Detective Comics #410

Batman captures Kano Wiggins and also helps solve the murder of a circus sideshow performer.

"A Vow from the Grave" is written by Denny O'Neil and illustrated by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano. On this rainy night we find Kano Wiggins.... has escaped death row from a large eastern prison with the Batman pursuing him. Crossing a rope bridge over a canyon the fleeing escapee decides to cut the bridge leaving the Batman to fall into the canyon. The Batman leaps for a sturdy looking branch on the canyon wall. As he climbs to the top ,Kano is waiting wielding his knife.The Batman quickly takes out Kano then suddenly is slammed in the back of his head .When the Batman gets his bearings back he sees a "nightmarish giant"ready to attack again. The Batman avoiding the giant 's grasp,puts him in a sleeper hold and renders him unconcious.A group of people approach the Batman. they turn out to be stranded side show people. They introduce themselves as Charley Bones ,Maud the fat woman, Skippy the mute seal boy and Goliath the muscle man .The Batman warns them to go find somewhere safe that there is a killer running loose. After hunting for an hour the Batman follows the killers trail to a ghost town. Inside the town a scream comes one of the buildings. The Batman follows the scream and finds the side show people surrounding Charley Bones who is hung by the neck from the rafters.The Batman notices that Flippy has scratched something in the dust on the floor . Hearing a vehicle start up the Batman races to the sound of the engine. Running through the open back doors of the starting truck , the Batman warns Kano to surrender quietly. Kano refuses and the Batman sends him flying through the windshield. The Batman returns to the murder scene with Kano bound dropping him onto the floor,asking Maud where Goliath and Skippy are.The Batman tells Maud that Kano is not the killer of Charley Bones and that Goliath is. Two floors above ,Goliath throws a large piece of lumber at them . The Batman moves them both out of harms way and pursues Goliath.On the third floor of the building he finds Goliath on a balcony holding Flippy three stories above the ground. Goliath warns Batman not to come forward and jump to his death or he will drop Flippy.The Batman vows "I can t let you destroy an innocent bystander while I'm alive call it a vow from the grave" and then jumps seemingly to death. Goliath drops Skippy anyway to have Maud for himself. The Batman catches Skippy as he falls,saving him. As Goliath is rejected later by Maud ,The Batman comes through the front door. There as the Batman passes Kano on the floor, Kano comes to life kicking the air out of the Batman's lungs. Goliath gets the Batman in a hold and tries to break his neck. Quickly Maud bites Goliaths arm releasing the Batman from his grip.The Batman quickly takes out Goliath. The Batman brings his two captives to the authorities turning them in.