Batman 245

Batman 245

Oct 1972

The Bruce Wayne Murder Case!

by Denny O’Neil, Neal Adams, Dick Giordan

15 pages

Bruce Wayne has faked his own death or at least let a rumor spread that he was killed while traveling in South America. Bilker, one of the two candidates for mayor of Gotham City, has accused Harvey, the other candidate for mayor, of murdering the missing multimillionaire. Batman knows that Bruce Wayne is safe and sound but he doesn’t know what Bilker knows until he has done some sleuthing.

Batman discovers that Osgood Peabody, a scientist whom he read about in a technical journal, must have forged the letter that Bruce Wayne supposedly wrote to Bilker informing him that he suspected Harvey was going to try to kill him. The letter was fabricated using a “modified computer” made specifically for creating forgeries. Peabody panics when Batman confronts him and tries to kill him.

Batman survives the attempt on his life and catches up to Peabody just as he is meeting with Bilker, who has decided to murder the scientist. Batman prevents Bilker and his right hand man from killing Peabody and then turns all three over to Commissioner Gordon.

Thoughts

I think I might have read this story before. It was reprinted in The Saga of Ra’s Al Ghul 4 (Apr 1988) which I read about a dozen years ago. The story doesn’t ring any bells but I may have just breezed through it because neither Ra’s Al Ghul nor his daughter Talia make an appearance in it. I think it was included in that reprint series because, as with most of the early appearances of Ra’s and Talia, it was written and drawn by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams.

Who is MacCutcheon? After Batman leaves Bilker’s office he walks down the street past a sign that reads “Vote for MacCutcheon”. Was there a third candidate for mayor? Was MacCutcheon running for city council or some other post? Was Bilker’s name originally supposed to be MacCutcheon? Did it get changed at the last minute and was it too late for Adams to update the art? I have no idea.

Batman doesn’t seem to be terribly happy (at the end of the story) that Harvey will likely be a shoe-in for mayor of Gotham. Both men are corrupt in his eyes.

This story is very by the numbers. It isn't bad but it isn’t very remarkable either.