Robin: The Boy Wonder #9

The Dollmaker


Previously in Robin: The Boy Wonder

Robin and Spoiler crouched down atop a rooftop overlooking uptown.

"Listen, if I help you catch this guy will you take me to the Bat?"

"No. Do you really think I'm that naïve to trust you?"

"Then let me prove myself"

"You're going to get yourself killed."

"But-"

"Shh! Keep your eyes peeled."

(Robin's radio synced into the GCPD line) *ZZZZ…we have reports of a suspicious man…ZZZZZ…chapel avenue, Uptown…ZZZZZ*

"Move" Robin ordered as he fired his grappling hook and leapt off into the cool night air. Spoiler followed.


Issue 9

The Dollmaker

Robin the Boy Wonder AKA Tim Drake and Spoiler AKA Stephanie Brown crept around the back of the house. Robin halted when he came to the corner and slowly peered around, he spotted the silhouette of a large framed man leaving the back door of the adjoining house. The Boy Wonder darted from cover and was followed by Spoiler, the duo vaulted the fence that separated the two houses. The silhouetted figure came out of the house as they landed, his face was covered by a balaclava and over his shoulder dropped a limp child. The man spotted the pair of vigilantes and started to run.

Robin started to run also; as did Spoiler but as she did, she stepped on his cape and the duo both tumbled and crashed to the floor in a heap. The Boy Wonder scrambled to his knees as the man saw his opening to escape.

OOOFH! The violent clack of the kick broke the silence of the night as the boot of Nightwing crashed into the face of the man.

"You two can't keep your hands off each other," Nightwing said after he broke his fall with a roll and leapt to his feet

Spoiler ran over and picked up the child from the arms of the semi-conscious man.

"I had it under control if she hadn't have been here," Robin said sternly to his predecessor

"You know they say, you act mean to the girls you secretly like" Nightwing replied with a smirk across his face. Robin ignored him and strode over to the man who lay prone on the floor. Nightwing turned and followed and heaved the heavy man up by his collar.

"We want some answers!" Nightwing demanded as Robin pulled the balaclava off his face

"Now!" Robin barked into his ear

"LISTEN! I'm just the muscle! He does it all, not me. I just collect the children for him."

"We want a name!" Nightwing exclaimed

"He'll kill me if I do!"

"And you'll wish you were dead if you don't" Robin butted in


20 Minutes later

The cold night air blew against his face, the blindfold across his eyes impaired his vision, but he knew he was upside down. The tight rope around his ankles dug in and ached.

"The Name! Or you drop!" The gritty growl threatened

The blindfold was pulled off his face, he squinted and realised he was being suspended from a crane in Gotham harbour. He dangled in mid-air with only the black rope preventing him from plunging to his death. As his vision cleared he could see them all.

The Batman sat perched closest to him, he held a sharp Batarang to the rope. Behind either shoulder perched Nightwing and the Boy Wonder. Further, down the crane, Spoiler gazed upwards at what was happening in pure horror.

"Listen bud, if you can't tell by now; this guy isn't a people person and I'd say you're 2 minutes away from falling head first onto that hard tarmac down there" Nightwing chirped in

Robin adjusted his belt and left the interrogating to the more 'scary' guys. A cowled black bat is scarier than a red robin costume he thought to himself.

"JEEZUS! OKAY! OKAY! I'll talk! Just don't kill me!"

"Hmm, wise" Batman grunted

"Okay, I don't know his real name but he calls himself the Dollmaker or summit dumb. He wears a mask made from the skin and he's a sick bastard!" The man yelled

Batman turned his head to face Nightwing "Go see Gordon, tell him about this Dollmaker and tell him to await communication from me" Nightwing nodded and leapt off the crane, he free fell for as long as possible and then fired his grappling gun.

The Batman then turned to Robin " Get back to the cave and run the name through the computer."

"On it," Robin said as he himself then leapt off the crane.


The Batcave

Tim sat in front of the bat computer and pulled off his mask as he searched the name through the system. The Batman came stomping down the entrance to the cave and pulled off his cowl as he joined Tim at the computer.

"Anything?" Bruce asked

"I'd say so, name is Barton Mathis. His father was a murdering cannibal who was gunned down by…"

"James Gordon…" Bruce said as he read it off the screen

"…spent a year in foster care and then went off the grid completely until now. This is bad Bruce."

"Now we have a name and possible leads. Tim searches the name of his old foster care home."

"225th Street, the narrows, St. Justin's Catholic care home for boys" Tim answered

"That's funded by Wayne Corp."

"According to this the funding stopped in 1996, the same year Mathis went off the grid and the same year…y'know…" Tim said softly

"My parents…"

"This may be his hideout. Tonight, you and Cassandra can check it out. "

"Sure"

Bruce turned to walk away, but Tim spoke as he did

"Is she dead?" Tim asked with a sad expression across his face

"Who?"

"My mum, is she alive?"

"I don't know" Bruce answered

"So you never looked it up when you let me into all this?"

"No, I didn't look because it's not important"

"I guess"

"Get some sleep, you're tired"


TBC IN ROBIN: THE BOY WONDER ISSUE 10-HOMECOMING!

FIND OUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN TIM AND CASSANDRA INVESTIGATE THE DARK SECRETS OF THE OLD BOYS CARE HOME! ALSO THE SINS OF THE MOTHER ARE RETURNING TO GOTHAM!