Night of the Harlequin and Bad Men were the forty-fourth and forty-fifth overall stories published in DC Comics' Batman '66 title. The stories were initially published in Digital Issues #61 and #62, and reprinted in Print Issue #25, with a further reprint in Volume 5 of the Compiled Volume series.
Plot Summary[]
"The Night of the Harlequin"[]
While investigating a robbery at Mr. Lucenzi's bakery, Batman and Robin get pelted with cream pies after triggering a booby trap. After freeing Lucenzi from his bonds, the Dynamic Duo found a harlequin card in his pocket, and head over to Arkham to confront the Joker about it. When Joker denied his part of the robbery, Batman and Robin find Dr. Hugo and ask him about his former associate, Dr. Holly Quinn. Hugo explains that she has been calm of late, and he hopes that they are making progress. Opening Quinn's cell door, they found Nurse Fitz in the cell wearing a nitrous oxide mask, along with a note from Harlequin.
Racing out to the Batmobile, Batman and Robin find a Jack-in-the-box containing a hand which activates the ejector seats, sending the Caped Crusaders into a tree, where they see Holly Quinn, now Harlequin, in a hot air balloon. She taunts Batman and Robin for a while, and tosses them the Batphone she stole from Commissioner Gordon's office before flying away.
In the past few days, Harlequin went on a clownish rampage around Gotham City, leaving Gordon and Chief O'Hara powerless to stop her. Later that night, at a waterfront warehouse, Harlequin calls a meeting of goons she wants to hire in helping her take over Gotham. However, when the thugs began arguing on who Harlequinn should pick, they get into a brawl with each other, leaving only two thugs. When Harlequin was about to name them her hired thugs, the pair revealed themselves as Batman and Robin in disguise, and arrested her and took her into custody.
"Bad Men"[]
Barbara Gordon arrives at her new temporary job at F.KR.&D. Advertising, a company headed by Penguin, Joker, Riddler and Catwoman. During a meeting, Barbara overhears their plan and fantasies about her changing into Batgirl and stopping them, even though she didn't bring her costume with her. Coming up with an idea, Barbara tells them that she will help them, much to the shock of the executives of the company.
An hour later, the four villains reach a creative impasse, which into them getting into an argument over naming their new company, giving Barbara an idea on how to stop their takeover. After getting the four villains' attention, Barbara and Jessica present a concept advertisement featuring the four villains as "Penguin Patrol", much to the anger of Joker, Riddler and Catwoman as they turn on Penguin. As the villains brawl, Barbara contacts her father, Commissioner Gordon to send some men to the Abernathy Building, and soon, the four villains were taken into custody, while Gordon congratulates Barbara on stopping their company.
Trivia[]
- "Bad Men" is an imaginative story of Barbara's.