Detective Comics #456

“DEATH-KISS.” Bruce Wayne is dosed with poison via a woman’s lipstick, which, unless he can get the antidote within an hour, will kill the Batman.

In "Death-Kiss", Bruce Wayne's innocent looking evening date is almost the death of him. After kissing his partner farewell, Batman sets out on routine patrol, but soon discovers that he is driving in an erratic manner, and hallucinating. Turns out that the woman he kissed had poison on her lipstick and the race is on to find the cure. Using his Matches Malone persona, Batman shakes down some local hoods for information, while deducing that the only person in the criminal world who knows his secret identity is Ra's Al Ghul. Eventually finding the gang (but not Ra's) and obtaining the antidote, Batman tells the woman to give herself up to the police, and he will get the tablets to Bruce. Once out of sight he takes the antidote.

The Elongated Man story begins with Sue bemoaning the fact that she is not among 10 most admired women in the nation. Ralph quickly makes his apologies and before long stumbles on a gang stealing some fur coats. Hiding among the coats, Elongated Man takes the gang by surprise, but before he can complete the job, he realises that he left Sue without taking his daily intake of Gingold. It is now the Stretchable Sleuth who is captured and we must wait until next issue to discover what fate awaits him.

1. "Death-Kiss" (Batman) written by Elliot S! Maggin, penciled and inked by Ernie Chua.
2. "The Un-Stretchable Sleuth" (Elongated Man) written by Bob Rozakis, penciled and inked by Kurt Schaffenberger.

Notes

• This issue contains the Hostess Superhero Ad, Shazam in "The Cup Cake Caper".
• Robin, Thomas and Martha Wayne appear as hallucinations.
• The eight of the ten most beautiful women in the nation were: Betty Ford, Gloria Steinem, Barbra Streisand, Golda Meir, Grace Kelly, Rose Kennedy, Bella Abzug and Jacqueline Kennedy.
• Elongated Man mentioned that Sue Dibney is allergic to Gingold.