I made it five pages before blurting out "What the ####?!"

I'm not sure how the current continuity or editorial direction rolls now, but it used to be if Batman needed a consult, that jazz was for team-ups: "Hmm, to examine this crime scene, I had better consult with Barry Allen, the Flash!" In his main books, Batman was unequivocally the best at everything: take Batman #315, wherein Bats out-kites Kite-Man, and that's that guy's whole thing. I was expecting something in that vein from the cover of today's book: from 1975, Batman #264, "Death of a Daredevil!" (Somewhere, Matt Murdock grits his teeth...) Written by Denny O'Neil, pencils by Ernie Chua (Chan), inks by Dick Giordano "and co." Per the GCD, Bob Wiacek and Terry Austin pitched in. Also, I may have cut it off on the scan, but this copy belonged to Kevin L. at some point!

Stunt cyclist "Devil" Dayre (somewhere, Johnny Blaze grits his teeth...) was going to jump Torres Canyon, a landmark I have no idea if it appeared before or since. An onlooker describes it as "more like a ditch" but his friend points out Evel Knievel didn't clear his canyon, so...Instead of Dayre making the jump, his glory is stolen by Homer Simpson um, Batman; stealing his rocket car and making the jump! Somewhat surprisingly, Batman is about as successful as Homer, not even making it halfway across before crashing! His cowl and cape float to the surface--is this the end of Gotham's greatest guardian? Well, we're only three pages in, so hold on.

A week earlier, while playing pool at a millionaires' club, Bruce Wayne meets Al Dayre, who proclaims his next jump would move him into Wayne's tax bracket. (Doubtful. Get a toy deal and we'll see.) Masked thugs then try to kidnap Dayre, which leads to a shootout with his bodyguards; meanwhile Bruce dives under the pool table and seemingly immediately emerges as Batman. Seriously, Captain Marvel and the Flash saw that change and were impressed. Batman has the thugs largely wrapped up, when he's "accidentally" clocked with a pool cue swung by one of Dayre's bodyguards, and Dayre is abducted. Batman says he'll give chase, but the next panel is him confronting the bodyguard in his hotel room later that night. Bats knows there had to be an inside man, how else would the kidnappers have known Dayre was at the club? The bodyguard 'fesses up to taking "five biggies to finger Dayre"--hey, phrasing!--from a Mason Brazil, whom Batman seemingly has at least heard of. Bats tells him to turn himself in with an "or else," but I wonder what he would be charged with...

(Above scan for Dale: I gotcha, man.) At Mason Brazil's yacht, Batman pummels the same goons from before, but Mason thinks he's got Batman over a barrel: Dayre is imprisoned somewhere, with enough food to last him until the day of his scheduled jump. Unless he was paid a million "in securities" they would leave him to starve, and the "hundreds of people who've invested in his stunt will lose everything!" Hundreds of people? Did Dayre Kickstart that thing? If that many investors put everything that had in it, how much were they expecting it to pay off? Anyway, I'm sure confessing to a federal crime to Batman won't bite this guy in the ass...

The day of the jump, Batman makes it and fails, but his cape and cowl float to the surface as Batman had a scuba suit on underneath, so he could come out later with the rescue divers, who are either in on the gag or don't notice an extra guy come up with them. (Pollution would've been an issue at the time, maybe that river's filthy and visibility was poor!) Bats rendezvouses with Alfred, switching back into costume and using the Whirly-Bat to tail one of Brazil's associates. He had been told Dayre had been freed from a cabin by a passing hunter, but Batman realizes the dope was being cut out of the deal. Back at the yacht, Brazil and Dayre are about to set sail, but Batman arrives quickly. Dayre tries to escape on his motorcycle, running over and seemingly killing Brazil in the attempt, but Batman catches up to him easily on another motorcycle, pointing out Dayre was only running from himself: he would've made more money on the jump, if he hadn't been afraid.

I don't know if Dayre appeared again: I don't think he would be strong enough to carry another story on his own, but I could see him teaming up with others or working as a henchman on his bike. Maybe trying to redeem himself, somewhat: "This stunt'll show you I'm not yellow, Batman!" (Immediately crashes screaming into a gasoline truck, explodes.)