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BY STEVE CHUNG Last week, in Countdown #50, we saw the Dark Knight Detective dealing with a deadly threat in the Batcave, and begin to uncover a mystery which may affect both of his identities.
Beneath Stately Wayne Manor, there is a vast cavern where state-of-the-art scientific equipment sits beside ancient devices of the crime trade, and numerous trophies which commemorate the deductive abilities of one man.
This cavern containing the stuff of legend is the Batcave.
The lab, repair shop, and garage are on the top level, with the ramp leading to the camouflaged exterior. The lower level is where the workshop, trophy room, and computerized crime-file are kept.
An elevator links the two levels with Wayne Manor.
The Bat-Boat is moored nearby in an adjacent underground stream.
The Bat-Plane hangar and Bat-Copter hangar are equipped with secret doors and tubes which eject smoke to give a cloudy effect and to conceal takeoff.
These secret features of the Batcave were revealed in Batman #203 (September, 1968).
Included among the countless trophies are: a robot dinosaur, a giant penny, and the first Batman costume worn by Dr. Thomas Wayne, Batman's father, who wore it to a costume party.
The Robot Dinosaur from Dinosaur Island first appeared in Batman #35 (June - July, 1946).
The Giant Penny, a memento from "The Penny Plunderers" first appeared in World's Finest #30 (Sept - Oct, 1947).
In a sense, Dr. Thomas Wayne was "The First Batman" when he helped to capture Lew Moxon in Detective Comics #235 (September, 1956).
By the time that Dick Grayson graduated High School and left for Hudson University, Wayne Manor was closed -- its contents moved beneath the Wayne Foundation Building in Gotham City.
This event occurred in Batman #217 (December, 1969) and was referred to again in The Untold Legend Of Batman #2 (August, 1980).
During an "Interlude On Earth-Two," the Batman of Earth-One aided the Robin and Batwoman of Earth-Two in confronting an intruder in the Batcave, and battling several of the animated trophies activated by that world's Hugo Strange.
In addition to the familiar robot dinosaur and giant penny, were a Penguin flame-throwing umbrella, a Batman robot, and Mr. Zero's freeze gun.
The Penguin's Parasol of Plunder appeared in Batman #70.
The Batman Robot first appeared in Detective Comics #281.
Unlike Mr. Freeze on Earth-One, "The Ice Crimes of Mr. Zero" came to an end on Earth-Two in Batman #121.
The Earth-Two Batman was no stranger when it came to having intruders in his Batcave.
When Wolf Brando, public enemy number one broke jail, he stole a car, and broke into Wayne Manor. After knocking out a youthful ward doing his homework, Brando stumbled against the grandfather clock, and followed the steps down to the cavern below.
After learning of the break-in, the Batman confronts Wolf Brando, and vows to bring him down -- even if it means his dual identity will be revealed. The various trophies and components of the Batcave are used by the Dynamic Duo and the escaped convict in a desperate battle for supremacy. The chase ends at the end of a narrow corridor near an underground whirlpool. In laughing at the Dynamic Duo's predicament, Wolf Brando suddenly finds himself surrounded by bats, and stumbles to his death in the waters below. His body is found in the East River downtown, carried by the Batcave's underground stream.
It was the Batcave who defeated the public enemy and cast him out.
Whatever truths and miracles are learned in the battle between light and dark, the long night of the Batman cannot last forever.
Special thanks to the staff at Lee's Comics for making this article possible. Check out their web site at http://www.lcomics.com/Posts: 21254 | From: PA | Registered: Aug 2002
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Wolf Brando stumbled across "The 1,000 Secrets Of The Batcave" in Batman #48 (August - September, 1948).
Posts: 3510 | From: San Bruno | Registered: Aug 2002
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Nice article. A lot of these stories, and others will be in the SECRETS OF THE BATCAVE trade in August.
Posts: 34 | From: Long Beach CA USA | Registered: Sep 2001
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Batman's "Interlude On Earth-Two" occurred in The Brave And The Bold #182 (January, 1982).
Posts: 3510 | From: San Bruno | Registered: Aug 2002
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I used to love these stories when I was younger that gave you a glimpse inside the Batcave. It was a fun time when Batman & Robin looked for the perfect trophy to add to the 'Cave.
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BY STEVE CHUNG
