The aliens have brought the war to Gotham... it's only fair Gotham should take it right back! 
- — Batman
Detective Comics #595 is an issue of the series Detective Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of January, 1989.
Synopsis for "Our Man in Havana"
The Dark Knight makes it personal when Invasion! comes to Gotham City. He discovers that the forces of the Alien Alliance in Cuba are attempting to establish an advance base underneath his nose. On the trail of international arms shipments, he travels to Havana and takes on an alien munitions factory. The local guards, the Khunds and Thanagarians are respectively some of the toughest and most vigilant soldiers in the universe. They don't stand a chance against Batman. Stealthily fighting and brawling through, Batman improvises and rams a boatload of demolitions into the factory, destroying it in a fiery explosion. Satisfied with his work, he swims off into the night.
Appearing in "Our Man in Havana"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Alien Alliance
- Durlans
- Khunds
- Thanagarians
- Pay-Tor (Single appearance)
- Centaurian Zheerfang (camouflage of a Durlan)
Other Characters:
- Bats
- Maxwell Lord (On a TV or computer screen)
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for "Cold Cuts"
After stopping some street muggers, Batman recovers the stolen belongings and returns Jenet Klyburn's wallet to the rightfull owner at S.T.A.R. Labs, where Dr. Klyburn is testing a new and advanced development with a man-made diamond which can be used as a laser and turn into a deadly weapon.
Meanwhile, Mister Freeze has been transferred from Arkham Asylum to the Gotham State Penitentiary, where he is allowed to work in the cold storage rooms where the food for the inmates is kept. Eventually, Freeze manages to escape with outside help and he soon learns about STAR Labs' new development.
A few nights later, Batman patrols near the STAR Labs building and he notices an alarm going off. Batman goes to investigate and upon entering the building, he is attacked by Mr. Freeze, who has recovered his Cryo-Suit and Ice Gun and uses them to incapacitate Batman. Freeze then places the Dark Knight in the range of the laser diamond and starts using it to destroy the Dark Knight's gadgets. In the process, Freeze vents out his frustrations about the tragedy that changed him and the fact that everyone turned their backs on him. Batman uses this distraction and takes the chance to use one of his Batarangs to destroy the machine that controls the laser, causing an explosion and a subsquent fire that weakens Mister Freeze. In the struggle, Freeze's helmet is broken and Batman uses Freeze's own ice gun to save the man's life.
Moments later, the fire department and the police arrive to take the situation under control and Batman considers that even though he and Freeze share a similar tragic past, they both chose different paths in life and that is what defines them both. Freeze is soon returned to prison, where he resumes his old job and his old grudge against Batman.
Appearing in "Cold Cuts"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This issue is an Invasion! First Strike extra, and a tie-in to the larger story told in the Invasion! miniseries. These crossovers take place in between Invasion! #1 and Invasion! #2, largely dealing with the Alien Alliance's assault on Earth and the way heroes around the world were participating in the initial war effort.
- " This issue is reprinted in Batman: The Dark Knight Detective Vol. 3, and "Cold Cuts" is reprinted in Batman Arkham: Mister Freeze.
- This issue marks the last Batman publication by legendary, Bronze Age Batman artist, Irv Novick, who was 73 years old at the time.
- "Cold Cuts" is the tenth insert story as part of the Bonus Books series, which ran through a number of titles from April 1988 to February 1989. These stories showcased various young artists and writers without an increase in the price of the comic book. The inserts also included a text page of short paragraphs with brief bios on the new talents.
- Starting with this issue, Steve Mitchell is the regular inker of Detective Comics.
Trivia
- The title of this issue's main story is a reference to Graham Greene's 1958 novel of the same name, or possibly its 1959 film adaptation.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Batman Recommended Reading
- Batman (Volume 1)
- Batman (Volume 2)
- Batman (Volume 3)
- Batman and Robin (Volume 1)
- Batman and Robin (Volume 2)
- Batman and Robin (Volume 3)
- Batman Confidential (Volume 1)
- Batman: Gotham Knights (Volume 1)
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (Volume 1)
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat (Volume 1)
- Batman: Streets of Gotham (Volume 1)
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 1)
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 2)
- Batman/Superman (Volume 1)
- Batman/Superman (Volume 2)
- Batman/Superman: World's Finest (Volume 1)
- Batman: The Dark Knight (Volume 1)
- Batman: The Dark Knight (Volume 2)
- The Brave and the Bold (Volume 1)
- Detective Comics (Volume 1)
- Detective Comics (Volume 2)
- Superman/Batman (Volume 1)
- World's Finest (Volume 1)
Links and References
  Invasion! Crossover Adventures of Superman #449 • Animal Man #6 • Captain Atom Vol 2 #24 • Checkmate #11 • Daily Planet Special #1 • Detective Comics #595 • Doom Patrol #17 • Firestorm #80 • Flash #21 • Justice League International #22 • Manhunter #8 • New Guardians #6 • Power of the Atom #7 • Spectre #23 • Starman #5 • Superman #26 • Swamp Thing #81 • Wonder Woman #25 |