Detective Comics #471 is an issue of the series Detective Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1977. It was published on May 31, 1977.
Synopsis for "The Dead Yet Live"
In the aftermath of the crimes commited by Dr. Phosphorus, the chairman of Gotham City Council, Rupert Thorne has summoned an emergency meeting in which he informs the rest of his accomplices that they need to take action against the Batman, who poses a great threat to their activities. Unknown to them, Batman is listening to the conversation, but he is forced to leave the chimney he was using as a hideout, because some of the thugs notice a small noise coming from there. The truth is that Batman almost slipped and all because the injuries caused by his confrontation with Dr. Phosphorus have not been cured, instead they have worsened. Knowing that he can's keep going in that state, Batman decides to retire and goes back to his safe place.
Soon, Batman arrives at the Batcave II, where he informs Alfred that he needs to see a doctor in order to take care of his radiation injuries. Following the advice of his friend, Jerry Robinson, Bruce decides to go to Graytowers, a medical institution for rich people that provides secrecy about their patients. Before going however, he informs of his decision to Silver St. Cloud, the lovely lady he has been dating for a short time, which gives Alfred hope for Bruce's romantic future.
Bruce arrives at Graytowers, where he is greeted by the director of the insitution, Dr. Todhunter and his assistant and nurse, Magda. Bruce is soon taken to a private room, where Magda tells him to go to rest. Bruce finds the advice strange, since he is fully awake and the day had just started. However, Bruce soon finds himself weak and passes out as he deduces that Magda's perfume must've been a drug.
Bruce wakes after a terrible nightmare about the murder of his parents and finds himself stripped from his clothes and locked in a dark room. When he tries to open the door, a man on the outside tells him that he is locked inside an asylum and Bruce realizes the seriousness of the situation. Meanwhile outside, Silver decides to pay a visit to Bruce at Graytowers, but she is informed by Dr. Todhunder about Bruce's radiation injuries and she is forbidden to see him.
After a long day, Bruce has made sure that there are no security cameras in his room and has avoided taking the drugs they have provided him. At night, he takes his suitcase and opens a secret panel, where he keeps a spare Batsuit and he transforms into the Batman. Using a couple of acid vials from his Utility Belt, Batman escapes from his prison and notices that his room is next to the main building of Graytowers. As he climbs to the rooftop, Batman is confronted by a couple of Monster Men, but he defeats them without any trouble.
Batman soon finds the main chamber of the building, where Todhunter and Magda are gathered. Batman breaks inside the room with the intention of capturing Todhunter, but the Doctor realizes that something is missing, as Batman doesn't seem to know his real identity. Todhunter proceeds to remove his mask and underneath, the face of Hugo Strange is revealed. Batman is shocked to learn that Strange had survived their previous encounter and Strange reveals that he moved to Europe to avoid further confrontations with the Batman. However, he decided to return to Gotham not long ago and started his Graytower experiment to lure rich citizens and mind-control them.
Having heard enough about Strange's plot, Batman decides to capture the madman, but Strange is awfully confident, despite having apparently lost the fight. As Batman gets ready to capture Strange, he is bitten by a snake, whose venom is deadly. Strange provides the antidote, but the serum leaves Batman unconscious long enough for Hugo Strange to remove Batman's cowl and learn his secret identity as Bruce Wayne.
Appearing in "The Dead Yet Live"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Dr. Hugo Strange (First appearance)
- Monster Men
- Magda (First appearance)
- Rupert Thorne
- Barney (Single appearance)
- Marko (First appearance)
- Bruno (First appearance)
- Doctor Phosphorous (Flashback only)
Other Characters:
- Joe Chill (In dream sequence only)
- Martha Wayne (In dream sequence only)
- Thomas Wayne (In dream sequence only)
- Death (In dream sequence only)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Finger Alley
- Wayne Foundation
- Graytowers
- Crime Alley (In dream sequence only)
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in:
- Batman makes reference to the events of Batman #1 and Detective Comics #46 in this issue. Those stories officially took place in the continuity of Earth-Two, but similar events apparently transpired early in Batman's career on Earth-One as well.
- Hugo Strange makes his first Earth-One appearance in this issue.
- Starting with this issue, some of the Batman stories featured in Detective Comics include the "Created by Bob Kane" tag in the credit box.
Trivia
- The friend of Bruce Wayne in the story is a direct reference to the frequent Batman artist from the Golden Age and co-creator of the Joker, Jerry Robinson.
- The idea of Bruce going to a medical resort that is run by Hugo Strange was adapted years later in the episode The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne from Batman: The Animated Series in 1992.
See Also