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Batman in the Forties #[nn]
In "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate," Batman confronts a chilling revelation when he identifies Joe Chill—the man who murdered his parents—running a criminal transport operation. Written by Bill Finger and illustrated by Bob Kane, with inks by Charles Paris and letters by Ira Schnapp, this 2004 issue delivers a tense, personal mystery rooted in Batman’s past. The cover by Fred Ray and Jerry Robinson captures the noir dread of a hero facing the ghost of his origin.
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While investigating criminal activity at a transport company, Batman recognizes the owner, Joe Chill, as the man who killed Thomas and Martha Wayne years before. Batman tries to find evidence of Chill's illegal operations, but when he fails, he decides to reveal his identity to Chill and tells him that will be watching him and will catch him eventually. In a panic, Chill flees to his gang, but when they find out Chill is responsible for Batman's existence they shoot him, and only after do they realize that they should have asked Chill for Batman's real name.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).