Batman #426 (1980)

Jason Todd’s been getting out of control in his duties as Robin so Batman decides he needs to take a break for a while. While wondering around his old Crime Alley neighborhood he runs into an old friend of his family who provides him with some old papers that belonged to his parents. In the box he discovers a birth certificate that reveals that the woman he believed to be his mother, Catherine Todd, was actually his step-mother and that his biological mother’s name started with the letter “S.” He finds three likely candidates in his father’s address book and takes it upon himself to track them down and discover if one of them might be his mother. Meanwhile, the Joker has broken out of Arkham Asylum yet again and has decided to get into the international arms business to replace the funds that have been seized by the government. He’s got a nuclear weapon and he’s decided to sell it to a buyer in Lebanon. So while Jason takes off to look for his mother… Bruce takes off to track down the Joker. Little do they realize they’re both headed for the same place. Batman and Robin have both separately shown up in Lebanon but both are on different missions. Batman is trying to track down the Joker and the nuclear warhead he’s peddling. Robin (Jason Todd) is trying to track down his biological mother and there are two possibilities who are currently in Lebanon. Sharmin Rosen, an Israeli secret agent, and Shiva Woosan, a mercenary. Sharmin is also on the case of the cruise missile in Joker’s possession and when Batman, Robin, and the Joker finish their mini-face off Jason is able to ask her if she’s his mother. She isn’t and the guys move on to try and track down the next person on the list, Shiva.Batman and Robin raid a terrorist training camp in Lebanon to question the woman doing the training, Shiva Woosan, aka Lady Shiva. Jason Todd needs to know the truth about who his mother is and she is one of the potential candidates on his list. After a knock-down-drag-out fight between Batman and Lady Shiva, he finally gets her ready to answer some questions honestly with a little help from some Sodium Pentothal. She’s not his mother and they have to continue on to the last person on Jason’s list, Dr. Sheila Haywood, a relief worker in Ethiopia.Unfortunately the Joker has already beaten them to her. He knows about some shady details from her past in Gotham and is blackmailing her into helping him obtain some black market medical supplies that he can sell for some quick capital.Notes:48 page issue.Catherine Todd, Willis Todd and Two-Face cameo flashback appearances.Doctor Sheila Heywood appears on the batcomputer screen.Lady Shiva appears on the batcomputer screen as Shiva Woosan.CIA agent Ralph Bundy mentioned.

Collection notes

Batman #426 (1980) from DC Comics is cataloged in the ApeChain Comics master inventory.

Publisher: DC Comics
Family: Batman Family
Volume: Vol. 1 ongoing
Publication window: 1980-2000

This issue is flagged as a key issue in the collection. Death in the Family begins

Website status: Draft
Sales status: Not listed
Photo status: Not photographed
Expected in collection: Yes
Inventory ID: dc-comics-batman-426-1980-0894