Scarecrow Comes to Town and Hunt the Croc Down were the forty-eighth and forty-ninth overall stories published in DC Comics' Batman '66 title. The stories were initially published in Digital Issues #67 and #68, and reprinted in Print Issue #28, with a further reprint in Volume 5 of the Compiled Volume series.
Plot Summary[]
"Scarecrow Comes to Town"[]
Batman and Robin arrive at GCPHQ after receiving a call from Commissioner Gordon and Chief O'Hara about a new criminal attacking police headquarters. Running into the foyer of the building, the Dynamic Duo were confronted and gassed by the new villain, calling him "The Scarecrow".
Under the effect of Scarecrow's fear gas, Robin sees a horrible vision of a monstrous Batman telling him that he failed Gotham City, and Batman sees a haunting vision of the night his parents were killed by a mugger. Shaking off the effects of the gas, Batman and Robin see a notice from the Scarecrow saying that in three days, the whole city will fear him.
Heading back to the Batcave, Batman and Robin analysed the chemical components of the fear gas and head off to Jitters Holler, a small farm town in the Appalachian Mountains, where they meet Eustace Cobbletoe and Maw Cobbletoe, who invite them to join them for supper. After supper, Maw tells Batman and Robin a story about Old Crane Land, where the Crane family used to live in their old house. The Cranes adopted a boy who was abandoned by his parents, and named him "Jonathan", and Jon got bullied by his adoptive brother, Zeke, who chased him with a scarecrow. After getting some scholarship, Jonathan left Jitters Holler to attend school in Gotham. When he returned a couple of months ago, Jonathan infected Zeke with fear gas in revenge for bullying him. After Maw's story, Batman and Robin sped back to Gotham in the Batmobile.
Meanwhile, in Gotham, the Scarecrow rides around Gotham on a carthorse, spraying the citizens with his fear gas. As he rode through Gotham Park, Scarecrow is confronted by another scarecrow held by Zeke Crane, who were really Batman and Robin in disguise, and their ruse triggered Scarecrow's childhood fear, which landed him in a frightened state, landing him in Arkham Institute.
"Hunt the Croc Down"[]
A mysterious crocodile like creature is terrorising Gotham, leading Gordon and O'Hara to contact Batman and Robin, who were out on patrol, with the Bat-Signal. They explain that they've been trailing for a missing member of King Tut's gang, after he's suffered from a horrible transformation after drinking an Egyptian elixir.
Arriving at the home of Eva Allister, the lady friend of the missing member, Waylon Jones. As she prepares them drinks, the Caped Crusaders get attacked by Jones, now calling himself, "Killer Croc", while Allister splashes Robin with alcohol, but Batman fends him off with crocodile repellent, forcing him to escape, while the Dynamic Duo tie Allister for the police.
Following Croc's trail of destruction, Batman and Robin find him in the sewer and confront him in a Bat-Fight. When Croc thought he had won, Batman smothered his face with his cape, causing Croc to crash face-first into a pipe, leading to his defeat and apprehension.
Trivia[]
- The Crane house in the story "Scarecrow Comes to Town" is based on the famous Bates house from Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho.