BATMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics. (s12) AS DAY TURNS INTO NIGHT, THE CITIZENS OF GOTHAM CITY HURRY HOME, EAGER TO ESCAPE THE CRIME-RIDDEN STREETS. THE PAST EMERGING FROM THE CINEMA WHERE YOUNG BRUCE WAYNE AND HIS PARENTS HAVE JUST SEEN “Zorro,” they ARE ROBBED AT GUNPOINT. IN PURSUIT OF THE THIEF, DR. AND MRS. WAYNE ARE TRAGICALLY SHOT AND KILLED, LEAVING BRUCE AN ORPHAN WHO GROWS UP A LONE, TORMENTED FIGURE. THE PRESENT - Haly’s CirCUS BRUCE WAYNE, THE BILLIONAIRE PHILANTHROPIST, IS HOSTING AN EVENING AT THE CIRCUS. COMMISSIONER GORDON IS A GUEST, BUT NOT TOO KEEN ON SOCIALIZING WITH GOTHAm’s elite. And he’s no fAN OF THE CIRCUS - PARTICULARLY THE CLOWNS. BRUCE AND COMMISSIONER GORDON MEET YOUNG DICK GRAYSON AND HIS PARENTS, THE TRAPEZE ARTISTS KNOWN AS THE FLYING GRAYSONS. AS THE SHOW IS ABOUT TO BEGIN, TONY ZUCCO, A THUG, ATTEMPTS TO EXTORT “protection money” from THE GRAYSONS. BUT THE GRAYSONS REFUSE HIM, IN SPITE OF Zucco’s threATS. DURING THEIR ACT, JOHN AND MARY GRAYSON FALL TO THEIR DEATHS - THE TRAPEZE WIRES HAD BEEN CUT. It’s murder. COMMISSIONER GORDON ASKS BRUCE WAYNE TAKE THE NEWLY ORPHANED DICK GRAYSON HOME TO WAYNE MANOR, BECAUSE DICK IS NOW THE ONLY WITNESS IN A MURDER INVESTIGATION AND NEEDS PROTECTION. BUT NEITHER BRUCE NOR DICK IS HAPPY ABOUT THIS. WAYNE MANOR ALFRED PENNYWORTH, BRUCE Wayne’s butler, is ABOUT TO SHOW DICK TO HIS ROOM, WHEN he’s interrupted by the sudden APPEARANCE OF THE BAT-SIGNAL. THE SIGHT OF THE BAT-SIGNAL INSPIRES DICK TO EXPRESS HIS FAITH IN BATMAN™. HE BELIEVES THAT ONLY BATMAN CAN FIND TONY ZUCCO, AND BRING HIM TO JUSTICE. GOTHAM MUSEUM OF ART CATWOMAN HAS BROKEN INTO THE MUSEUM TO STEAL A DIAMOND-STUDDED CAT SKULL - BUT BATMAN HAS OTHER IDEAS. CATWOMAN FLIRTS AND FIGHTS FOR THE DIAMONDS ON THE ROOFTOPS OF GOTHAM CITY. BUT BATMAN SOON REVEAls it’s not just the STolen jewels he’s AFTER. HE WANTS TO FIND TONY ZUCCO, CATWOMAn’s fORMER FLAME. CATWOMAN IS DISAPPointed – she thought BATMAN WAs interested in her – AND DECIDES TO FIND ZUCCO BEFORE BATMAN CAN. THE ICEBERG LOUNGE THE PENGUIN OPENS A NEW NIGHTCLUB AND INVITES GOTHAm’s criminALS TO ATTEND. THE PENGUIN, CATWOMAN, TWO-FACE AND THE RIDDLER AGREE THAT BATMAN HAS BEEN CAUSING HAVOC FOR THEM IN HIS QUEST TO FIND TONY ZUCCO. THEY ALL DECIDE TO JOIN TOGETHER IN ORDER TO KILL BATMAN ONCE AND FOR ALL. SUDDENLY ZUCCO BURSTS IN, TERRIFIED. Someone’s AFTER HIM, HE SAYS, JUST AS BATMAN CRASHES THROUGH THE WINDOWS. AT THE END OF THE FIGHT, ZUCCO DIES - BUT NOT AT BATMAn’s hAND. HIS MANIACAL LAUGHTER AND DEATH GRIMACE SEEM TO INDICATE ANOTHER CAuse… Haly’s CirCUS DICK HAS RUN AWAY FROM WAYNE MANOR AND RETURNED TO THE CIRCUS DETERMINED TO FIND ZUCCO HIMSELF. BUT DICK SOON REALIZES THAT THE CIRCUS HAS A NEW RINGMASTER: THE JOKER, WHO PROUDLY ADMITS THAt he – not Zucco – killed Dick’s PARENTS. THE JOKER AND HIS ASSISTANT, HARLEY QUINN, CAPTURE DICK TO USE HIM AS BAIT TO LURE BATMAN INTO A