Batman #239
"Silent Night, Deadly Night!"
February 1972
Writer: Denny O'Neil
Artist: Irving Novik
Inker: Dick Giordano
The story opens up with Batman finding a charity Santa, who has been mugged, in the snow. The Santa tries to tell Batman his story, but Bats finishes the story for him. Apparently a guy in a tan jacket has been robbing these charity Santas (think Salvation Army Santa) of their money.
This one manges to sound the offender and Bats is able to track him to a local Christmas tree sales lot. Bats quickly defeats the guy, but before he hands him over to GCPD, the mugger pleads his case. He wants to show Batman WHY he's been stealing from these Santas. Batman gives him the benefit of the doubt and takes the guy back to his apartment.
As it turns out, "Uncle Tim" has been taking this money to care for his niece, Betsy, who is very ill. Batman tries to talk some logic to him, but the Tim has excuses for everything: he was laid off from his job at a toy company and promised his job back, but the company was sold and the new owners didn't want him. Batman convinces the bad guy he's blamed the world for the wrongs done him when his old boss, Richard Lee Evans, is actually to blame, if anyone.
Tim realizes Batman is totally right and takes it to a whole new level: he smashes the off guard Dark Knight with a lamp, knocks him unconscious and ties him up. Bats wakes up and finds himself tied to the radiator. He asks Betsy to help him, but she says she can't because Uncle Tim asked her not to. Batman manages to free himself (duh, he's Batman), but realizes he can leave Betsy alone. He takes her with him in the batmobile, heading to Tim's old boss' house.
Unfortunately they run into a lot of snow and have to walk the rest of the way. Turns out its a long walk and Bats doesn't think they'll make it in time. Miraculously, they stumble across and sleigh and horse and make their way quickly to Evans' home.
When they arrive, Uncle Tim is clutching Mr. Evans' body in his arms. Batman thinks him dead, but Evans pipes up and says he's not dead yet, just sick! Using the sleigh, Batman takes the four of them through the snowy streets of Gotham to the hospital.
Inside, Tim is beside himself with guilt. He admits he initially intended to kill the elderly Evans, but couldn't do it. All he wants now is for the old guy to be okay. Batman tries to console him, even saying the Wayne Foundation could help him with his crime. The doctor comes out of the emergency room with good news: Evans is going to be fine!
Tim assures Batman he's going to pay him back, but Bats says he already did when he decided not to kill Evans. Tim leaves and Batman realizes he needs to return to sleigh, but it's already gone. A star in the sky twinkles brightly and Batman realizes just who helped him that night.
Great story. It's dark, but ends with an uplifting side. Definitely not your modern Batman (Tim knocks him out with a lamp!), but this was a transitional period of time for this book, trying to get away from the campiness of the previous decade. Denny O'Neil is my favorite Batman writer, so that doesn't hurt. The art is appropriately dark and if you let go of some of those modern Batman concepts, it really works.
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