The Batman Family Once Faced The DEVIL Himself

The Batman Family Once Faced The DEVIL Himself

When the Devil enlists one of America’s oldest enemies to sabotage the US Bicentennial, Batgirl and Robin team up to protect Washington DC.

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The Batman Family Once Faced The DEVIL Himself

Forget supervillains of Gotham City. In an issue of The Batman Family from 1975, Robin and Batgirl fought the evil schemes of Satan himself. What’s more, they even ended up beating him at his own game.

The strange adventure took place in the first issue of The Batman Family comic, a book focusing on the exploits of Batman’s crime-fighting team of partners and sidekicks. The title was an attempt to deepen the Batman bench, and while the Caped Crusader shows up in some other stories, this demonic tale from Elliot S. Maggin and Mike Grell is all Robin and Batgirl.

Released in October 1975, the American bicentennial serves as a backdrop for the entire issue. Things get off to a mystical start when Benedict Arnold — infamous traitor from the American Revolution — starts causing trouble in Washington DC (despite being dead for nearly two centuries). Barbara Gordon, a congressional representative from Gotham is filming a television ad commemorating the anniversary of Arnold’s actions. Right up until the turncoat himself appears on the set.

The Batman Family Once Faced The DEVIL Himself

At this point in the Bat-canon, Batgirl is new on the scene and mostly an independent contractor working with Batman when her schedule allows. Dick Grayson is Robin, but he also happens to work as Barbara’s congressional aide, meaning the two are paired together for one of their first missions. Even though they both work with Batman, Robin and Batgirl’s secret identities remained intact (Barbara doesn’t even know that the Dark Knight is Bruce Wayne). So when Benedict Arnold strikes, they scramble to hide their costume changes and jump into action.

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Batgirl and Robin eventually manage to corner Benedict Arnold on the TV set, only to see him vanish in a puff of smoke. The next time he appears, it’s in front of the entire House of Representatives, speaking about how unfairly he’s been treated. For revenge, he’s determined to take control of the nation’s capital. All the while, a man in a red suit stands at his side…

The final battle occurs when Benedict Arnold launches an attack of resurrected British redcoats on the Pentagon. Batgirl and Robin charge in to save the day, and they even escape Arnold’s overly-elaborate death trap, but the man in the red suit keeps tipping the battle in the villain’s favor. Eventually, it comes down to a magical sword fight between the historical traitor and the two young heroes. When Batgirl and Robin turn the dark magic back on their opponent, the devil reveals his true face and form. A classically demonic figure chases the two until they find refuge in a church, halting the Devil’s progress and forcing him into retreat.

Benedict Arnold supported by Satan is one of the more creative villain team-ups in a while, but the star of this issue was the dynamic between Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson. The two have only fought together a few times and they’re professional acquaintances, but in this story they take a step forward. Their chemistry is instantly obvious when they fight together, but just in case that wasn’t enough, on the very last page, when Robin tries to mansplain heroism to Batgirl, she decides to shut him up by kissing him right on the lips. Along with the epic battle against pure evil incarnate, Barbara and Dick’s first kiss makes this a cornerstone issue in Batman Family lore.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/batman-dc-comics-devil-satan/

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