TRAP. Haly’s CirCUS THE JOKER AND HARLEY SET ABOUT REHEARSING THE VARIOUS WAYS IN WHICH THEY PLAN TO KILL BATMAN. WHEN BATMAN DROPS IN, ATTACKING THE JOKER AND HIS HENCHMEN, DICK FIGHTS AT HIS SIDE, IMPRESSING BATMAN WITH HIS FIGHTING TECHNIQUE AND COURAGE. IN THE END, COMMISSIONER GORDON AND THE POLICE ARREST HARLEY QUINN AND THE Joker’s henchmen AND TAKE THEM TO ARKHAM ASYLUM FOR THE CRIMINALLY INSANE. BUT THE JOKER ESCAPES. WAYNE MANOR BRUCE WAYNE TAKES DICK GRAYSON BACK TO WAYNE MANOR, BUT DISCOVERS THAT THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP DICK FROM RUNNING AWAY AGAIN AND PUTTING HIS LIFE IN DANGER IS TO TELL DICK HIS GREAT SECRET... BRUCE WAYNE IS BATMAN. DICK CAn’t BELIEVE IT. TO CONVINCE HIM, BRUCE TAKES HIM INTO THE CAVERNS BENEATH WaYNE MANOR: THE BATCAVE. TO PROTECT Bruce’s secret, ALFRED AGREES TO TRAIN DICK THE SAME WAY HE ONCE TRAINED YOUNG BRUCE TO BECOME BATMAN. ARKHAM ASYLUM HARLEY QUINN HAS BEEN WAITING FOR WEEKS FOR THE JOKER TO COME AND RESCUE HER FROM ARKHAM ASYLUM. AND IN A BURST OF DYNAMITE, HE ARRIVES! But he’s not breAKING OUT, he’s breAKING IN TO TAKE OVER ARKHAM ASYLUM... THE BATCAVE DURING A BREAK FROM Dick’s trAINING, BRUCE TAKES A MOMENT TO SHOW DICK HIS LATEST PROJECT, A NEW CAR FOR BATMAN CALLED THE BATMOBILE.!!. SUDDENLY, there’s AN EMERGENCY CALL FROM COMMISSIONER GORDON: THE JOKER HAS TAKEN OVER ARKHAM ASYLUM AND DEMANDS THAT BATMAN show up there – ALONE. DICK insists he’s going with BRUCE TO ARKHAM ASYLUM, BUT BRUCE TELLS Dick he’s not READY AND DRIVES OFF IN THE BATMOBILE. DETERMINED TO FOLLOW BRUCE, DICK BRACES HIMSELF FOR A CONFRONTATION WITH ALFRED, BUT IS SURPRISED AND DELIGHTED TO FIND THAT ALFRED SUPPorts his decision – AND HAS EVEN ADAPTED Dick’s circus costume INTO A PROTECTIVE UNIFORM. AS THE BATMOBILE RACES TOWARDS ARKHAM ASYLUM BATMAN MANEUVERS AROUND THE LETHAL OBSTACLES LEFT BY THE JOKER. ARKHAM ASYLUM BATMAN IS OUTNUMBERED. WEAKENED BY THE SCArecrow’s FEAR TOXIN AND POISON Ivy’s DEADLY KISS, HE IS OVERCOME BY AN ARMY OF HIS ENEMIES. UNTIL, THAT IS, THE ARRIVAL OF DICK GRAYSON AS ROBIN, FLYING IN TO RESCUE HIM. TOGETHER WITH CATWOMAN, THEY TEAM-UP TO DEFEAT THE ARMY OF ROGUES. But it’s not the end. THE JOKER SHOOTS BATMAN AND ATTACKS ROBIN, UNDERESTIMATING HIM. BUT ROBIN SOON GAINS THE UPPER HAND AND HOLDS THE Joker’s life in his hANDS. BUT BATMAN REMINDS THE VENGEFUL ROBIN THAT HE WANTS “justice, not revenge,” so ROBIN SPARES THE Joker’s life. THE JOKER RUNS AWAY AND ATTEMPTS TO MAKE HIS ESCAPE IN A HOT AIR BALLOON, BUT HARLEY IS SO INCENSED AT HIS DESERTION, SHE SHOOTS HER BAZOOKA AT IT, CAUSING IT TO GO UP IN FLAMES. SAFE AT LAst – AND GRATEFUL FOR HER HELP IN ARKHAM ASYLUM – BATMAN LETS CATWOMAN GO BEFORE THE POLICE ARRIVE, LEAVING BATMAN AND ROBIN ALONE. BATMAN TELLS DICK HE Doesn’t APPROVE OF Dick’s hAVING RISKED HIS LIFE TO SAVE HIM, BUT HE IS GRATEFUL. AND EVEN HE HAS TO ADMIT THEY MAKE A PRETTY GOOD TEAm… AS BATMAN AND ROBIN..