Batman Issue 224

Carnival of the Cursed!
On a rainy night, in the streets of New Orleans, Jazz Legend Charles"Blind Buddy" Holden is murdered. The Batman reads about the jazz pioneer's death in the newspaper .He decides to attend the funeral in New Orleans and investigate his murder. At the funeral, the Batman (disguised as one of the pallbearers) makes himself known when several men burst onto the scene disrupting the funeral. As the Batman takes them out, a huge man drops from a balcony onto the Batman.He Introduces himself as Moloch. The Batman does his best to contain Moloch but cannot gain the advantage he needs against him and is knocked to the ground. He falls lying stunned as Moloch escapes. The funeral continues on. As the Batman looks on during the burial, Buddy's horn is buried along with him.The Batman meets Buddy Holden's best friend Maxwell Dill. Max invites the Batman to come with him to Reservation Hall in the French Quarter. As they arrive at the hall they hear a heated argument. A man named Rufus Macob wants to buy Buddy's personal affects. He persists and suggests if you change your mind I'll be at the Regis Hotel. As they leave, the Batman recognizes the man pushing Mr. Macob's wheelchair as "HeavyFoot" Harry Harnet who worked for the Brooklyn mob.

Later the Batman purchases a jazz book and sends it with a note to Rufus Macob relating if something was on his conscience to let him know thru Max. Later Max leaves a note for the Batman to meet him at pier 13 at the old boat. At the pier,the Batman realizes its Shrove Tuesday and everyone is partying. He jumps into channel and swims out to the old stern-wheeler. Aboard the boat the Batman meets the gang that busted into the funeral procession and greets them properly .Rufus Macob comes into the room then from behind the Batman is struck in the head by a chair rendering him unconscious. Macob's boys truss the Batman up on the paddle wheel hoping he'll drown in the channel as it turns. The Batman holds his breath as long as he can but realizes he can't keep this up for long. As he rises from the channel waters the Batman finds a loose cable grabs it with his teeth and tosses it towards the paddle- wheels axle. The paddle wheel stops as the cable clogs up the axle screeching to a halt. It then breaks the paddle wheel as it falls apart from the continuous pressure of the steam engine.The Batman escapes and swims away before the death trap can collapse on him. Climbing back onboard the stern-wheeler he finds Max in the saloon as the coast gaurd arrives. Max tells the Batman that they are after Buddy's horn. Realizing that the horn was buried with Buddy the Batman heads for the cemetery. At the cemetery the Batman find Rufus Macob and his boys digging up Buddy's gravesite. Rufus tells Harry as he digs "that the first owner of the horn(cornet) was Mose Burton and that he scratched a map on it describing where oil was located in the Bayou Country. He told this to a lady friend who lived in Kansas City. He was soon struck by a car and before he died gave the horn to Buddy without telling him the secret." Harry stops digging as he finds the horn. As Harry passes it to Rufus the Batman intercepts the horn.Harry gets out of the hole and runs realizing their luck has run out. Rufus Macob stands up out his wheelchair revealing himself to be Moloch. He attacks Batman trying to recover the horn. He overpowers the Batman and is about to bludgeon him with a shovel as the partying crowd comes into view. He drops the shovel and tries to escape as a motorcycle runs over his foot. Moloch's injury slows him down with the Batman not to far behind. The Batman soon overtakes his prey as he plunges from a tree and with a tremendous kick in the chin, renders Moloch unconscious. Its Ash Wednesday as the The Batman avenges the murder of a jazz legend and the Mardi Gras and its partying comes to an end. Afterwards the Batman finds Buddy's horn crushed from the wieght of the passing Mardi Gras floats and partygoers feet.

Individuals

 * Batman
 * Robin
 * Harry Harnet
 * Holden
 * Maxwell Dill
 * Moloch

Locations

 * Gotham City
 * New Orleans