Catwoman's Halloween Heist Read online

  “What are you doing, Tim?” Barbara said. “Didn’t you hear Jason? We need to figure out a plan.”

  “Come on, Barbara,” said Tim. “I’m not scared of a few cardboard skeletons and some fake cobwebs. Follow me!”

  Tim stood up and opened the door. He stepped inside the darkened room. Suddenly, a giant bat dropped down from the ceiling and soared toward his head.

  “Ah!” Tim shouted. He quickly bolted out of the room. “What is that thing?!”

  Jason reached up and plucked the bat out of the air. He threw the creature onto the ground, lifted his foot, and stomped down hard. The electronic bat exploded beneath his shoe.

  “Sorry about that,” Jason said. “I told you that my dad likes to surprise people. He’s always adding things to his collection. I never know what I’ll find when I open a door in this house.”

  “Thanks for the warning,” Tim said.

  The Boy Wonder went through the next door, and Barbara and Jason followed. They searched each room on the floor, discovering robotic ghosts, mummies, werewolves, and other frightening props.

  At the twelfth door, Tim paused for a moment. “Only two doors left,” he said. “She has to be here somewhere.” Then the secret super hero stepped inside.

  Tim watched two hands slash across his chest. “Ha!” he laughed. “I know this is fake, but that felt pretty real.”

  “Um, Tim,” said Barbara, pointing at his chest.

  Tim looked down and saw claw marks on his Robin uniform. When he looked back up, Catwoman was standing right in front of him!

  Catwoman swiped her claws at Barbara. Then she ran out of the door and quickly headed down the hallway. Before the teens could reach her, the villain slipped inside the thirteenth door.

  “Where does this lead?” asked Tim. He opened the thirteenth door and looked up a tall flight of stairs.

  “To the roof,” Jason replied. “My dad sometimes writes his books up there when the weather is nice.”

  The trio raced up the stairs. When they reached the top, Tim was the first one outside, and he quickly spotted Catwoman at the edge of the roof. She was gripping a ladder that led to a dark helicopter overhead.

  Tim wasted no time. With a flick of his wrist, he threw a Batarang at the escaping villain. Its edge sliced through the ladder’s cables. Catwoman’s means of escape collapsed in a pile at her feet.

  “That’s some costume!” Jason exclaimed. “You’d think Tim was the real Robin.”

  As the helicopter flew off, Catwoman quickly came after Tim. The angry feline slashed at him with her razor-sharp claws.

  When Barbara went to help, Jason jumped in front of her. “I’ll handle this,” he said, striding toward the super-villain.

  “If you’re trying to be a hero,” shouted Catwoman, “you’re a little underdressed.”

  “I may not have a silly costume, but I won’t let you steal from my dad,” said Jason. “Give me the Black Cat Diamond!”

  Barbara knew Jason was out of his league. Catwoman would have him for dinner. She watched as Jason made a fist. “Give me the diamond,” he said again, “or I’ll knock your block off!”

  “Try it,” Catwoman said.

  Jason gritted his teeth. He wound up and threw his best punch.

  Before his fist could connect, Barbara quickly took action. She grabbed a Batarang from her Utility Belt, aimed, and flung the weapon at her foe. Catwoman and Jason were so focused on each other that neither of them noticed the Batarang flying their way.

  The weapon struck Catwoman and knocked her to the ground.

  Jason’s fist met empty air. He spun around, off balance, and fell on top of the downed Catwoman.

  “You did it, Jason!” Barbara said. She ran toward the teenager’s side. “Good job.”

  “Oh, brother,” Tim exclaimed.

  By the time they brought Catwoman downstairs, the police had arrived. The officers put the Black Cat Diamond into a plastic bag for evidence.

  “Take care of that,” Mr. Graves said to the officers. “I almost lost a fortune to that crazy woman!”

  “Crazy!” yelled Catwoman. “I was going sell the diamond and give the profits to the city’s pet shelters. You’re a millionaire, but you want to sell the Cat for money. That’s what I call crazy!”

  Catwoman hissed and continued, “It was a perfect plan. I would have gotten away with it, if it wasn’t for those super hero wannabes.”

  “And thanks to them,” said the police officer, “you’ll be going back to jail for a long time. But first,” he added, “Batman wanted us to double-check something.”

  The police officer grabbed the villain’s mask and yanked it off her head. “Selina Kyle,” he said, confirming the identity of the real Catwoman. The officer turned to the teens. “You can never be too sure who’s behind the mask on Halloween.”

  “That’s what I love about this night,” said Stephen Graves. “On Halloween, you can pretend to be whoever you want.”

  “We should help the cops,” said Barbara.

  “Yeah,” Tim said. “Let’s lend a hand.”

  “Thanks again, kids,” said Mr. Graves. “The real Batgirl and Robin couldn’t have handled it any better.”

  Barbara and Tim each gave a little smile. Then they dusted off their uniforms and started to say their good-byes.

  “By the way, those costumes are just like the real thing,” Mr. Graves said. “I need to have them for my collection. Where did you get them?”

  “Dad,” Jason said with a groan. “No more collectables. Please.”

  * * *

  On the roof of a nearby house, the Dark Knight crouched in the shadows. His black cape flapped in the cool breeze.

