Batman Issue 309

Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas!
Kathy Crawford, a depressed, out-of-work woman in Gotham City, is robbed of her purse by a street gang on Christmas Eve. The gang is soon totally clobbered by Blockbuster, who grabs the purse and lumbers off to find Kathy. Kathy herself, in a fit of suicidal depression, overdoses on sleeping pills and calls the police to say goodbye. Batman, delivering a gift to Commissioner Gordon, learns of the suicide attempt by listening in on a desk sergeant's conversation with Kathy. He fails to talk her out of her rash action and she terminates the call. But a tracer has been put on the call, and Batman heads out in search of Kathy Crawford.

Blockbuster bursts into Kathy's shabby apartment with her purse just as she collapses. Unsure of what to do, he carries her out into the snowy night. Batman arrives minutes later, trails the Blockbuster's huge footprints in the snow, and confronts him, mistaking his intentions towards Kathy. The Blockbuster knocks Batman out and tries to give Kathy to a street-corner Santa, but is frightened off by a police siren.

Batman and Blockbuster have a final encounter on the icebound Gotham River, but the impact of Blockbuster's huge fists hitting the ice breaks off a floe containing Kathy and sends it downriver. Blockbuster leaps to the floe and throws Kathy into Batman's arms just as the ice breaks up beneath him, plunging him into the freezing waters.

Batman gives Kathy to ambulance attendance, noting that she had not taken a fatal dose of pills. Kathy, touched that Blockbuster thought her worth saving, vows not to try suicide again. When she asks what his name was, Batman tells her to call him "the spirit of Christmas Yet-to-be!"

Individuals

 * Batman
 * James Gordon
 * Blockbuster
 * Kathy Crawford
 * Murray Lansky

Locations

 * Gotham City
 * Gotham City Police Headquarters