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"Angel -- Or Devil?": Batman stops a member of Ye Olde Avon Players from striking a girl at the back door of the Gotham Theatre, but for some reason, the girl grabs Batman's hand and enables the assailant to stun him. When he recovers, he has lost his quarry in the pl

Quote1 More bad jokes? I'm running out of verbal comebacks -- and time. Quote2
Batman

Batman #216 is an issue of the series Batman (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1969.

Synopsis for "Angel -- Or Devil?"

Batman stops a member of Ye Olde Avon Players from striking a girl at the back door of the Gotham Theatre, but for some reason, the girl grabs Batman's hand and enables the assailant to stun him. When he recovers, he has lost his quarry in the players' backstage.

Resuming his usual patrol, he spots the girl hitchhiking and gives her a lift to her destination: Wayne Manor. The girl turns out to be Dahne Pennyworth, daughter of Wilfred Pennyworth, Alfred's brother, and, like Wilfred, a thespian with the Players. She explains that the man who tried to strike her was her boyfriend and that it was a misunderstanding.

After leaving her at Wayne Manor's front door, Batman doubles back to meet her at as Bruce Wayne. Dick Grayson, ailing from a cold, falls head-over-heels for Daphne and, to impress her, shows her what she has secretly come for: the first folio of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, written in the Bard's own hand. That night, Daphne prowls around Wayne Manor and creates a wax mold of the front door's keys.

In the morning, she invites the three of them to the Players' performance of Romeo and Juliet at night, and between acts, she goes back to Wayne Manor to steal the folio. She is stopped by Alfred, who has anticipated the theft, and accidentally shoots him. What Daphne didn't know was that she was carrying a prop gun. Alfred mimes death and Daphne, who thinks she has really killed him, leaves in tears with the folio.

Daphne returns and passes along the folio to the other Players, who have been holding her and her father Wilfred hostage. Wilfred tells her that the gun was a prop and shoves her onstage to get her out of harm's way. The Players tell Wilfred that the dagger she will soon plunge into her breast as Juliet is real, and that they will also kill Wilfred to ensure his silence. At that moment, Alfred and Batman converge on the theater and defeat the Players, while Wilfred and Dick stop Daphne from stabbing herself. In the aftermath, Alfred is informed of Daphne's real motivations and forgives her.

Appearing in "Angel -- Or Devil?"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Ye Olde Avon Players
    • Harry (Single appearance)
    • Emelyin (Single appearance)
    • Kevin (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:


Synopsis for "You Be the Detective!"

This story is reprinted from Gang Busters #51.

Appearing in "You Be the Detective!"

  • Appearances not yet listed

Notes

  • This is the first time that Alfred is given the Pennyworth last name. "Pennyworth" is a departure from the last name given to the Alfred of Earth-Two, "Beagle"; and has since become the canon name for every interpretation of the character.

Trivia


See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References

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