DETECTIVE COMICS #509

"NINE LIVES HAS THE CAT..."
Writer Gerry Conway | Artists: Don Newton & Dan Adkins
Letterer: Ben Oda | Colorist: Adrienne Roy | Editor: Dick Giordano

The Plot: Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle wrap up a date, after which Selina is ambushed in her apartment by Cat-Man, who kidnaps her. Later that night, Alfred awakens Bruce to inform him that an alarm has been triggered at the Wayne Research Institute. Bruce changes to Batman and heads out to investigate. At the Institute, he is attacked and knocked out by Cat-Man. When Batman awakens, he finds himself tied down on the beach, where Cat-Man gloats that he will soon be drowned by the morning tide. Cat-Man departs and tide comes in, but Batman manages to free himself.

Batman finds Cat-Man's boat docked nearby, and climbs aboard to listen in as Cat-Man reveals to Selina that ever since she took a scrap of his magical costume, he has had a disfigurement on his face that will not heal. Batman enters the cabin and renews his fight with Cat-Man. The duel carries both out onto the deck, where Cat-Man plunges into the water and, unable to swim, screams for help. The next morning, Bruce bids Selina farewell as she departs Gotham via train to sort out her life.

Continuity Notes: Bruce and Selina discuss their adventure in Egypt with the so-called Pharaoh, with a footnote pointing readers to last issue. Two pages later, Batman and Commissioner Gordon check on Doctor Thirteen in the hospital, and another footnote directs readers to BATMAN issues 341 and 342 for his story. Batman is gratified to realize that Thirteen has no recollection of what happened to him in Wayne Manor that night, meaning the secret of the Batcave is preserved.

After leaving the hospital, Gordon and Batman discuss their respective election woes before goting their separate ways.

As Cat-Man rants to Selina about his cape, she reminds him that he has used up his nine lives, and a footnote references DETECTIVE COMICS #325.

The final page features a mystery woman photographing Bruce as he watches Selina leave. After taking her photos, she thinks to herself that they will "clinch" her theory that Batman and Bruce and one and the same. Though unseen and unnamed here, this is the Silver Age supporting character Vicki Vale, who we will see much more of going forward (and who would much more famously go on to be Batman's love interest, portrayed by Kim Basinger, in the 1989 Tim Burton movie).

My Thoughts: The story is fine, if no great shakes -- but it feels unnecessary. When I looked at BATMAN IN THE SEVENTIES a few years back, coverage bled over into the eighties and I stopped with the conclusion of the "Lazarus Affair" storyline, written by Marv Wolfman. And that story ended with Selina Kyle telling Bruce Wayne that she needed to travel, to get away from Gotham City and sort out her life. Sound familiar? It's exatly what Conway does here, a mere few issues after bringing Selina back into Bruce's life!

But as always -- or perhaps I should say as usual, since this became the case -- the soap opera elements carry the issue even when the story feels like a retread of past material. In this case, we have Doctor Thirteen, the mayoral race, and the mystery apperance of Vicki Vale on the final page -- plus, let's not forget that the Poison Ivy story, weird though it is, is still lurking out there, and Boss Thorne is tied in with the political stuff as well. This, as I've said before, is in line with what I expected from Gerry Conway writing both Batman titles in a biweekly format, and I continue to hope he will carry this approach through to the end.