The Brave & The Bold #224 - Batman and Black Condor - homage to Marvel Team-Up issue #33

New Golden Age Team-Up Project commission - The Brave & The Bold issue #224, pairing Batman with Black Condor, in a Bambos Georgiou-drawn cover adapted from Marvel Team-Up #33, original art by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia.

1944 - and Senator Tom Wright comes to Gotham City, seeking re-election! While campaigning, he meets with prominent Gotham philanthropists, including Bruce Wayne, to discuss a bill he intends to introduce in the Senate to help the children of those serving in the forces overseas. However, the meeting is disrupted by the arrival through the window of The Rag Doll, who tries to assasinate the Senator!

As Gotham's police try to stop the villain from carrying out his threat, both Wright and Wayne duck into convenient nearby rooms, and emerge in their costumed identities as the Black Condor and Batman. Joining forces, they charge back into the recently-vacated room, only to find the police officers knocked unconscious, and the Rag Doll nowhere to be seen!

Privately acknowledging that he knows that the Black Condor is secretly the Senator (although keeping to himself that he also knows that "Tom Wright" is an adopted identity, which the former Richard Grey Jr had taken on after Wright was killed), Batman agrees to keep the politician under his protection whilst he's in Gotham. For the next few hours, Batman keeps a covert watch as the Senator meets and greets the voting public, but there's no sign of the Rag Doll.

All that changes in the evening, however, as - once again in his civilian identity of Bruce Wayne - Batman attends a charity dinner with Tom Wright. Just as a cash collection is being completed by the patrons, the Rag Doll strikes again, first seizing the money before renewing his treat to kill Tom Wright! Once again, Wayne is able to duck out of sight and change into his Batman costume, throwing himself at the villain - and as the attendees rush for the exits and Batman squares off with the Rag Doll, the Black Condor is once again on the scene!

The two heroes tackle the flexible fiend, who reveals that he's being paid by a pro-Axis group who want to see Wright dead - or at least out of the Senate - but the attraction of the monies being collected was too great, so the villain decided to steal the loot as well as carrying out his assassination attempt!

Being indoors, the Condor is unable to gain the advantage that flying would normally bring him - and Batman finds himself equally matched by the Rag Doll's triple-jointed ability to avoid or ride with punches. After a long tussle, the heroes are able to force Rag Doll out of a window and battle him in the open, where the Black Condor is able to gain the upper hand, rescuing the Gotham Guardian from a mid-air attack. However, the Rag Doll escapes from the Condor's grip, tumbles to the ground several stories below - and then vanishes by the time that Batman arrives!

The Senator has to move on with his campaign, out of Gotham - but a strengthened security detail will accompany him as he continues his tour, and Batman undertakes to alert the heroes of neighbouring cities where the Senator will be, in order that they can add their protection should the Rag Doll renew his attempt at assassination.

Next time - the second-ever The Brave & The Bold Annual, starring Batman and .... well, be here and find out.

A quick tip of the hat to Rob Shalda, who suggested ages ago that using the Rag Doll would be a fun idea, if I could find the right cover --- and I hope this one fits the bill!