Batman #13 - Story 4

August 12, 1942

"Destination Unknown"

We have a story similar to one we saw a year ago in which a cruise ship filled with various people are involved in a mystery for Batman to solve. This time, it's a train. The story opens with Grand Central Station in Gotham City. I suppose they can have one like New York City. The train departs and on board is Clyde Clayborne, a man who hosts "Tricky, but True". It's never explained if it's a radio show, TV show or news column, but the man searches for oddities and he challenges the conductor to find him one for $1,000.

He tries to find his prize by questioning nearby passengers, a man in an iron lung and another on his way to an execution in California for a murder he claims he didn't commit. (And why would he be transported there? Did he not get to represent himself in his trial in California?)

A short time later, an unnamed figure sneaks aboard the train and hides in the well between the wheels. As he hides, we get a cross-section of other passengers on the train as they eat in the dining car with our first look at a person of color, a porter, in the comic since its inception and unfortunately, he's not well represented.

The unidentified man gets on the train and knocks out the engineer and speeds up the train. It passes through towns and doesn't stop. Batman and Robin are called in by Gordon to stop the runaway train. They catch up with it using the Batplane.

Batman drops down and dodges the bullets of the mystery man as he plans to jump off and parachute from the train. Batman gets inside the front car and brings the train under control, guiding it into the station at the next town.

Batman manages to catch the mystery man as he tries to escape. He binds him and leaves him in the baggage car. Oddly, then Batman and Robin shed their costumes and buy tickets to ride the train.

Meanwhile, Clayborne sends his secretary to get something from one of his bags in the baggage car. She sees the man tied up and frees him.

Meanwhile, Bruce helps a boy selling comics on board (actually Dick), presumably acting this way so as not to draw attention to the two of them. (I guess we're not at the point where everyone knows of Bruce Wayne's youthful ward.). There's a cute bit as Dick offers Bruce a free copy of the Batman comic.

Dick proceeds to get the scuttlebutt on the train, including learning Batman's prisoner is gone and the folks watching over the man in the iron lung are very protective of him. It's enough to have Batman and Robin make the scene once again.

They visit the room of the person in the iron lung and find the attendants missing and the iron lung filled with poison. Batman saves the patient and pursues the two attempted murderers to the top of the train. He captures then and then saves the train from colliding with another by using his emblem on his costume as a beacon.

The train pulls into another station where the two nurses are turned over to the police. We learn that the mysterious man was actually the president of the rail line looking for adventure. The man on his way to be executed returns with the evidence he needs to save himself. This was an odd element of the story as his disappearance was a red herring to make one think he is the train saboteur, but we never see anything of his attempt to prove his innocence. We have to accept it as it is.

Overall, not a bad little story, save for a few odd quirks. We're back to Detective Comics for our next entry. What will we find? Stay tuned, Citizens!