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130,213
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in: Ross Andru/Cover Artist, Dick Giordano/Cover Artist, Dennis O'Neil/Writer,
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The Best of DC Vol 1 14

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"This One'll Kill You, Batman!": This story is reprinted from Batman #260.

The Best of DC #14 is an issue of the series The Best of DC (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1981. It was published on April 6, 1981.

Synopsis for "This One'll Kill You, Batman!"

This story is reprinted from Batman #260.

The Joker breaks out of his cell in Arkham Asylum by poisoning the guards with his Joker Venom. Once free, he tries to escape but is confronted by Batman. However, Joker has released several inmates of the Asylum, forcing Batman to fight them instead of concentrating on capturing the main criminal. While Batman is fighting the inmates, Joker drugs him with a special variation of the Joker Venon, which causes Batman to laugh uncontrollably during times of horror, leaving him helpless in battle. Joker is able to escape and Batman is assisted in the fight against the inmates by Two-Face, who acted after the clean side of his coin came up. Batman also learns that it was Two-Face who gave the anonymous tip about Joker's escape, which is why Batman was able to reach Arkham in order to stop the Joker, even though he failed.

A few hours later, Batman is informed that withing the next 72 hours, the drug will make him laugh himself to death unless he can find the one doctor who can save his life before the Joker does. Batman tries to reach one doctor in Gotham City, but the man is murdered by the Joker, forcing Batman to travel to England to find the only other doctor capable of curing him.

Unfortunately, the Joker has reached the doctor first and he forces Batman to struggle against the forced laughter as he tries to save the doctor from being murdered by the Joker, with him as witness. Batman manages to overcome the urge to laugh by thinking of different situations from murder or death and he ultimately manages to stop the Joker and save the doctor. With the Joker captured, the doctor creates an antidote for Batman, curing him of the compulsive laughter.

Appearing in "This One'll Kill You, Batman!"

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  • Joker
    • Marcus (Single appearance)

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Synopsis for "Half an Evil"

This story is reprinted from Batman #234.

When a parade balloon is stolen in broad daylight, Commissioner Gordon lights up the Bat-Signal at night to contact Batman, despite the disapproval of Arthur Reeves. When Batman arrives at the GCPD Headquarters, they start investigating the mysterious robbery, but they are suddenly interrupted by an officer informing them about a crime at the Nautical Museum. Gordon and his men get going, but Batman arrives first by his own means. Once inside, he confronts a couple of masked thugs, the same that stole the parade balloon. After taking one of them down, Batman interrogates the second thug and learns that he doesn't know who is the man he is working for, but that he always keeps his face concealed while tossing a coin.

After leaving the criminals for the police, Bruce Wayne returns to his penthouse at the Wayne Foundation building and he informs Alfred that his long-time enemy, Two-Face is back on crime. After remembering how the former District Attorney, Harvey Dent became Two-Face and turned to crime, Bruce investigates some of the clues provided by the thugs he captured. Searching a book about ocean and ships, Bruce learns that Two-Face is looking to strike on a boat docked at the Marina across Gotham River and he goes to stop the master criminal.

When Batman arrives at the scene, he takes down a couple more of Two-Face henchmen and he discovers that Two-Face's plan is to steal, sink, and raise an old two-masted ship belonging to Captain Bye, seeking a cache of gold doubloons Bye had hidden in the vessel. Following the ship to a dark swamp, where Two-Face has planned that it would emerge, Batman finally confronts the criminal, unaware that while on the rising, the ship has carried a homeless man to the top of the mast. Batman is distracted trying to save the man and Two-Face takes the opportunity to attack Batman and tie him to the ship's mast. After stealing the historic doubloons, Two-Face gets ready to leave, but Batman tricks him into using his coin in order to decide to save the homeless man or not. When the good side of the coin shows up, Two-Face is compelled to save the man and Batman takes the chance to free himself and capture Two-Face while also saving the homeless man.

Appearing in "Half an Evil"

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  • Batman (Flashback and main story)

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Synopsis for "The Malay Penguin!"

This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #473.

Back in action, Batman and Robin find a couple of suspicious thugs near the river and the heroes drop on the thugs like a thunder. They are not aware that the thugs are in fact working for Rupert Thorne and that they just tossed the body of Hugo Strange into the river, but Batman suspects something is amiss. Unfortunately, since the Gotham City Council have declared Batman an outlaw, the Dynamic Duo are forced to leave the thugs once the police sirens start approaching them.

Meanwhile, The Penguin goes to the auction of Batman's secret identity, but he finds nobody except for a faint hint of the Joker, who was also one of the criminals looking forward to the information. When the criminals realize that Strange is nowhere to be found, they each go their separate ways, but Penguin sets in motion his next criminal caper.

