Azrael, Vol. 1 #61
DC Comics
In Collection
#5829
0*
No Man's Land - Presents Of Mind
February 2000
Comic  Modern Age $2.25
9.4
Read It: Yes 32 Pages

Batman went to Oracle's Watchtower and informed his allies what Huntress told him about Joker. The clown had kidnapped babies and was holding them somewhere in Gotham City with the intention of killing them. Batman told Gordon that he would meet him at Central, while Oracle contacted the rest of the allies to let them know about the situation.

Jean-Paul was at Leslie Thompkins's place, wondering about the meaning of Christmas when Batgirl appeared with a message from Oracle, calling them to the Watchtower.

Jean-Paul dressed as Azrael and went along with Batgirl. On the way, Azrael talked to Batgirl and he realized that they had a lot of things in common, since they were raised to be perfect assassins. Azrael asked Batgirl to remove her mask and when she did, he told her that she had a nice face. When they arrived, Oracle told them that they were going to look for Joker and the kidnapped babies in CampLex. She warned them about Joker's supplies of explosives and before they left, Oracle gave them some Christmas presents. Azrael and Batgirl were surprised and didn't understand the meaning of it as they had never had a Christmas in their lives. Oracle got Batgirl a perfume and Azrael a harmonica.

They were on their way to CampLex when Batgirl give Azrael her perfume. He said that it smelled like flowers. Then he began playing his harmonica but at first he did it horrendously. He tried one more time and this time he played a song so beautiful that Batgirl couldn't resist the urge to dance and performed an spectacular acrobatic dance in front of him. Azrael figured that it was her Christmas present for him and he felt sorry for not having something for her.

They arrived at CampLex and Jean-Paul put his mask on and he went on full Azrael mode when they were attacked by Luthor's henchmen. It was easy for them to get rid of Luthor's men but when they got inside they were confronted by Mercy Graves. She warned them to leave but Azrael noticed something wrong in the camp's Christmas tree. There were baby dolls hanging from the tree and Azrael realized that those were booby traps by Joker. A second before the dolls exploded, Azrael shielded Mercy and Batgirl from the explosion with his own body and as a result he suffered some nasty burns. When he was lying on the ground he noticed that something fell from the tree and grabbed it before the paramedics and rescue team took him to Leslie's medical center.

When Jean-Paul regained consciousness, Leslie told him that his actions saved two people's lives. His hair was completely gone but his armored costume protected him from the worst part of the explosion. Leslie gave him the ornament he grabbed from the tree and he realized that it was an angel figurine. Batgirl came in to see how he was and Jean-Paul gave her the angel as his Christmas present for her.
Creators
Writer Dennis O'Neil
Penciller Roger Robinson
Inker James Dean Pascoe
Colorist Alex Bleyaert, Rob Ro
Letterer Ken Bruzenak
Cover Penciller Roger Robinson
Cover Inker James Dean Pascoe
Editor Mike Carlin
Characters
Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley)
Dr. Leslie Thompkins
Mercy (Mercedes Stone)
Batgirl (Cassandra Cain)
Batman (Bruce Wayne)
Commissioner Gordon (James 'Jim' Gordon)
Oracle (Barbara Gordon)

Product Details
Series Group Azrael
Genre Action, Adventure, Super-Heroes
Color Color
Barcode 76194120236506111
Country USA
Language English
Release Date December 1999

Personal Details
Collection Status In Collection

Value Details
Grade 9.4 Near Mint
Grader Notes (9.4) Near Mint