Batman Issue 669

"The Dark Knight Must Die!"
Standing in front of the charred corpse of Wingman, Batman surmises that the death could have been brought on by Wingman's enemy King Kraken and his deadly electrical rifle. This seems to give even more leverage to the theory that the Club of Heroes is in fact facing off against a Club of Villains put together by the mysterious Black Glove. But something isn't right - Wingman was too good to allow this to happen to him.

Meanwhile, Man-of-Bats is trying in vain to get the Knight to vomit up the bomb placed inside of him. Knight recounts the final meeting of the Club where his father had alleged that John Mayhew had murdered his fifth wife and framed the actor Mangrove Pierce. The allegation would in turn set a rift between the club and lead to it's disbandment.

Unable to get Knight to vomit, Man-of-Bats prepares to cut the bomb out himself. Musketeer walks in to tell him of Raven Red's capture and misconstrues the situation. Thinking that Man-of-Bats was trying to kill the Knight, Musketeer attacks Man-of-Bats but is quickly knocked out cold for his efforts. The bomb is eventually removed and just in the nick of time as it quickly detonates upon removal. Robin and Squire are being held captive in one of El Sombrero's death traps. Should they allow the wasps swarming around their heads to cause them to drop the weight they are holding, Raven Red will be driven face first into a pit of piranhas. Luckily, Man-of-Bats (having survived the explosion earlier) arrives in time to relieve them and rescue his son.

Outside, Batman is piecing the clues together. The man standing next to them in Dark Ranger's armor isn't actually Dark Ranger but rather Wingman in disguise. The real Dark ranger was the person whose charred remains they found inside Wingman's outfit. Realizing the jig is up, Wingman shoots Gaucho and takes of with Dark Ranger's rocket jet-pack. Batman uses his grappling hook to yank the rocket off of Wingman's back, sending him plummeting back to Earth.

Wingman confesses to working with the Black Glove to try and kill Batman. It was Batman's distain for the International Club of Super Heroes that lead to it's failure and kept Wingman from the fame he felt he deserved. Before he can delve into further details about the Black Glove, a bullet goes through his head and Batman sees El Sombrero taking off in a small plane.

Using Dark Ranger's jet pack, Batman flies towards the plan. Inside he finds none other than John Mayhew underneath El Sombrero's mask. Having become bored with life's adventures, the super rich mogul turned to murder for his entertainment. "The Black Glove is closing around you Batman... while I remain untouchable." he says before ejecting himself from the plane.

Batman turns the aircraft around and picks up the surviving members of the Club. Having landed safely back on shore, Mayhew receives word from the Black Glove that he has failed his mission as his prime objective Batman still lives. John Mayhew gambled on Evil winning and he lost his hand. For that he pays with his life. As the heroes fly away they see Mayhew's private island go up in a huge explosion. Mayhew is gone but the Black Glove still remains a mystery.

Individuals

 * Batman
 * Robin
 * The International Club of Heroes
 * Gaucho
 * Knight
 * Man-Of-Bats
 * Musketeer
 * Raven Red
 * Squire
 * Black Glove
 * John Mayhew
 * Doctor Hurt
 * Wingman

Locations

 * Caribbean Sea

Items

 * Batarang