BATMAN #350

"NIGHTMARE IN CRIMSON"
Writers: Gerry Conway & Paul Levitz | Artists: Gene Colan & Tony Dezuniga
Letterer: Ben Oda | Colorist: Adrienne Roy | Editor: Dick Giordano

The Plot: Robin awakens from a nightmare in a room at St. Jude's Hospital, where the preist, Father Green, has been watching over him. Elsewhere, Batman returns to Wayne Manor via the Batplane. After landing, he is greeted by Alfred and then Robin arrives. The Teen Wonder invites Bruce to join him for a party at Dala's house the next night, and Bruce agrees. Bruce brings Vicki Vale as his date, and he, Vicki, and Dick arrive at Dala's home that night for the outdoor gala. Dala immediately takes Dick into the house, and Bruce suspects something is amiss. He enters the house as well and finds traces of the couple Dala and her brother were holding prisoner. Bruce spots Dala and Dick outside, walking away from the party. He changes to Batman and follows, unaware that Father Green is nearby and spots him swooping throught the trees.

Batman makes his way deeper into the woods, where he is attacked by the Monk. The Monk overtakes him and bites his neck, then Batman fends off his assailant. But Dick and Dala sneak up on the Caped Crusader, and Dick knocks him out.

Continuity Notes: Surprisingly few this issue, as nearly the entire installment is dedicated to the Dala tales! But we do get a reference to DETECTIVE COMICS 516 and the Adacemy of Crime as Batman returns to Wayne Manor, followed by a scene where Vicki's editor, Morton Monroe, breaks into her desk and steals her Batman file. A page later, Vicik ruminates on her belief that Batman and Bruce Wayne are one and the same. Then later, when Bruce sneaks off to search for Dick, Vicki goes looking for him.

DETECTIVE COMICS #516

"PART TWO: 'ACADEMY OF CRIME': FINAL EXAMS!"
Writers Gerry Conway & Paul Kupperberg
Artists: Don Newton & Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer: Ben Oda | Colorist: Adrienne Roy | Editor: Dick Giordano

The Plot: At the Adacemy of Crime, the Headmaster's class practice gunning down Batman. After class is dismissed, "Matches" Malone heads into downtown Hollywood with two of his fellow students. When he spots a fight on a rooftop across the street, Matches ditches the men and changes into Batman. He intervenes in the fight, but when the victim of the attack departs while Batman is distracted, the Caped Crusader leaves since there is no one to press charges against the attacker.

The next morning on a Hollywood backlot, the Headmaster asks Matches to assume the identity of Batman for the day's lesson. Suddenly realizing that the previous night's action was staged and the Headmaster is on to him, Matches enters the designated changing trailer and slips out just before the Academy class opens fire and destroys the trailer. Finding the trailer empty, the Headmaster sends his pupils out into the backlot to find Batman. But the Dark Knight takes the criminals out one-by-one until only the Headmaster and one student, Miles, are left. Batman dispatches Miles and the Headmaster grabs his defeated student's flamethrower. But he fails to kill Batman, and the Caped Crusader captures him.

Continuity Notes: While Batman is in California, a lot transpires back in Gotham City! First up, Rupert Thorne meets with Picture News editor Morton Monroe and demands Vicki Vale's Batman photos. Monroe returns to his office and requests same from Vicki, who blows him off and goes to visit Alfred, giving him two weeks (down from the prior issue's three weeks) to concretely refute her theory.

BATMAN #349

"TITLE"
Writer Gerry Conway | Artists: Gene Colan & Alfredo Alcala
Letterer: Janice Chiang | Colorist: Adrienne Roy | Editor: Dick Giordano

The Plot: In Hollywood, awaiting his appointment with the Headmaster, Batman returns from patrol and calls Wayne Manor -- but no one answers. And on the outskirts of Gotham, Robin is tied to a chair, gagged, as Dala speaks to him, then leaves the room. Robin knocks over a candle lamp to start a fire, and uses the flame to burn free of his bonds. But before he can escape, two monstrous beings -- Dala and a man called the Monk -- burst into the room. Robin flings the Monk out the window and smacks Dala aside, then retreats downstairs, where he finds a man and a woman bound, with fang-marks in their throats.

The Monk returns and attacks again, but Robin escapes when the monster catches fire. Robin flees out into the rainy night and is nearly hit by a car driven by a priest named Father Green. Green loads Robin into his car as Dala and Monk observe from their home. Later, at the hospital, Green asks the doctors to keep Robin's presence secret as he observes fang marks on the Teen Wonder's neck.

