Batman: Shadow of the Bat 9

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #9: The Misfits, Part III  is issue nine of the Batman: Shadow of the Bat comic book series.

Overview
Nimrod believes that they are at the docks because the kidnappers claimed that the victims die at nine and the tide comes in at nine. Detective Kitch comes to the rooftop and says that the kidnappers had called and they want Sarah to deliver the ransom since she is Gordon's wife. The Wayne Foundation has already arranged the ransom money for her to deliver. Robin and Nimrod head out, Robin tells Nimrod to trail Essen. Meanwhile at the hideout, Killer Moth takes Bruce, Gordon and Mayor Krol to a crate hung a few feet over the ground. He then closes the door and leaves. Although, Calendar Man and Catman were willing to let them go after the ransom drop, Killer Moth lowers the crate into the water and water seeps in through the holes. Killer Moth then leaves them to drown.

Bruce manages to untie the ropes on his wrists and the others. He then kicks at the crate door but it refuses to open. Bruce then asks Gordon and Krol to turn over their pockets. Gordon has a police shield and a knife while Krol has a diamond tie pin, hair gel and a pair of keys. Since the door was screwed from the inside, Bruce realizes he could scrape off the rust with the keys and use the knife to unscrew the screw heads. Bruce applies Krol's hair gel to the screws and the water begins to fill to the top. Krol begins to drown. Bruce manages to unscrew some of the screw heads but the knife blade snaps. Robin arrives at the docks and with the help of Ace the Bat-Hound, he finds the Misfits' hideout and reaches the basment to find the crate half submerged in water. Sarah Essen arrives at the ransom drop, and she negotiates with Killer Moth and considers the possibility the Misfits would not really would release the victims. An impatient Killer Moth kicks her and snatches the ransom money. Catman promises Essen he will release the hostages personally. Nimrod meanwhile, absorbs all this from the shadows. Meanwhile, Wayne, Gordon and Krol escape the crate. Krol is all right even though he swallowed a lot of water. Robin whispers to Bruce that it was Nimrod who figured out where they were and that he had put a tracking device on him. At the ransom drop, The Misfits begin to divide the cash and leave. Nimrod watches them and is determined not to let them escape. He leaps on the villains and fires off some of his projectiles. While Nimrod uses his special suit to turn invisible, picking up the ransom money and attempting to escape. Killer Moth activates the infra red lenses on his helmet and he is able to see Nimrod fleeing. Killer Moth shoots him in the leg and then attempts to murder him. Batman arrives at the ransom drop, hurling a batarang at Killer Moth to disarm him. Batman battles the rest of the Misfits while Chancer tries to escape with the money. The wounded Nimrod spots Chancer sneaking away and hurls himself into the villain, knocking them both over the ledge of a building. Catman is knocked unconscious by Batman, who begins to pummel Killer Moth. Calendar Man retrieves Moth's pistol and threatens to shoot Batman, who responds by revealing to him that Killer Moth had tried to murder the kidnapped victims. Calendar Man surrenders since he didn't want to go down as a murderer. Batman knocks Calendar Man out, then Killer Moth charges at the hero, declaring that he started the group because they were always the losers. Batman throws Killer Moth into a wall, taking out the last of the Misfits. Batman goes down from the building to find out if Nimrod and Chancer had survived the fall. He finds that an awning had broken their fall and they had landed on the sand. Nimrod had revived and Chancer was unconscious. Nimrod explains to Batman why he was after Chancer and explains how Chancer had framed him for a crime he did not commit. Batman knows he cannot let Nimrod go but now that Chancer is captured, the truth will come out eventually, and Nimrod will be cleared.

Credits

 * Story: Alan Grant
 * Pencils: Tim Sale
 * Inks: Tim Sale
 * Letters: Todd Klein and Bill Oakley
 * Colors: Adrienne Roy

Individuals

 * Batman
 * Robin
 * Ace the Bat-Hound
 * Killer Moth
 * Catman
 * Calendar Man
 * Alfred Pennyworth
 * Chancer
 * James Gordon
 * Armand Krol
 * Sarah Essen Gordon
 * Lucius Fox