“A Touch of Poison Ivy!; Batman's Baffling Turnabout!”
August 1966
Poison Ivy's debut continues in "A Touch of Poison Ivy!" Batman and Robin learn the extent of Poison Ivy's powers as she lures and weakens Batman-from behind bars! A Touch Of Poison Ivy!Bruce Wayne swans about town, with a different woman on his arm each night, but he only has eyes for Poison Ivy. In their last encounter, a kiss from the deadly villainess left a post hypnotic suggestion in the Batman's mind. Now every woman he sees is Poison Ivy. Every word they say is spoken in her honeyed, seductive whisper. Always Poison Ivy re-enforces the notion that Batman is under her spell, and will be unable to resist the urge to break her free from Gotham State Penitentiary. Dick Grayson notices Wayne's distance, but fails to shake Wayne from his reverie. Gunshots, however, do the trick. Quickly donning their costumes, Batman and Robin swing into action. The Dynamic Duo break up a gang of crooks attempting to execute several key witnesses in the court case against Joe "The Undertaker." Crime fighting seems to break Poison Ivy's sway over Batman. Feigning repentance, Poison Ivy crafts a pocket mirror, in the prison's machine shop, and has it delivered to Batman, along with a letter. The pocket mirror seems to more strongly place the Batman under Poison Ivy's spell, as the Caped Crusader literally spends days staring into the mirror. Always seeing her face in the looking glass, and hearing her voice, urging him to release her from prison. In an attempt to clear Batman's head, Robin takes the Dark Knight on a ferry ride across Gotham River. Criminals hijack the ferry. Batman focuses on the mirror, leaving Robin to take the crooks on alone. Only after seeing the Boy Wonder take a terrible beating does Batman intervene, quickly making short work of the hijackers. Batman shatters the mirror, then sends the pieces back to Poison Ivy. Days later, Batman is summoned to the prison hospital, where Poison Ivy has taken deathly ill. Poison Ivy requests one last kiss. As Batman is overwhelmed with compassion, Poison Ivy uses his momentary weakness to take Batman hostage, with her hair. Holding a clump of her explosive-laden hair, Poison Ivy forces Batman to carry her out of the prison infirmary, to a waiting getaway car, outside the penitentiary walls. The prison's guards' pursuit is foiled when Poison Ivy hurls the strands of her hair at their vehicles. The hairs explode underneath the three cars, disabling them. Batman grabs the steering wheel to take control of the getaway car, only to find his hand pricked by a drugged needle, mounted on the wheel. Batman passes out. Batman awakens to find a leash around his neck, with Poison Ivy holding the other end. To protest his captivity, Batman begins a hunger strike. After several days, Poison Ivy decides to force feed Batman, intravenously. Setting up the I.V. panics Poison Ivy's pet panther, forcing Batman to come to her rescue, when the spooked wild cat lunges for her. Poison Ivy pulls Batman in close for a kiss, just as Robin bursts in. The Boy Wonder takes down Poison Ivy's gang. Poison Ivy pulls back from the kiss to find that Batman has bound her wrists with the I.V.'s rubber tubing. Poison Ivy is returned to prison, still certain that Batman, under her spell, will eventually free her. Batman's Baffling Turnabout!Batman and Robin bust a criminal gang at an import/export warehouse, in Gotham City. In pursuit of the last crook, Batman triggers a trap door, plummeting down onto an adhesive coated net, suspended over Gotham River. From above, a mysterious figure tells Batman that the entire warehouse had been set with traps. Having served a five year prison sentence, the mystery criminal set a revenge plan in motion to get back at the Batman. With the tide coming in, Gotham River begins to rise. Soon Batman will be engulfed. The mystery man leaves Batman to drown. Donning a Batman costume, the mystery crook joins Robin, feigning a sprained ankle. Though Robin immediately realizes that this man is not the Batman, he plays along with the deception. Driving the Batmobile, Robin takes the injured "Batman" to an auxiliary Batcave. Robin suggests they relax and unmask, then fakes a call from the hotline,to keep from revealing his own identity, "Batman' defers the emergency to Robin, citing his injury. Robin drives off, but spies on the "Batman", from a monitor in the Batmobile. Interference on the monitor screen prompts Robin to check under the hood of the Batmobile, where he finds an explosive device. The same kind of explosive device he watched the "Batman" plant in the Batcave. Robin disarms the device, then waits for the "Batman" to depart, before returning to the Batcave to disarm the second explosive. Robin sets off the explosives to maintain the illusion that the "Batman's" scheme has succeeded. Robin discreetly follows the "Batman" back to the warehouse. When the "Batman" opens the trap door to inspect Batman's corpse, the Caped Crusader springs out. The two men battle for several moments, each smashing pottery and statuary against the other. The real Batman triumphs, just as Robin arrives. Batman escaped the death trap by knocking his laser torch loose from his utility belt, then waiting for it it rise up with the river, until it was within reach. After that, it was a simple matter to cut himself loose from the net. Robin, for his part, was able to instantly see through the "Batman's" deception due to the fact that the criminal's costume was out of date, and thus did not reflect the alterations Batman had made to his uniform, in the five years the other man had been incarcerated. — Description from Comic Vine community (comicvine.gamespot.com).
