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"Castle with Wall-to-Wall Danger!": This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #329.

Limited Collectors' Edition #C-44 is an issue of the series Limited Collectors' Edition (Volume 1) with a cover date of June, 1976.

Synopsis for "Castle with Wall-to-Wall Danger!"

This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #329.

Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson are interrupted by a call on the Batphone during breakfast. Commissioner Gordon has them look at the latest Lifestyle magazine which features a photo of Albert Maunch, who resembles a crook named Frank Prangel, a crook which escaped Batman's capture. As Batman and Robin, they fly to England to take Maunch in, however when they arrive they realize it was a case of mistaken identity as Maunch only resembled the criminal in question.

Maunch invites them to stay for dinner, and Batman and Robin soon stumble upon a series of traps, and are attacked by thugs while staying at the castle. They soon learn the truth after Frank Prangel threatens Albert in a secret room. Frank is knocked out as he holds a gun on Batman and Robin, and the story behind everything is revealed to by Albert: Frank Prangel is Albert's brother, Vincent, who went to America to be a crook. Albert however learned that the castle that he now lives in was where a number of Nazi's who escaped capture during World War 2 came to hide some of their loot. When Vincent learned this he locked up Albert's wife and children and forced him into loyalty.

With Vincent captured and locked behind bars, Albert was free to find the hidden treasure and report it to the world.

Appearing in "Castle with Wall-to-Wall Danger!"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Vincent Maunch (a.k.a. Frank Pragnel) (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Albert Maunch (Single appearance)

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Synopsis for "Trade Marks of Crime!"

This story is reprinted from Batman #31.

A series of robberies take place in Gotham City and Batman investigates the cases. The modus operandi used by the criminals seem to match those of some well-known thugs, who are taken to the GCPD Headquarters for interrogation. After Batman and Robin have captured all possible suspects, the crimes continue and Commissioner Gordon deduces that someone else is involved. He suspects of the cleaning lady that works in the storage room of the GCPD. After a quick interrogation, Batman and Robin learn that the old lady is actually the mastermind behind it all as she has been using the police files to emulate the "trade marks" of criminals. In the end, Commissioner Gordon arrests the old lady and the real criminals are also placed under police custody.

Appearing in "Trade Marks of Crime!"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Mamie Dalling (Single appearance)
  • Joe Swandi (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • John Staddon (Single appearance)
  • Big Tim Stevens (Single appearance)
  • Nipper Swarvo (Single appearance)

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Vehicles:

Synopsis for "The Deep-Sea Diver Mystery!"

This story is reprinted from Batman #83.

Batman has to solve the mystery of a man in diving gear who is murdered outside Commissioner Gordon's home. His investigation leads Batman to confront a criminal gang that was planning the largest counterfeit racket in the city. Batman and Robin have to overcome a series of traps and obstacles, but in the end they manage to capture the criminals.

Appearing in "The Deep-Sea Diver Mystery!"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Big Jim's mob (Single appearance)
  • The Ringo Mob (Single appearance)
    • Ringo

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Synopsis for "Paint a Picture of Peril!"

This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #397.

Batman Earth-One 005

The Dark Knight is Back

In the middle of the night, a group of mercenaries emerge from the water and climb to the docks of Gotham Bay, the place of an Art Exhibit held by Bruce Wayne. They take down the guards and a couple of them get inside one of the art galleries. Meanwhile, the group left outside is attacked by Batman, who manages to take a couple of them down before he finds himself outnumbered. The mercenaries use their harpoons to attack Batman, who collapses back to the water, giving them the chance to escape with one of the art pieces. Batman had managed to deflect one of the harpoons with his cape, but the second harpoon injured his left arm. When Batman reaches the surface, he takes a look at the missing art piece and realizes that it was one of the least valuable paints of a mermaid.

Moments later, Bruce returns to his penthouse at the Wayne Foundation and takes care of himself and his wounded arm. As he is thinking about a way to follow the mercenaries, the cleaning lady, Mrs. Cathy, enters the place and retrieves her purse and turns off the TV, which was broadcasting a show about an eccentric millionaire living in Gotham City. Mrs. Cathy's contempt was obvious, but Bruce didn't take note of it. Bruce keeps thinking of a way to follow the criminals and he remembers a lead to their whereabouts in the underwater weeds of the sea.

Using a special motorsled, Batman is able to track down the criminals to a strange location, which resembles an old European castle. In order to break inside, Batman has to take down the armed thugs in the walls of the building and once he gets in the inside grounds, he has to break into the main building. Using the trees as his cover, Batman jumps to the windows of the castle, where he is able to see an eccentric man inside, talking to several art pieces, all of which resembled the same female figure. Batman breaks into that room and demands that the man returns every stolen art piece, including the mermaid painting, but the elder man is clearly delusional and he explains how this is the only way he could stay close to that woman, who was an opera singer he met years ago and refused his love.

The elder millionaire arms himself with a crossbow and attacks Batman, forcing the Dark Knight to chase him across the castle. The elder man uses his knowledge of the place and Batman falls for deadly traps, but he manages to break out using his wits, gadgets and athletic nature. When Batman has finally cornered the elder millionaire, the man starts having a vision of his beloved Caterine and he folows her ghostly figure until he falls from an upper balcony of the castle. Batman swings through a lower window using his Batrope and saves the madman from a certain death, putting an end to his days of lunacy and art larceny.

Afterwards, Bruce is back in his penthouse and he is watching the TV as the news report that the elder millionaire has been placed in a mental hospital. At that moment, Mrs. Cathy turns the TV off again and Bruce finally realizes that she has aversion towards that man. Taking a guess, Bruce asks her if she was an opera singer in her youth and she replies that she was in fact, but that she retired after an obsessed man chased her across the country and forced her to go incognito. In the end, Mrs. Cathy asks Bruce to keep the secret and Bruce assures her that he knows how to keep a secret.

Appearing in "Paint a Picture of Peril!"

Featured Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Orson Payne (Single appearance)
    • Nick (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

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See Also


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