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"The Women in Batman's Life!": Mrs. Chilton reminisces about the life of Bruce Wayne since he was a child after his parents were murdered by her own son, Joe Chill. After the Waynes' deaths, Bruce was placed

Quote1 This is something else Bruce must never find out...that it was my son who killed his parents! Quote2
Mrs. Chilton

Batman #208 is an issue of the series Batman (Volume 1) with a cover date of February, 1969. It was published on November 12, 1968.

Synopsis for "The Women in Batman's Life!"

Mrs. Chilton reminisces about the life of Bruce Wayne since he was a child after his parents were murdered by her own son, Joe Chill. After the Waynes' deaths, Bruce was placed under his uncle Philip's guardianship. As Philip had to travel a lot due to his work and was rarely home, he quite would often leave Bruce on the care of Mrs. Chilton, his housekeeper. As a close friend to Bruce, Mrs. Chilton witnessed the growth of Bruce into a man, who had several women in his life, but who became the Dark Avenger of the Night, Batman. She knows about Bruce's secret identity and she also knows how her second son, Max, died during a fight with Batman, but despite knowing all this, she remains faithful to Bruce.

Appearing in "The Women in Batman's Life!"

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Synopsis for "The Secret Life of the Catwoman"

This story is reprinted from Batman #62.

The gang czar Mister X terrorizes Gotham City, and decides he wants to work with Catwoman. Batman and Robin are shocked to hear from Commissioner Gordon that Catwoman has been broken out of jail with dynamite. Mister X offers to plan heists and have Catwoman commit them so they can share the loot. Catwoman works with X's henchman Dipper, and they make fun of a wannabe crook named Mousey.

When Catwoman leaves her hideout, she finds Batman and Robin waiting for her. They try to give chase, but she throws a box at them with angry cat inside it. Batman runs towards falling debris, and Catwoman realizes he will be killed. Instead of escaping, she leaps to save Batman's life and gets hit in the head by a brick.

They wake her up in the Batcave, where she feverishly screams about airline rules. It's revealed that Selina Kyle was a stewardess, who fell out of a crashing plane and got amnesia. Kyle is horrified to hear that she's become a criminal in her amnesiac state. Batman asks about her obsession with cats, and she explains that her father used to own a pet store. He taught her all about cats, and she subconsciously remembered that through her amnesia.

Gordon asks Kyle to go undercover and help them take down Mister X. Mousey is brought into the station and hears their scheme, so Gordon has him put in jail. Mousey breaks out with a hidden file, swearing revenge on Catwoman.

Catwoman pulls several heists for Mister X, although crime now disgusts her. This includes distracting a record company with cats while she steals gold-plated records, and opening a bank vault with cats. Batman and Robin fight her on a Giant Cash Register, but this is a ruse so they can fake being captured. Catwoman takes them back to Mister X, who locks them alone with a time bomb. Mister X tells Catwoman he knows about her treachery, and has her dragged off a cliff via tractor. Batman and Robin escape in time to rescue her and punch out Mister X's thugs. It's revealed that Mousey was Mister X all along. He wore a bulky costume to make other crooks respect him.

In the aftermath, Selina Kyle officially retires from her career as Catwoman. However, Batman insists that the police may still need her as an operative -- sooner than she thinks.

Appearing in "The Secret Life of the Catwoman"

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Synopsis for "Crimes of the Catwoman"

This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #203.

With Gotham free of crime, an article is printed in the Gotham Gazette revisits Batman's conquest of Catwoman. Upon reading the article, Selina Kyle is infuriated, and resumes her life of crime. She commits a number of cat related crimes until Batman and Robin intervene. However, even though they capture her newly assembled gang, they cannot apprehend the "Princess of Plunder."

Appearing in "Crimes of the Catwoman"

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  • Cats
  • Horace Braham (Single appearance)

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Synopsis for "Vicki Vale's Secret!"

This story is reprinted from Batman #73.

Vicki Vale comes into Wayne Manor, desperately looking for help. She explains that she has brought doom upon herself and she passes out before revealing any other information. Bruce and Dick leave her in the care of Alfred while they investigate at Vicki's house as Batman and Robin.

