Random Happenstance

I read this one new, but pre-internet, pre-Wizard, I'm unsure of how it was received. From 1988, Batman #421, "Elmore's Lady" Written by Jim Starlin, pencils by Dick Giordano, inks by Joe Rubinstein.

This one starts almost casually dark, then keeps on going: a serial killer had been murdering women in Gotham, and while he hadn't gone to the papers or left a calling card like 98% of Batman's other foes, he had picked up the name "the Dumpster Slasher," since he left his victims there. Previously, a young social worker that Batman had just met was found dead, so he wants this one. With little clues except some fiber evidence, Batman notes the pattern of the killer, and that a new victim should have been found by now. Gordon hopes maybe the killer has moved on.

Meanwhile, recreational drug user/burnout Elmore dumpster dives for food, and gets accosted by some thugs. Batman saves him in passing, and suggests he get home, but Elmore declines, since he was diving for two now, as he was just married. Batman, bless him, does not immediately question "how in god's name..." until Elmore mentions he met the little lady at another dumpster, two streets over. There should be a sound effect for the sinking feeling Batman just felt, and he's right: Elmore's "bride" is a corpse, the missing latest victim. Elmore helpfully recounts how they met: two guys tossed her in the dumpster, then drove off in a red van with a dragon and a hand on the side.

Although Batman feels bad for Elmore, he still has to call the cops, meaning Elmore was probably on his way to the asylum. (Presumably not Arkham, unless he had a record? No, at the end of the issue, Batman assumes he's gone there. It occurs to me Bats probably could've got Elmore off the streets before this...) But Bats recognized the van as belonging to a Chinatown street gang, the Red Dragons, who aren't about to let him poke around their ride and maybe plant something. Batman kicks the tar out of them, save the last, who opts out of a beating, letting him take a look. Finding dried blood, he asked where the Dragons were Friday night: the grey bar motel, busted after a rumble, with their van in police impound. The last Dragon then lets Bats know, he needs one favor...

(The next panel after that is Bats waving so long in broad daylight, which I thought was forbidden by DC for some time...) Batman has put some pieces together: the killers are using vehicles from police impound. All from the same officer's shift. Seeing Batman asking for him, the officer makes a panicked phone call: his deal of loaning vehicles for a hundred bucks and no questions asked wasn't supposed to bring any heat. He sets up a meet. Meanwhile, Batman is on his way to the cop's apartment, when he has to stop a mugging. By the time he gets there, the building is on fire, but the cop was already dead. But the cop left a message, scrawled in his own blood: "Cugino." Italian for a male cousin, so that's the next stop, for a little (super-illegal) search. Cousin Vito comes at him with a knife and gets slapped down, but has a partner: the much larger Branneck. Who knows his rights: Batman had no right to be there, and he has to back off.

Vito seems shaken and ready to skip town, but Branneck is working on a scheme, to both discredit Batman, and bring their total to an even dozen...

Giordano's art is always great, but I wonder if it wasn't dark enough for this story. Of course, we do see Batman in daylight more than once, too.