Detective Comics #543

SHADOWS OF VENGEANCE

Nightshade has fulfilled Nocturna's desire and he has given her the majority of the loot from Nightmares, Inc., but he is frustrated to learn that he had not earned her love, as she still has hope that The Thief of Night will finally break out of prison.  True to Nocturna's hopes, that same day, a dark cloud covers the prison where Anton Knight is held and using the darkness created, he escapes from the place and resumes his role as the Thief of Night. Going to Nocturna's hotel, he learns about her association with Nightshade and also about his infatuation with her, something Nightshade will come to regret. In that moment, Nightshade informs Nocturna about a last activity by Nightmares Inc., but she doesn't approve of the move, forcing Nightshade to act on his own. As the criminal leaves, Nocturna can't control her desire to live surrounded by glamour and luxury, but with Anton Knight out of her reach, Nocturna's attention is drawn to a very desperate multimillionaire, who is fighting a legal battle to adopt a kid who was taken away from him.  Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne pushes his lawyers to get them to win the guardianship of Jason Todd and after an stressful day, he plans to go out with Vicki Vale. However, when he calls to her office, he learns that Vicki is not available, as she had just left on a date with another man. The person who informs Bruce of Vicki's indisposition is Julia Pennyworth, who takes a chance and accepts to go on a dinner date with Bruce instead. The two of them share a nice evening until Julia brings up the adoption of Jason and Bruce's current situation with Vicki, after which Bruce's mood changes noticeable. When Bruce takes Julia back to her new home in Gotham, she tries once more to gain his affections, but he knows that rushed actions would be the cause of regret later on, and he avoids a further approach, leaving Julia longing for their next encounter.  At that moment, Nightshade and his accomplices at Nightmares, Inc. have started planning their last scam, where they will provide "entertainment" to another rich man on an amusement park, where the man will be throwing a party. Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Bullock interrogate the killer who was hired to murder Bullock, but he refuses to reveal the identity of the person who hired him, confident that no matter what happens, he will be released from prison in no time. As this happens, the person who hired him, Mayor Hill learns of his killer's capture and starts arranging his promptly release as he becomes more determined to kill Bullock for his betrayal. As an added bonus, Hill commands his goons to make sure that Wayne loses his legal battle for the custody of Jason Todd, in revenge for Wayne's opposition during his campaign.  In the middle of the night, the party at the amusement park has started and Nightshade and his accomplices prepare their last performance, but they are taken by surprise by Batman, who has learned of their activities and warned the would-be victims about the danger. Batman takes down Nightshade's goons without effort and then he confronts Nightshade. Batman disarms the crook and when he is ready to capture the con-artist, a blade strikes at Nightshade in the chest, killing him instantly. Batman turns to see the killer and he comes face to face with the Thief of Night, who claims that such will be the fate of anyone who dares set eyes upon Nocturna, for she belongs only to him. A few seconds later, the Night-Slayer disappears in the shadows of the night.  The next morning, Bruce Wayne is informed that the adoption papers for Jason Todd have been filed by Natalia Knight and when he goes to the courthouse in order to determine Jason's fate, Bruce comes across the pale beauty of Natalia. Bruce tells her that he will make use of all his resources to take Jason away from her, but she replies that those resources would be better spend by providing Jason and his new mother all the needed benefits, including that of a father figure as Natalia tells Bruce that they should get married.

IT'S NO FAIR!

A new Printer's Devil steals the costume and trident from Tommy Doyle, the former Devil, and teams with two partners, the Pinball Wizard and Bad Penny, in order to attack the Star City World's Fair, whose futuristic exhibits they blame for putting them out of business. Oliver Queen and his fellow reporter, Sharon Greenglass, are caught in the crossfire while covering the Fair.