  Batman had arrived in time to see Batgirl and Robin defeat Catwoman on the roof of the Graves Mansion. The teens had managed to capture the feline felon without revealing their own secret identities.

  Quite a trick, Batman thought. Though Batgirl and Robin were still young, they had become full-fledged heroes.

  Catwoman

  REAL NAME: Selina Kyle

  OCCUPATION: Professional Thief

  BASE: Gotham City

  HEIGHT:

  5 feet 7 inches

  WEIGHT:

  125 pounds

  EYES:

  Green

  HAIR:

  Black

  Like Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle was orphaned at a young age. But unlike Bruce, Selina had no caretakers or family fortune to support her. Growing up alone on the mean streets of Gotham, Selina was forced to resort to petty crime in order to survive. She soon became one of the city’s most dangerous criminals. Becoming Catwoman to hide her true identity, Selina prowls the streets of Gotham, preying on the wealthy while guarding Gotham’s fellow castaways.

  G.C.P.D. GOTHAM CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT

  - Selina’s love of felines led her to choose a cat-related nickname. In fact, much of her stolen loot has been donated to cat-saving charities throughout the world.

  - The athletic Selina prefers to use her feline grace and cat-like agility to evade her would-be captors. But when push comes to shove, Catwoman can use her retractable claws to keep her opponents at a distance.

  - Catwoman may be a wanted criminal, but she also holds an interest in Gotham’s orphans. The money from many of her high-profile crimes has gone to the city’s orphanages.

  - Selina has been an ally to Batman on several occasions. When a deadly plague spread through the city of Gotham, Catwoman teamed up with the Caped Crusader to help find a cure. However, their alliances never last, since Selina seems uninterested in putting an end to her thieving ways.

  Eric Fein is a freelance writer and editor. He has written dozens of comic book stories featuring The Punisher, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Conan, and even Godzilla. He has also written more than forty books and graphic novels for educational publishers. As an editor, Eric has worked on books featuring Spider-Man, Venom, and Batman, as well as several storybooks, coloring and activity books, and />
  how-to-draw books.

  Erik Doescher is a freelance illustrator and video game designer based in Dallas, Texas. He attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Erik illustrated for a number of comic studios throughout the 1990s and then moved to Texas to pursue video game development and design. However, he has not completely given up on illustrating his favorite comic book characters.

  Mike DeCarlo is a longtime contributor of comic art whose range extends from Batman and Iron Man to Bugs Bunny and Scooby-Doo. He resides in Connecticut with his wife and four children.

  antiques (an-TEEKZ)—old objects that are valuable because they are rare or beautiful

  asylum (uh-SYE-luhm)—a hospital or jail for the mentally ill

  Batarang (BAT-uh-rang)—a metal, bat-shaped object that is thrown as a weapon or tool

  buff (BUHF)—someone who collects, or knows a lot about, something specific

  corridor (KOR-uh-dur)—a long hallway

  cringed (KRINJD)—shrank or flinched in fear

  full-fledged (FUHL-FLEJD)—of full rank or standing

  menacing (MEN-iss-ing)—threatening, intimidating, or dangerous

  mentor (MEN-tor)—a wise teacher or role model

  titanium (ty-TAY-nee-uhm)—a silver colored, very hard kind of metal

  villain (VIL-uhn)—a wicked or evil person

  1. Stephen Graves collects priceless antiques. Do you collect anything? Discuss your collections.

  2. Batman trusts Batgirl and Robin. Do your parents or teachers trust you? Why or why not?

  3. This book has ten illustrations inside it. Which illustration was your favorite? Why?

  1. Batgirl and Robin hide their secret identities during a Halloween party. Have you ever hidden something from someone? What was your secret? Did anyone find out? Write about it.

  2. Catwoman is a master escape artist. Write about her next escape. How does she get out of Arkham Asylum? What tricks or tools does she use? How does Batman catch her? You decide.

  3. Imagine that you are throwing the ultimate Halloween party. Write about the activities you’d have, the music you’d play, the food you’d serve, and the people you’d invite!

  www.capstonekids.com

  www.facthound.com

  Published by Stone Arch Books

  A Capstone Imprint

  1710 Roe Crest Drive

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  www.capstonepub.com

  Copyright © 2013 DC Comics.

  BATMAN and all related characters and elements

  are trademarks of and © DC Comics.

  (s13)

  STAR13131

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission.

  Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available at the Library of Congress website.

  ISBN: 978-1-4342-2132-2 (library binding)

  ISBN: 978-1-4342-2767-6 (paperback)

  ISBN: 978-1-4342-9852-2 (ebook)

  Summary: Barbara Gordon, the secret super hero Batgirl, has been invited to the biggest Halloween party of year. Unfortunately, she already agreed to spend the night with Robin, her younger crime-fighting partner. Instead of arguing with her mentor, Batman, Barbara decides to bring Robin along. That night, the teens arrive at the costume party, hosted by an eccentric collector of Halloween artifacts. Suddenly, all of the lights go out! When they turn on, his prized artifact, a black cat made of rare diamonds, is missing! One of the masked guests must have stolen it, and Batgirl and Robin must capture the feline felon.

  Art Director: Bob Lentz

  Designer: Brann Garvey

  Production Specialist: Michelle Biedscheid