Previously in Detective Comics...
Detective Comics #562 starred Batman and Robin in a story by Doug Moench with art by Gene Colan and a cover by Ed Hannigan. Green Arrow and Black Canary teamed up in a backup strip titled "The Criminal Element" written by Joey Cavalieri and drawn by Jerome K. Moore.
The story opens with Black Canary unconscious, being carried to the edge of the pier by the pair of drug dealers we saw talking to Steelclaw last issue. After knocking them all out with sleeping gas, the villainous Steelclaw revived his lackies and ordered them to dump the Canary in the harbor to drown. One of them wonders why they don't shoot her dead before dumping her, but the other says the shot will ring out too loudly over the water and bring unwanted attention to them as they also happen to be waiting for a shipment of drugs coming into that same port.
The hoods dump Black Canary in the water. Shortly thereafter, the boat settles up to the dock with the drug shipment, but only two crew. This causes the hoods on the pier some distress as now they'll have to unload the product all by themselves. It comes as a relief, however, to Black Canary who regained consciousness when she hit the water and climbed up the other side of the boat, because now she only has four crooks to deal with.
She tosses one of boat crew into the other, knocking them overboard. Then she leaps down to the pier to take out the other two.
Earlier that night, Mayor Bolt holds a press conference in his residence. Reporters ask about his plans to combat the current crime wave in Star City. Bolt gives a nice little soundbite about understanding the criminal element and being vigilant. Neither Mayor Bolt nor the press corps was vigilant enough to notice the grappling hook arrow fired onto the terrace signaling the entrance of the Emerald Archer.
Mayor Bolt fires right back at Green Arrow that he sounds like the proverbial pot complaining that the kettle is reckless and only dressing up in a costume to make money. Their debate is interrupted, though, when Mayor Bolt gets a phone call about his son, Brucie. Yes, he refers to him as Brucie. Again with that same familiarity that Steelclaw used when referring to the mayor's son.
The mayor ends the press conference and his people shoo the reporters out of his office. Before leaving through the window, Green Arrow warns Mayor Bolt that if he doesn't do something about Champion, Green Arrow will have to take him down. In the meantime, if anyone gets hurt because of Champion, Green Arrow will hold the mayor responsible.
Bolt watches Green Arrow swing away, questioning the archer's real dedication to cleaning up Star City. Green Arrow can always run away to the Justice League Satellite, Bolt thinks, whereas the people have elected him to clean up the town. While he's considering this, Bolt walks through a hidden door in the back of his office and down a spiraling stone staircase behind the wall. He knows that the presence of vigilantes undercuts his credibility, but the Star City Police Department is corrupt and ineffectual. That leaves it all up to him, Mayor Bolt, to root out crime, and to do that he has taken on the guise of a criminal mastermind in order to gain information.
Steelclaw leaves through a secret exit, gets in a car, and drives away.
Meanwhile, in a music shop across town, some kid we met back in issue #551 hears evidence that Onyx is back in town. Onyx was last seen helping Green Arrow rescue their monastery in issue #557.
The story opens with Black Canary unconscious, being carried to the edge of the pier by the pair of drug dealers we saw talking to Steelclaw last issue. After knocking them all out with sleeping gas, the villainous Steelclaw revived his lackies and ordered them to dump the Canary in the harbor to drown. One of them wonders why they don't shoot her dead before dumping her, but the other says the shot will ring out too loudly over the water and bring unwanted attention to them as they also happen to be waiting for a shipment of drugs coming into that same port.
The hoods dump Black Canary in the water. Shortly thereafter, the boat settles up to the dock with the drug shipment, but only two crew. This causes the hoods on the pier some distress as now they'll have to unload the product all by themselves. It comes as a relief, however, to Black Canary who regained consciousness when she hit the water and climbed up the other side of the boat, because now she only has four crooks to deal with.
She tosses one of boat crew into the other, knocking them overboard. Then she leaps down to the pier to take out the other two.
Earlier that night, Mayor Bolt holds a press conference in his residence. Reporters ask about his plans to combat the current crime wave in Star City. Bolt gives a nice little soundbite about understanding the criminal element and being vigilant. Neither Mayor Bolt nor the press corps was vigilant enough to notice the grappling hook arrow fired onto the terrace signaling the entrance of the Emerald Archer.
Mayor Bolt fires right back at Green Arrow that he sounds like the proverbial pot complaining that the kettle is reckless and only dressing up in a costume to make money. Their debate is interrupted, though, when Mayor Bolt gets a phone call about his son, Brucie. Yes, he refers to him as Brucie. Again with that same familiarity that Steelclaw used when referring to the mayor's son.
The mayor ends the press conference and his people shoo the reporters out of his office. Before leaving through the window, Green Arrow warns Mayor Bolt that if he doesn't do something about Champion, Green Arrow will have to take him down. In the meantime, if anyone gets hurt because of Champion, Green Arrow will hold the mayor responsible.
Bolt watches Green Arrow swing away, questioning the archer's real dedication to cleaning up Star City. Green Arrow can always run away to the Justice League Satellite, Bolt thinks, whereas the people have elected him to clean up the town. While he's considering this, Bolt walks through a hidden door in the back of his office and down a spiraling stone staircase behind the wall. He knows that the presence of vigilantes undercuts his credibility, but the Star City Police Department is corrupt and ineffectual. That leaves it all up to him, Mayor Bolt, to root out crime, and to do that he has taken on the guise of a criminal mastermind in order to gain information.
Steelclaw leaves through a secret exit, gets in a car, and drives away.
Meanwhile, in a music shop across town, some kid we met back in issue #551 hears evidence that Onyx is back in town. Onyx was last seen helping Green Arrow rescue their monastery in issue #557.
Come back next Friday for the next part of Green Arrow and Black Canary's continuing adventures in Detective Comics...
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