From: [c--ve--n] at [cae.wisc.edu] (Michael Blakeman Cleveland)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: ZERO HOUR SUMMARIES: 4/6: DETECTIVE COMICS #678
Date: 31 Jul 1994 22:52:38 GMT


Detective Comics 678

Minor spoiler review: Doesn't cross directly over with ZH at all.  It's
hard to figure out where Batman's getting the time to do these routine patrols
at the beginning of this issue and SOTB.  (In other words, I have no idea
where this fits in ZH.)  

Not important to the main plot of Zero Hour, but nevertheless a good story w/
good art.  Mildly recommended, unless you're offended when something
says it's a crossover and it isn't.

Summary w/ spoilers:



































Batman rolls into the Batcave after a routine patrol and notes from his
perimeter alarm that there are four cars on the driveway.  He's not expecting
anyone and goes upstairs to investigate.  He sees his long-dead parents
come in the door along with several police detectives.  He quickly realizes
that his parents are mourning him.  His origin has been reversed.  Instead
of his parents getting shot, young _Bruce_ was shot and killed.

Batman tries to re-enter the Batcave, but in this timeline, of course, it
doesn't exist.  A young Alfred sneaks up behind him with a gun, and Bruce
explains who he is by mentioning his fall into the dry well that only he and
Alfred know about.  Alfred, stunned, lets him go.

Bruce "borrows" his parents' '35 Cord, and drives to the movie theatre and
determines that it _is_ the same night, but the events are different.  This
time, however, he knows who the killer is:  Joe Chill.  He starts a rampage
of terror among Gotham's underworld and finally finds Joe Chill, except that 
he has been on smack and nearly immobile for the past two days.

Doubts creep into Bruce's mind.  Has he really avenged his parents, or did
he find the wrong killer?  This question reminds him that his parents are 
_alive_, and that he has a chance to talk to them, to lessen their grief and
his.  He leads the police on a chase back to Wayne Manor, but when he arrives,
he finds only the wreck that currently _is_ Wayne Manor and realizes that he 
lost his chance to talk to his parents.  He resolves that even if Chill wasn't
responsible for the murder of his parents, that doesn't matter to what he
does now.

Michael