Batman: Shadow of the Bat #12 is an issue of the series Batman: Shadow of the Bat (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 1993.
Synopsis for "The Human Flea, Part 2"
Mortimer Kadaver has Bodie drive him to Kemp’s Flea Circus, where Kadaver kills the owner and steals the breeding tanks. Kemp’s body is found by his grandson, and as he wonders who killed him, he looks out the window and sees Batman who is investigating Kadaver’s crime spree. He believes Batman killed his grandfather in revenge for his actions as the Human Flea and attacks him, allowing Kadaver and Bodie to escape.
Kadaver hires two of Bodie’s fellow animal rights activists to help them break into Azzman Labs and free as many of their animal experiments as possible. While they do so, Kadaver brings Bodie with him to the disease unit and Bodie figures out he’s planning to use the fleas to release a plague on Gotham. Bodie is horrified and attacks Kadaver, who shoots him.
Batman questions the Human Flea, and after hearing his motivation, Batman wonders why he didn’t patent his technique to synthesize resilin and make himself rich. The Human Flea admits he didn’t think of that. Batman initially refuses to let the Human Flea join him, but when he points out that he’s an expert on fleas and can figure out why Kadaver stole them, Batman changes his mind. They follow Kadaver to Azzman Labs.
The Human Flea fights the animal rights activists while Batman goes to find Kadaver. He finds the dying Bodie, who tells him Kadaver has the fleas and the bacillus at his hideout in the cemetary. Batman and the Human Flea go over the possibilities and realize Kadaver will release the fleas at the Adelphi Theater. They find a dead security guard and a sack of fleas suspended over the stage with a timer attached. Batman catches the sack in a tub and throws in phosphor pellets before setting the lid on top in time for the explosion.
Batman finds Kadaver in the cemetary with rats gnawing at a rope which suspends a sword over him. He catches the sword before Kadaver can kill himself. He captures Kadaver and tells him he has an animal rights group after him because he’s complicit in the murder of fifty thousand fleas.
Appearing in "The Human Flea, Part 2"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mortimer Kadaver
- Bodie
- Alix
Other Characters:
- Mr. Kemp
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Azzman Labs
- Kemp's Flea Circus
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Batman: Shadow of the Bat Volume 1.
See Also