.
Appearing in Batman: "The Case of the Prophetic Pictures"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Gotham City Police Department
- Pierre Antal (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Mr. Wylie, The Painter of Death (First appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Mikoff (Single appearance)
- Vangild (First appearance; dies)
- Carmen Largo (First appearance; dies)
- Mr. Warren (First appearance; dies)
- Mr. Travers (Single appearance)
- Mr. Drake (Single appearance)
- Mr. Bleek (Single appearance)
- Jim (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- Portrait of Bruce Wayne
Vehicles:
- Batman's souped-up 1939 Cord, still pre-Batmobile
Synopsis for Ibis the Invincible: "Holocaust, God of Destruction"
This story is reprinted from Whiz Comics #95.
In the middle of the night Ibis realizes there's an invisible intruder in his bedroom, who he reveals as a mystic maiden in Grecian garb. She and her sisters live in a magical realm where they guard the imprisoned god Holocaust. His horrific influence causes disasters on Earth whenever he manages to slip captivity, and she's come to Ibis for help as she's afraid Holocaust is about to do so again. Ibis flies with her to this magical realm and finds the horrific three-headed giant is indeed about to break loose, but is unable to prevent it when a falling rock bops him on the head.
Learning that the girls have been keeping Holocaust locked up by welding the weak link of his chain together every time he snaps it, Ibis uses his wand to whistle up a new magic chain where all links are equally strong. Back on Earth, Ibis and Taia hear a story from a certain crippled newsboy about how there was a horrific earthquake that coincided with Holocaust escaping his cave, but it stopped in the nick of time before there was any major damage, coinciding with the evil god being recaptured. Ibis and Taia hope Holocaust never gets the chance to escape again.
Appearing in Ibis the Invincible: "Holocaust, God of Destruction"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Seven Guardians of Holocaust
- Tesvd, six others
- Freddy Freeman (Cameo)
Locations:
- a land unknown to Ibis
- Cave of Holocaust
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Eclipso: "The Two Faces of Doom"
This story is reprinted from House of Secrets #66.
Professor Bennet engineers a special ray-gun to be used on Eclipso that will change him from evil to good. The device seems to work as the next time Dr. Bruce Gordon is transformed into the evil Eclipso, Mona shoots him with the ray-gun and his behavior does indeed seem to have changed, or has it?
Appearing in Eclipso: "The Two Faces of Doom"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Eclipso
- An alien amoeba (Single appearance; dies)
Locations:
- Solar City's ruins
Items:
- The Black Diamond
- Ultra-Violet Ray Gun
Synopsis for Alias the Spider: "The Secret of Mouse Malone"
This story is reprinted from Crack Comics #25.
Appearing in Alias the Spider: "The Secret of Mouse Malone"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mouse Malone
- Honest Abe Lavery
- Slippery
- Joe
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
- The Black Widow (the Spider's car)
Synopsis for Batman: "The Carbon Copy Crimes"
This story is reprinted from Batman #38.
When Batman and Robin finish a recording session on a radio station, they are summoned to the GCPD Headquarters where Commissioner Gordon informs them that a criminal has been replicating the Case of the Prophetic Murders, which had been solved by Batman several years ago.
The killer has been following the exact same patterns of the previous crimes and the Dynamic Duo decide to use the same trick they used the first time to catch the killer. However, this time the killer is prepared and manages to capture Batman and Robin, taking them to his secret hideout. There, they learn that the killer is in fact a psychologist who wants to test a theory and cause a mental breakdown in Batman. The Caped Crusader remembers his previous recording session and he takes off his mask, revealing himself as Bruce Wayne. The psychologist is shocked, but Bruce explains that the real Batman is at the radio station, broadcasting live. When the killer listens to Batman's voice on the radio, he loses his mind and kills himself, just like the killer from the first case.
Appearing in Batman: "The Carbon Copy Crimes"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mr. Wylie (Dies in flashback)
Other Characters:
- Pierre Antal (Last appearance)
- Jennings (Single appearance)
- Louisa Ponelle (Single appearance; dies)
- Vangild (In picture only)
- Carmen Largo (In picture only)
- Mr. Warren (In picture only)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Manhunter: "Cathedral Perilous"
Manhunter and Christine St. Clair invade a cathedral in Istanbul. They confront the Council, gaining evidence that the organization was responsible for murdering one of their directors.
Appearing in Manhunter: "Cathedral Perilous"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Henry (Single appearance)
- Emma (Single appearance)
- Nico (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- None
Vehicles:
- None
Notes
- "Judgment Day" and "Cathedral Perilous" are reprinted in Tales of the Batman: Archie Goodwin.
- "Cathedral Perilous" is reprinted in Manhunter Special #1 and Manhunter: The Special Edition.
See Also
Recommended Reading