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"Batman: Riddles in the Dark": Batman comes across Riddler's latest scheme when the master of puzzles escapes from prison and gives Batman a truly complex riddle. Stumped, the Batman's frustration overcomes him until [[Alfred Pennyworth (E

Detective Comics #493 is an issue of the series Detective Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 1980. It was published on May 19, 1980.

Synopsis for "Batman: Riddles in the Dark"

Batman comes across Riddler's latest scheme when the master of puzzles escapes from prison and gives Batman a truly complex riddle. Stumped, the Batman's frustration overcomes him until Alfred, provides the answer to the unsolved riddle. Realizing that Riddler's clue was not in the answer of the riddle, but on the riddle itself, Batman follows the criminal to an airport, where he fails to capture him, but manages to pin a tracer on the plane.

Following the signal, Batman tracks down the Riddler to Houston, Texas. As the Riddler attempts a daring escape, he is confronted by the local hero called Swashbuckler, but using old tricks, Riddler escapes.

Batman and Swashbuckler work together to stop the Riddler's ultimage goal, but they find that his latest riddle clue has two possible outcomes. Riddler has planned it that way as decoy clues, but despite his ingenius plan, Batman and Swashbuckler find the Riddler's true target and they stop the crime spree of the question man.

Appearing in "Batman: Riddles in the Dark"

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Synopsis for "Red Tornado: The Face of Humanity!"

The Red Tornado helps save a woman in the ghetto of Gotham from muggers, and becomes involved in a battle to keep a local drug pusher from taking over a storefront church.

Appearing in "Red Tornado: The Face of Humanity!"

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Antagonists:

  • Sidney Steeps (Single appearance)
  • Unnamed Muggers (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Unnamed Old Woman (Single appearance)
  • Cynthia (Single appearance)

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Synopsis for "Robin: The Man in Black Wears Green!"

Tired of being followed by the mysterious Man in Black, Robin decides to put an end to the case and he reverse the roles as he starts following the man. Robin eventually learns that the mystery man is contacting someone at the Wayne Foundation and he decides to pay Bruce a visit to clear all the mystery.

When Dick arrives in Gotham City, he is unable to find Bruce at the Penthouse and he goes to the place he considers home the most: Wayne Manor. Once in the recently reopened place, Dick goes to the Batcave and decides to go on a joy ride in the Batmobile. As soon as he drives the vehicle outside of the place, Robin spots the man in black and finally interrogates him for his true purposes. The man identifies himself as Myers, a private detective who was hired to keep an eye on Dick Grayson.

Dick eventually talks with Lucius Fox and learns that Bruce Wayne's lawyer has hired Myers as he was concerned for Dick's safety at Hudson University, considering he is the only heir to Bruce's fortune. Dick demands that Myers to stop and Fox agrees with him, ending the case of the man in black. Free once again, Robin finishes his joy ride in the Batmobile.

Appearing in "Robin: The Man in Black Wears Green!"

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Other Characters:

  • Kenny
  • Doris Dexter
  • Mr. Myers (the man in black) (Final appearance)
  • Mr. Lloyd (Single appearance)
  • Caroline Crown

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Synopsis for "Human Target: The 18-Wheel War Contract!"

A woman from a small trucking firm named Jody Ann Cole hired the Human Target to find out who murdered her brother Jeremy, so he impersonated her brother. Someone tried to kill the Human Target, believing that he was Jeremy and after pursuing the attempted killer, he and Jody learned that it was her and her late brother's associate Slim, who revealed that their competition made him an offer.

Appearing in "Human Target: The 18-Wheel War Contract!"

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Supporting Characters:

  • Jody Ann Cole (Single appearance)
  • Luigi

Antagonists:

  • Slim (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Curly (Single appearance)
  • Jeremy Cole (In a photograph only) (Deceased)

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  • None

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  • None

Synopsis for "Batgirl: Flames of Fear!"

After recovering from the injuries caused by Cormorant, Batgirl returns to action as well as Barbara Gordon resumes her work at the Humanitarian Research and Development Center. The group is discussing the fate of an old, yet important theater in Gotham, with some members voting to demilosh the building while other argue that it should be kept intact.

Barbara, being one of the members in favor of keeping the building, goes to see the place when suddenly a nearby building catches on fire. Barbara switches to Batgirl and learns that a little girl is still trapped in the burning building. The girl was the same kid that Cormorant kidnapped when he shot Batgirl and the trauma of the event had caused the girl to become paralyzed from waist down. Without hesitation, Batgirl goes into the burning building and saves the girl, although it was not an easy rescue.

Appearing in "Batgirl: Flames of Fear!"

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Supporting Characters:

  • Richard Bender
  • Robert Barton

Other Characters:

  • Cormorant (Flashback only)
  • James Stein
  • Tracy Dover
  • Jim Dover (First appearance; unnamed)

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Notes

Trivia

  • The Giant Penny can be spotted in the Batcave beneath Wayne Manor in the Robin story. However, this contradicts the penny's appearance in the Batcave beneath the Wayne Foundation. Furthermore, this story takes place years earlier to the official return of Batman to the original Batcave and Wayne Manor.
  • The Batgirl story foreshadows much of what would happen to Barbara Gordon in a few years. The story mentions a little girl who was shocked after Batgirl was shot in front of her, which in turn caused her to become paralyzed from waist down. There is a big possibility that Alan Moore drew inspiration from this story to cripple Barbara on Batman: The Killing Joke, or maybe it's just a rather remarkable coincidence.


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