Batman's Arch-Nemesis is Back!
Quick - which Batman villain is the evil genius who first used a chemical compound to induce fear in the populace?
If you said Scarecrow - you're wrong.
This issue is one of the great Golden Age Batman adventures. It starts on action, with Batman intervening in a warehouse heist. Then we learn that the gang has bigger plans - and Batman soon discovers that they are lead by his first great recurring foe - Professor Hugo Strange! Strange has a plan to use a fear-inducing chemical to bring the nation to it's knees and seize the reigns of power. When Batman tries to put a stop to it, he's met not with some elaborate death trap, but a good old-fashioned beat-down by the entire gang. Perhaps the only unwelcome note in this otherwise great crime adventure is the unnecessary incorporation of Robin into the tale - who comes complete with the usual annoying wisecracks. No matter, this is still well worth reading.