Batman

The opening panel with the title has been getting more lavish on these, I think. This one's about half a page with a huge, stylized "The Batman" written on it, and a rather nice big illustration of the titular hero himself, holding a smoking gun.

This time, Weldon, a collector of curios, has purchased a ruby statue of "the ancient Hindu idol Kila . . . god of destruction" (of course, there's no such god) from a man named Sheldon Lenox. He receives threatening notes, claiming that the god will bring destruction upon him if the idol is not returned to the temple from which it was stolen. He reports this to the commissioner, and together he and Bruce, who was visiting, head off to investigate. They spot Lenox in a car full of Indians, apparently being kidnapped--and shortly he is killed and his body cast into a river.

The idol is protected by the police for some weeks, but once they withdraw their protection, it is swiftly stolen. A Chinese man, Sin Fang, comes into possession of it, and apparently intends to chop it up and sell the ruby pieces. Batman escapes several death traps, and it is revealed--that Sin Fang is actually Lenox! Lenox got into an argument with Sin Fang, killed him, and, since he also spoke Chinese, took his place with an apparently very convincing disguise. Batman punches Lenox out a window, and he is killed.

This comic both opens and closes with the commissioner wishing he could catch the Batman--not so good relations between the vigilante and the police, here.

Slam Bradley

Slam and Shorty join the French Foreign Legion to catch a criminal who has also joined it.