Continuity Notes: First off, I must discuss the weird placement DC gave this issue in TALES OF THE BATMAN: GERRY CONWAY vol. 3. In that book, this chapter comes after both installments of the "Academy of Crime" story -- something which, on a very cursory glance, might seem correct. "Academy of Crime" is a 2-parter, so one might think the two parts should run together, followed by this issue, which was published in between but probably didn't actually occur in between the two parts.

The only thing is, that's a totally wrong assumption! Part one of "Academy of Crime" doesn't end on a cliffhanger, per se -- it concludes mid-scene as Matches Malone meeting the Headmaster for the first time -- but the second part picks up a day or three later, with Matches reporting for his first class at the Academy. And, per this issue as described above, in between those chapters, Batman was cooling his heels, waiting to hear from the Headmaster, killing time by patrolling the Los Angeles area. Further, there's a sub-plot scene in this issue involving ex-Commissioner Gordon, and another scene with Gordon in part two of "Academy" which must occur after the one here.

DETECTIVE COMICS #515

Yes, we skipped DETECTIVE #514. It was a fill-in and is not reprinted in DC's TALES OF THE BATMAN: GERRY CONWAY volumes. However, as it was written by Len Wein, it does appear in TALES OF THE BATMAN: LEN WEIN -- so someday, I might take a look at it.

"THE ACADEMY OF CRIME PART 1: COLLEGE FOR KILLERS"
Writer Gerry Conway | Artists: Don Newton & Frank Chiaramonte
Letterer: Ben Oda | Colorist: Adrienne Roy | Editor: Dick Giordano

The Plot: A trio of criminals robs a bank, but are jumped by Batman as they attempt escape. One of the men fires up his flamethrower and burns Batman, which prompts the ire of the men's instructor, the Headmaster. The entire scuffle was a training exercise at the Headmaster's Academy of Crime, and the Headmaster is none too pleased with his pupils' overzealousness.

A week later in Gotham City, Batman stops two muggers on the waterfront. When one of them mentions the Academy of Crime, Batman questions him and learns the school's location in Hollywood. Batman returns to Wayne Manor and changes into "Matches" Malone, then departs for California. Some time later, Matches enters the Academy's waiting room, but spies two Gotham criminals with whom he had an altercation in the past as they leave the buidling. Matches changes to Batman and tries to follow the men to get rid of them, but they depart while he is changing into costume. Batman changes back to Matches and enters the Headmaster's office.

Continuity Notes: The Headmaster states that Mirage, defeated in DETECTIVE COMICS #511, is one of his protégés. Later, as Batman fights the two men on the waterfront, he says this is "the second time [I've] heard mention of "the Academy"," though no footnote is provided. I'm trying to figure out if this a reference by Conway to something said "behind the scenes", or if Mirage mentioned the Academy and I forgot about it.

BATMAN #348

Yes, we skipped BATMAN #347. It was a fill-in written by Roger Slifer and is
not reprinted in DC's TALES OF THE BATMAN: GERRY CONWAY volumes.

"SHADOW PLAY"
Writer Gerry Conway | Artists: Gene Colan & Klaus Janson
Letterer: Ben Oda | Colorist: Adrienne Roy | Editor: Dick Giordano

The Plot: Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Alfred unpack in the original Batcave beneath Wayne Manor, under the secret observation of Man-Bat. When the doorbell rings, Alfred goes upstairs to answer it and finds an angry Francine Langstrom, with her daughter Rebecca, waiting. Francine raves that Bruce had promised to help find her husband, Kirk, but has not done so. When Bruce appears, Francine berates him and then passes out. After putting Francine to bed in the mansion, Bruce, Dick, and Alfred head down to the Batcave with a blindfolded Rebecca. Bruce changes to Batman, dons some infrared contact lenses, and takes Rebecca into the subterranean caverns in search of Man-Bat. But as soon as they depart, Man-Bat shows himself, swooping past Dick and Alfred to follow.

After some time searching, Batman decides to give up for the night. But as he and Rebecca are about to turn around, Man-Bat appears and attacks, knocking Batman down a cliff. The Caped Crusader climbs back up a few minutes later to find Man-Bat and Rebecca gone. Batman follows the sound of Rebecca's screams to find that Man-Bat has taken her to "his" Bat-cave; a cavern filled with bats. Man-Bat attacks Batman, but the hero appeals to his humanity by way of Rebecca. Suddenly, Kirk Langstrom's personality returns, and Batman overdoses him with the Man-Bat antidote. Soon after, Kirk is reunited with his wife and daughter in Wayne Manor.