Detective Comics #374

Detective Comics #374 (On Sale: February 29, 1968) has a very nice cover by Carmine Infantino and Irv Novick. I love the new, grittier look that Novick was adding to Batman.

"Hunt for a Robin-Killer" is by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane and Sid Greene. Batman and Robin track the Lemon brothers to an old warehouse. While Batman goes in the front door, Robin circles around the back. Batman takes down the gang alone, when Robin does not make it inside. After the fight, Batman checks the alley and finds that Robin was attacked and nearly killed.

Batman begins a man-hunt for Robin's attacker while the Boy Wonder recovers in the hospital. The Caped Crusader apprehends Jim Condors whom the clues point to as Robin's attacker. However, Condors has an alibi provided by Commissioner Gordon, so he threatens to sue Batman and the city. This story has been reprinted in Batman #257.

The back-up Elongated Man story, "The Amazing Crook-Gatcher," is by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky and Sid Greene. Charles Bryant has invented a new gun called a crook-gatcher which he claims can hit crooks around corners. He joins Elongated Man during a bank robbery and fires the gun through a pedestrian to hit one of the crooks. Following the capture of the other crooks, Bryant receives publicity for his invention.

When the Elongated Man returns home, Sue mentions that crooks might go after Bryant before he can turn the crook-gatcher over to the police. Ralph finds that Bryant has indeed been kidnapped. He also learns that the pedestrian at the bank robbery was Lila Taylor, Bryant's fiancee.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.