Thinking ahead, Batman and Robin go to the Reed Gallery to warn the owner to increase the security measures for the exhibit of the Malay Penguin, a priceless and unique relic, which might be the target of the Penguin. However, Reed refuses any help, forcing Batman and Robin to retreat to their headquearters at the Wayne Foundation building.

At dawn, Bruce makes arrangements to fix several of the wrongs done by Strange to his company and later, he and Dick go to Gotham General Hospital, where Silver St. Cloud is being treated after she was also captured by Strange's henchmen. The doctors have made sure that Silver isn't infected with the monster serum and after a couple of days, she is ready to leave the place. During Bruce's visit, she is formally introduced to Dick Grayson, but the young man has to leave the room to give Bruce and Silver some well deserved private time.

At night, Batman and Robin go back in action and they find The Penguin prowling near the Reed gallery. The heroes attack the villain, but the Penguin outsmarts them and escapes using one of his trademark helicopter umbrellas, but he leaves a cryptic message for Batman to solve.

In the meantime, Rupert Thorne and his associates have a meeting at the Tobacconists' Club, when suddenly, Thorne experiences a vision of Hugo Strange, threatening to eliminate him in revenge for his actions. Since nobody else noticed anything unusual, Thorne keeps the event to himself and he continues the meeting as normal.

At that moment, Batman and Robin hear an alarm near the galleries and they go to investigate, but once again find a dead end with yet more cryptic clues. The next day, a flock of birds drop old coins all over Gotham with messages attached for the Batman. After reading the message, Batman deduces the true intention of Penguin's plan and the Dynamic Duo rush into the Batmobile towards the Gotham Airport, where they stop Penguin from hijacking a plane and leaving the city with the Malay Penguin in his possession. Batman explains the deduction process he used to locate Penguin and thwart his plans, which leaves Robin perplexed of his mentor's detective skills.

Appearing in "The Malay Penguin!"

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Synopsis for "Riddler on the Move!"

This story is reprinted from Batman #263.

Batman is on the trail of a criminal organization that provides criminal services for other criminals in the underworld. When he is about to take down their leader, Batman is challenged by the Riddler to solve one of his infamous riddles. In doing so, Batman is lured directly into a trap inside a museum, where the Riddler has prepared a whole chamber with loaded crossbows aimed at Batman. The Dark Knight has to solve yet another riddle to save his life and in the meantime, the Riddler moves on and takes over the criminal organization Batman was trying to dismantle.

Batman manages to solve the riddle, saving his life and he learns about Riddler's next plan thanks to another puzzle laid out for him. Batman deduces correctly that Riddler's henchmen would strike on a ship at sea, which is carrying giraffes towards Gotham City and he prevents the strange crime. After stopping this unusual crime, Batman finally learns the Riddler's location and he hurries to capture the criminal. In the meantime, The Riddler is aware that Batman is on his trail and he starts packing his things from his hideout at the Gotham Zoo, but Batman arrives before Riddler can escape. The ensuing battle is short, as Batman defeats Riddler without any trouble and awaits for the police to come in and arrest the prince of puzzles.

Appearing in "Riddler on the Move!"

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  • Riddler
  • Blair Brambel (Single appearance)

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  • Bats

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Synopsis for "The Curious Case of the Catwoman's Coincidences!"

This story is reprinted from Batman #266.

Bruce Wayne is traveling on board a train transporting prisoners from Gotham State Penitentiary. One of the prisoners is Selina Kyle, the criminal known as the Catwoman. A runaway tractor derails the train and the prisoners escape. Bruce changes to Batman and stops several of the crooks, but Selina escapes.

Selina is found by one of her old accomplices and upon returning to Gotham, she decides to resume her criminal career with her old costume and with her old mob. Bruce Wayne disguises himself as wealthy heiress Bertha Carrington-Bridgewater and checks in to the Gotham Plaza Hotel. He lets the word go out that Bertha is carrying a wealth of jewelry knowing that such knowledge would draw the Catwoman back out of hiding.

Catwoman sends her goons out to rob Bertha's valuables, but Batman eventually stops them. He finds Catwoman's pet Siamese, Hecate. Knowing that Hecate is trained to return to his master, Batman follows him back to Catwoman's lair. Catwoman tries to snare Batman in her whip, but Batman captures her.

Appearing in "The Curious Case of the Catwoman's Coincidences!"

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  • Catwoman
    • Hecate
    • Rudy Stern (Single appearance)
    • Weasel (Single appearance)
  • Crusher Baines (Single appearance)
  • Jeremiah Jimson (Single appearance)

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  • Al (Single appearance)
  • Gypsy woman (Single appearance)

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