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"Batman and Manhunter: "Gotterdammerung"": Investigating the apparent death of a friend, Batman encounters Manhunter, and becomes intertwined with his last desperate crusade to bring down the Council. Batman proves to be a valuable ally t

Detective Comics #443 is an issue of the series Detective Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1974.

Synopsis for Batman and Manhunter: "Gotterdammerung"

Investigating the apparent death of a friend, Batman encounters Manhunter, and becomes intertwined with his last desperate crusade to bring down the Council. Batman proves to be a valuable ally to Manhunter and his team, but in the end, Manhunter sacrifices himself in order to destroy the Council.

Appearing in Batman and Manhunter: "Gotterdammerung"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • Ndele Kshumbo (Single appearance; dies)
  • Mole (Single appearance)

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

  • Enforcer's Motorcycle
  • Kolu's Private Aircraft


Synopsis for The Spectre: "Dr. Mephisto"

This story is reprinted from More Fun Comics #65.

A magician named Dr. Mephisto is performing to a packed hall when suddenly the lights go out and a cowled figure covered in ethereal fire, the Blue Flame, appears. Once the lights go back on, rich patrons realize they've been robbed. Soon a bank messenger reports being robbed by the mysterious Blue Flame as well. Detective Corrigan uses his otherworldly powers to look into the past and identify the car the Blue Flame used, learning it belongs to a crook named Jimmy Groggins.

Groggins attacks Corrigan when the cop shows up to interrogate him, but is unimpressed when the Spectre turns the hood's knife into a charm on a necklace, and even when the ghost grabs him and flies them both to Mars. Then a Martian dinosaur appears and swallows them both, making Groggins finally break down and tell them where the hideout of the Blue Flame's gang is. After ordering Groggins to give himself up to the police, Spectre goes to this hideout and learns where Blue Flame will rob next. He masquerades as the hoods' boss to send them to rob the policeman's ball instead, then goes to a wealthy social gathering where Dr. Mephisto will be performing.

Corrigan is convinced of Mephisto's innocence. However a stolen bracelet ends up on his wrist after the Blue Flame attacks. The Spectre easily captures Blue Flame when he meets with one of his flunkies to collect some loot, and unmasks him as Dr. Mephisto.

Appearing in The Spectre: "Dr. Mephisto"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Police Chief

Antagonists:

  • Blue Flame (First appearance historically)
  • Jimmy Groggins (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Mrs. Pemberton (Single appearance)

Locations:

Synopsis for Green Lantern: "The End of Sports!"

This story is reprinted from All-American Comics #98.

Alan Scott's asked who he favors for a big upcoming hockey game, but an antagonistic fellow named Corck makes a bet of 50k that neither team will win. Alan's sure he's seen Corck before, but can't quite place where. At the game, the score's tied, but as one team makes to shoot a winning goal the puck suddenly explodes, meaning Corck's won his bet. However a doctor examines the unconscious players and finds they've been gased. A suspicious Green Lantern carries them to the hospital in a giant green hand. The hero goes to confront Corck over his oddly prescient bet, only to find out at the club he belongs to that Corck was kidnapped by Green Lantern's enemy, the Sportsmaster, who did indeed survive the fall off the Sports Statue into the ocean, and made off with the 50k. Moreover, Sportsmaster left an ominous note that "This is the beginning of the end of sports," and at sporting events all over town, the games are rendered inconclusive by exploding equipment and injured athletes.

Sportsmaster has warnings skywritten that all sports will suffer unless protection money's paid to his syndicate. Green Lantern refuses to stand for this, citing how important sports are to the American people, and a message is thrown through the window right then that challenges him to an athletic meet against the underworld's champion athlete, the Sportsmaster. At the highly-publicized meet, Sportsmaster tries to cheat but Green Lantern manages to win the events anyway through tenacity and determination. During a swimming event the two get into an underwater slugfest that Sportsmaster escapes by swimming through a vent at the bottom of the pool. Meanwhile, Corck has escaped, but his identity's given away by an impression of Green Lantern's ring on his jaw. Something he could only have gotten it if they'd recently been fighting, and Green Lantern exposes "Corck" as a slight modification of "Crock", Sportsmaster's last name. The arch-villain's revealed and hauled away, not managing to escape through his apparent death this time.

Appearing in Green Lantern: "The End of Sports!"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:


Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • Jean Taylor (Single appearance)
  • Gotham's Mayor (Single appearance)

Locations:

Items:

Synopsis for The Creeper: "The Coming of the Creeper!"

This story is reprinted from Showcase #73.

Jack Ryder, former TV host turned network security investigator, is assigned to investigate the case of Professor Yatz, a scientist captured by criminals and about to be turned over to Communist spies for shipping back to the Soviet Union. Since the place where Yatz is being held is throwing a costume party, Ryder buys a costume made of odds and ends, including a green wig and a red sheepskin "cape." He finds Yatz, but not before getting cut in the stomach by a knife. Yatz heals his wound with a special formula of his devising, and plants in the wound an activator, whose mate the costumed Ryder has in his hand. The activator allows Ryder the ability to dematerialize or rematerialize his costume at the twist of a dial. The professor's formula also energizes him physically. Yatz is shot dead, but Ryder, in costume, defeats the hoods and spies. In the process, he is branded falsely as a crook, and becomes wanted by both the police and underworld under the name of "the Creeper".

Appearing in The Creeper: "The Coming of the Creeper!"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Bill Brane (First appearance)

Antagonists:

  • Angel Devlin (Single appearance)
  • Vince (Single appearance)
  • Charley (Single appearance)
  • Major Smej (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Professor Yatz (First appearance) (Dies)
  • Dr. Clayton Wetley (First appearance)
  • Pete (Single appearance)
  • Mr. Pell (Single appearance)

Locations:

Items:

  • Secret Serum

Synopsis for Batman: "The Secret of Hunter's Inn!"

This story is reprinted from Batman #18.

Batman and Robin, in their everyday identities as Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson accompanied by Alfred, are investigating Hunter's Inn, the scene of many robberies of wealthy patrons...and run smack into the infamous Tweedledum and Tweedledee!

After a first failed attempt at capturing the criminals, Batman and Robin try a second time and they discover the secret behind the Tweeds' crime ring. During the final confrontation, Batman and Robin stall the criminals until the Gotham City Police Department arrives at the crime scene and arrests the criminal cousins.

Appearing in Batman: "The Secret of Hunter's Inn!"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • John Gottrox (Single appearance)
  • Soup McConell (Single appearance)

Locations:

  • Hunter's Inn

Items:

Notes



See Also

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