PropertyValue
rdfs:label
  • Batman Vol 1 70
Indicia Publisher
  • National Comics Publications, Inc.
Inker1
  • Charles Paris
Inker1
  • Charles Paris
Writer1
  • Bill Finger
  • David Vern
  • William Woolfolk
Penciler1
  • Bob Kane
  • Curt Swan
Writer1
  • Bill Finger
  • David Vern
  • William Woolfolk
StoryTitle
  • The Parasols of Plunder
  • The Masterminds of Crime!
  • The Robot Cop of Gotham City
OriginalPrice
  • 0.100000
Penciler1
  • Bob Kane
  • Curt Swan
Appearing
  • Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Adversaries: * Other Characters: * Locations: * Gotham City Items: * Vehicles: *
  • Featured Characters: * Batman Supporting Characters: * Robin Adversaries: * Other Characters: * Locations: * Gotham City Items: * Vehicles: *
  • Featured Characters: * Batman Supporting Characters: * Robin Adversaries: * Other Characters: * Locations: * Items: * Vehicles: *
Brand/Imprint
  • Superman DC National Comics
dbkwik:crossgen-comics-database/property/wikiPageUsesTemplate
dbkwik:dc/property/wikiPageUsesTemplate
dbkwik:heykidscomics/property/wikiPageUsesTemplate
CoverArtist
  • Win Mortimer
Country
  • USA
Issue
  • 70
Pages
  • 52
Volume
  • 1
Title
  • Batman
Month
  • 4
Synopsis
  • The Penguin has been released after promising to give up birds, as they had proved too much of a temptation to commit crime. He dutifully releases most of his birds in the sight of Batman, but keeps the most valuable to sell. With the money from the sale, he starts an umbrella business. Batman pays a visit to the factory and, finding nothing suspicious about the umbrellas, asks instead how he's going to sell them at twice the price of the market leaders. The Penguin demonstrates that his are much better quality, and asks Batman for an endorsement. Batman turns him down, and the Penguin declares that Batman will endorse the umbrellas, whether he wants to or not.Bruce and Dick speculate about the Penguin's real motives back at Wayne Manor, when they see a newspaper article proclaiming the Penguin's 50,000 umbrella milestone. But they are interrupted by the bat-signal. As they leave to investigate, Penguin orders reporters and photographers to a certain street for one hour later. Commissioner Gordon presents Batman with some tantalising clues that he interprets as an attempt to make secret contact. A helicopter that appears to carry the person who left the clues comes by later with a rope trailing. Batman grabs the rope, telling Robin to follow in the Bat-plane. But, after entering a street to narrow for Robin to pass, the rope is loosened and Batman is left to fall 25 stories. Fortunately, an umbrella has been dropped, that Batman can use to slow his descent. He lands among the press photographers and finds that the umbrella had a message written on it, endorsing the Penguin's umbrellas. The next morning, advertisements fill the papers and everyone is suddenly eager to buy the umbrellas. Then, when Bruce, Dick and a business partner leave the office in the rain , everyone's watch goes wrong, except that of a man with no umbrella. Bruce determines that the steel in the umbrellas is magnetized and he and Dick change into Batman and Robin as all the umbrellas are drawn to a huge stainless steel statue, carrying the hapless owners up into the air. The Penguin comes by with a large truck, demanding all the people give him their valuables, or he'll cut the current and let everyone fall. Batman and Robin swing into action and, though they drive off the Penguin, Robin is captured. Batman gives chase and so the Penguin dumps Robin off an overpass to distract him. The Penguin gets away. Later, Penguin tells his crooks that he's only just begun in the umbrella business. At his abandoned factory, Batman discovers that he's also made a batch of beach umbrellas that can be traced. Then, a week later in the Caribbean, the Penguin sets out his umbrellas for his "Umbrella Club", really his crooks in swimsuits. While preparing to begin, the Bat-plane arrives to locate the Penguin and he starts earlier than planned, activating motors that make the umbrellas spin and kick up a sand cloud that allows the Penguin and his cronies to loot unobserved and prevents the Bat-plane from landing safely. Batman goes up above the clouds and "seeds" the clouds with silver iodide to force them to rain, soaking the dust storm and prompting the Penguin to make a fast getaway in a row boat waiting nearby. Rather than risk his neck dropping on the Penguin, Batman scoops up a net full of fish and drops that on the Penguin instead. A flock of seagulls descend and the distraction allows Batman to safely apprehend the Penguin. They return him to prison where he despairs of ever learning that you can't beat the law.
Notes
  • "The Masterminds of Crime" is reprinted in Batman #238.
Publisher
  • DC Comics
Year
  • 1952