While at her home, the Dynamic Duo finds a picture of "Keys" Bennett, a notorious criminal, and they assume he has threatened Vicki to keep her from turning his photo over to the police. Batman and Robin set out to locate "Keys" and they capture him after escaping a dangerous situation and a short confrontation. When Batman asks "Keys" about his intentions with Vicki, he is shocked to learn that "Keys" doesn't know who Vicki is. Batman realizes that there's something odd about this whole situation and he tells Robin to return to Wayne Manor to stall Vicki while he goes elsewhere.

In the meantime, Vicki has recovered and it is revealed that she was pretending to be in danger in order to learn if Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson are Batman and Robin. After their long absence, she deduces that she is right about their identities. When Bruce and Dick return home, she tells them that she has managed to prove their secret as she planted a microphone on her home, which would have recorded their voices as they investigated the place. The trio goes to Vicki's home to listen to the recording, and Vicki is disappointed to listen to Batman talking about how Bruce Wayne warned them about Vicki's problem. Vicki's suspicions are once again thrown off.

When the Dynamic Duo go back to the Batcave, Batman tells Robin that he spotted the microphone immediately and took steps to drown it out. Then, upon learning of Vicki's plan after capturing "Keys", Batman then returned to her apartment to record his voice corroborating Bruce Wayne's later story that he and Dick found Batman and told him of Vicki's harrowing story.

Appearing in "Vicki Vale's Secret!"

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  • Keys Bennett (Single appearance)

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Synopsis for "The Menace of the Firefly"

This story is reprinted from Batman #126.

A new costumed criminal, the Firefly, and his gang crash a party at the Carson Mansion at Gotham which Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson are attending. Batman and Robin attempt to interfere with the Firefly's theft of gold nuggets from the Carson family's first gold strike, but the Firefly blinds them momentarily with a powerful light beam from his helmet and ensures his gang's getaway. Later, Bruce Wayne finds Kathy Kane spurning him for Ted Carson, causing him to exclaim that he now has both the Firefly and Carson to worry about. Soon, Batman, Robin and Batwoman are summoned to combat the Firefly at the Gotham Glassworks, but they discover that the Firefly possesses a sonic weapon that can shatter glass and are forced to take cover while the criminals flee, though one is caught. As they part, Batwoman reveals to Batman that she knows his secret identity.

Later, Bruce Wayne calls upon Kathy Kane, only to find Ted Carson already there. After a few minutes, Ted gets up to leave and asks Bruce to see Kathy to dinner; she feigns a headache and gets Bruce's raincoat, still leaving him in the dark as to whether or not she suspects him of being Batman. After Bruce leaves, a fallen piece of paper reveals to Kathy the Firefly's plans to rob the Gotham Natural History Museum. She becomes Batwoman and travels to Ted Carson's house, telling him to become Batman and accompany her to foil the Firefly's plans, and revealing she saw him change from a uniform into civilian clothes at the party. Carson leaves, and emerges in his uniform--the Firefly's. He proceeds to tie Batwoman up and joins his gang at the museum, attempting to steal silver relics. But Batman and Robin have deduced his next crime, and Batwoman has freed herself, and the crime-fighters bring the criminals down. Later, Batwoman reveals that she thought Bruce Wayne was the Firefly because she had mistakenly given Bruce Ted's coat, from which the plans for robbing the museum had dropped. Still later, Kathy Kane, dancing with Bruce, contemplates him as a candidate for Batman, and rejects the notion.

Appearing in "The Menace of the Firefly"

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Synopsis for "The Dilemma of the Detective's Daughter!"

This story is reprinted from Batman #165.

Batman gives a speech to graduating police officers, and soon meets the winner of the Lieutenants award: Patricia Powell, the daughter of Detective Mike "Bulldog" Powell. Meeting together Batman becomes smitten by her but she reveals that she has a crush on Bruce Wayne, although he has never actually seen her face.

When a scientist is kidnapped for his new explosive that doesn't flare or make noise, Batman and Patricia Powell, work together and capture the crooks. Afterwards Patricia and her father are invited to a party hosted by Bruce Wayne, where she may meet him again, this time showing her face.

Appearing in "The Dilemma of the Detective's Daughter!"

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  • Jim Gordon
  • Patricia Powell (First appearance) (Flashback and main story)
  • Lt. Detective Mike "Bulldog" Powell (First appearance)

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  • Pete (Single appearance)

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Synopsis for "Batman vs. Eclipso"

This story is reprinted from The Brave and the Bold #64.

