Detective Comics Vol 1 536

"Facing the Dark, Blindly..."

Cover

Facing the Dark, Blindly...

The Black Box (Part IV) - Short Fuse

Editors

Len Wein

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Detective Comics # 535	Detective Comics # 537

...Remember that the mind often turns a blind eye on reality, favoring the darkness of what it wants to see.

— Batman

Detective Comics #536 is an issue of the series Detective Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1984.

Synopsis for "Facing the Dark, Blindly..."

In Montreal, Batman has delivered Deadshot to the authorities, but he keeps claiming that he was hired by the late Jacques Remarque, adoptive father of Julia Pennyworth, who is waiting outside the police building with her father, Alfred. Batman learns from the Montreal Police that Deadshot was somehow connected to terrorist and their whole scheme seems to be connected to stolen art from France, which would explain the inclusion of Jacques Remarque in the whole affair.

Batman goes to investigate the place used by Deadshot as hideout and in the meantime, the police prepare to transfer the hired assassin to prison. However, Deadshot manages to escape before he could be placed in a vehicle and he steals a police car. The Montreal police starts chasing him and Alfred and Julia get inside one of the police vehicles to follow the criminal.

Deadshot leads them to the base of operations, where the terrorist have been stashing the stolen art and the police surrounds the building. Julia believes that her adoptive father is still alive and she breaks into the place by going into the basement shelter, with Alfred following closely. Inside, Julia finds a secret passageway that connects the main house to the sewers below and she eventually finds the criminals. The terrorist attempt to murder her, but she is saved by Alfred, who was not far behind. The criminals then gather to deal with the intruders and Batman arrives in time after he learned the true location of their hideout. Batman and Alfred take down most of the terrorists and when Deadshot attempts to kill Julia, Batman uses a glass-cutter to disrupt Deadshot's firing mechanism, blinding him and foiling his crime. Finally, Julia comes to terms with the fact that her adoptive father is dead and she is comforted by Alfred, her true father.

Meanwhile in Gotham City, the new crime lord called Doctor Fang starts increasing his control of the criminal activities in the city.

Appearing in "Facing the Dark, Blindly..."

Featured Characters:

Batman

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Deadshot
Doctor Fang (First appearance)
- Woad (First appearance)

Other Characters:

Henri LaRouche (Mentioned only)
Inspector LeBecque (Single appearance)

Locations:

Items:

Synopsis for "The Black Box (Part IV) - Short Fuse"

Green Arrow is injured slightly by the Detonator, who finds that the archer does not have the black box. GA awakens in a hospital bed, surrounded by Rick and Ozone, who has the box. However, there is no voice on the box's tape. Green Arrow has Warren Whelmsley assemble his staff and identifies the one who is secretly the Detonator: Coopersmith, Whelmsley's pilot, who gave himself away by not calling for help. Green Arrow captures Coopersmith.

Appearing in "The Black Box (Part IV) - Short Fuse"