Batman is reunited with a love from the past; a woman called Marcia Monroe and he soon gets caught up in a plot to steal the priceless emerald cat jewel stolen by the CYCLOPS organization. Framed for the theft of the jewel, Batman is arrested and jailed, giving the CYCLOPS organization and their operative the Queen Bee the opportunity to capture Eclipso just as he emerges from his host Bruce Gordon.

While Eclipso is used to make a heist, Batman manages to break out of prison and with the help of Marcia and Bruce Gordon, defeats Eclipso (shunting the villain back into Gordon's body) and toppling CYCLOPS' plan. Although Batman manages to identify that Marcia Monroe was really Queen Bee, she manages to get away and Batman vows that one day she will have to answer for her crimes, but he will be there to help her.

Appearing in "Batman vs. Eclipso"

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  • Eclipso
  • CYCLOPS (crime syndicate) (First appearance)
    • Queen Bee (Single appearance) (Flashback and main story)
  • Frankie Malone (Single appearance)
  • Gorilla Grimes (Single appearance)

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  • Gotham City Police Department
    • Officer O'Brien (Single appearance)
  • Nicky Jarvas (Single appearance) (Dies in flashback)
  • Sam (Single appearance)
  • Ed (Single appearance)
  • Robin (Mentioned only)

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Synopsis for "Beware of Poison Ivy"

This story is reprinted from Batman #183.

While Batman tries to get his mind off of Poison Ivy, the criminal in question sends Batman a special compact mirror that distracts Batman from doing his job, much to Robin's dismay. However, during a fight with some crooks the mirror is smashed.

Learning of this, the upset Poison Ivy, pretends to be heartbroken in prison and her prison guard manages to contact Batman to get him to come by to cheer her up. Batman soon finds himself under Poison Ivy's control and helps her escape from prison. However, Batman eventually snaps out of it at her hideout and he and Robin capture Poison Ivy and her thugs.

Appearing in "Beware of Poison Ivy"

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Synopsis for "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl"

This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #359.

Barbara Gordon, daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner, James Gordon, prepares to attend a policeman's charity masquerade ball. She designs a costume in the style of Batman and names herself, Batgirl.

As she arrives at the country club, she finds a villain named Killer Moth and his Moth-Men attacking one of the guests, Bruce Wayne. Batgirl dives into them, giving Wayne a chance to escape. Bruce takes this opportunity to change into Batman, then returns to the spot to give Batgirl a hand. Killer Moth uses his silk gun to web Batgirl to the side of Bruce's car, and then escapes with his underlings. Batman pulls Batgirl free and introductions are made between the two.

The following day, Bruce Wayne receives a letter in the mail. Killer Moth wants him to pay $100,000 or else he will murder him. Bruce consults with Dick Grayson and the two lay a trap for Killer Moth.

Batgirl Barbara Gordon 0032

Barbara gears into Batgirl

That evening, Barbara Gordon leaves the library where she works. She has acquired a rare book that she intends on selling to Bruce Wayne. As she arrives at Wayne Manor, she finds Bruce lying dead in his study, with Killer Moth and his goons hovering above him. She hurriedly changes into Batgirl and leaps into the study. She fights off all three men at once, but once again, they succeed in escaping. Batman and Robin appear and tell her that the body of Bruce Wayne is actually just a dummy. They were laying a trap for Killer Moth in the hopes of tracking him back to his lair, but Batgirl spoiled their plans. Fortunately, Batgirl had planted a tracer on the Mothmobile so they can easily trail their foes back to Moth Mansion.

Batman and Robin arrive at the mansion first and enter through the front foyer. They suddenly discover that the room is in fact a gravity-well and they begin floating towards the ceiling. Batgirl follows in behind them and uses magnetic boots to keep herself on the floor. She disables the gravity-well, setting the caped crusaders free.

Batgirl manages to find the secret closet panel where Killer Moth is hiding. Batman and Robin each knock him out with one solid double punch. After taking the villain to prison, they say goodbye to Batgirl wondering when, or if, they will ever meet her again.

Appearing in "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl"

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  • Burton Talbot (Single appearance)

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  • Batsuit
  • Killer Moth's Silk Gun
  • Gravity Well

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