Contents

  Title Page

  Build Your Own Story

  Copyright

  This book isn’t like other books. It tells the story of Batman and his quest to save Gotham City from the Joker and his Rogues, but it doesn’t have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

  It has one beginning, lots of middles, and even more endings.

  How does that work? That’s where you come in. As you read each piece of the story, you’ll be given a choice about what Batman does next. You’ll keep making choices until you build one story all the way to the end. When you’re done, you can go back to the beginning and start building a whole new story!

  There are many possible endings, but there is one best ending possible: for Batman to defeat the Joker and end up with Batgirl, Robin, and Alfred on his team. When you see the Bat-Signal you’ll know you’ve found the best ending of all!

  Gotham City was in a panic, and, as usual, the super-villains were to blame.

  The Joker, that green-haired, white-faced baddie with a twisted sense of humor, had masterminded the plan. He had one goal: to take over Gotham City.

  The first part of the plan took place in the air. The Joker and some Rogues hijacked an aircraft with a powerful payload: eleven million sticks of dynamite.

  Phase two took place on the ground at the Gotham City Energy Plant. The super-villain known as the Scarecrow used his toxic fear gas to get past the security guard. Other evildoers followed him onto the power plant grounds:

  Harley Quinn, the gymnastic jester;

  The Riddler, a masked puzzle fiend;

  The Penguin, a tuxedo-wearing troublemaker;

  Killer Croc, the super-strong reptilian wrestler;

  Clayface, the powerful, monstrous mud man;

  Egghead, the evil scientist with the enormous brain;

  Two-Face, the crime boss with the split personality;

  Captain Boomerang, the bad guy with exploding boomerangs (what else?);

  Bane, the mightily muscled masked wrestler; and

  Catwoman, the master thief with mad skills.

  These Rogues, and a bunch of others, stormed the power plant and took over the Core Containment Room. The Joker brought the plane and its explosive cargo to the energy plant. The Penguin’s pet penguin minions waddled toward it and started to drill into the core so the Rogues could attach the bomb. Then the Joker gave Commissioner Jim Gordon a phone call.

  “Listen up,” the Joker said. “At this very minute, a Joker Bomb—that’s trademarked—is being attached to the inside of the main energy core.”

  Citizens of Gotham City gathered around their TV sets, anxious to learn what the Joker would do next.

  “If the mayor isn’t here in five minutes to negotiate the city’s surrender, then we’ll blow up the energy core!” the Joker exclaimed.

  The frightened citizens gasped. If the Joker blew up the energy core, Gotham City would lose all power!

  “The shock wave will hit Gotham City,” the Joker threatened. “And you wouldn’t want that, would you? Now give me the mayor! Joker out.”

  Inside Gotham City police headquarters, Commissioner Gordon turned to the mayor. “Madam Mayor, I cannot ask you to do this,” he said.

  “Jim, did you find Batman?” she asked.

  “No, ma’am,” Gordon admitted.

  “Then we have no choice,” she said. “The Joker has the upper hand. We have to surrender Gotham City. I’m sorry.”

  She climbed into a police helicopter, and it flew off. Over at the energy plant, the Joker grinned when the helicopter arrived, hovering overhead.

  A voice crackled from the helicopter sound system. “Lowering mayor package through the hole.”

  Police lowered the mayor through the hole that the Joker had blasted into the energy core. She stared at the ground.

  “I’ve got only one thing to say to you, Joker,” she said, her voice muffled. “Do you ever play roulette?”

  “On occasion,” the Joker replied.

  “Well, let me give you some advice,” the mayor said.

  The Joker grinned, amused. “I’m all ears.”

  “When playing roulette … always choose black!”

  Swoosh! Batman had been hiding in the helicopter! He jumped out from behind the mayor, swooping down to confront the Joker.

  “Batman!” the Joker cried. “What are you doing? You’re completely outnumbered here. Are you nuts?”

  “You wanna get nuts?” Batman yelled. “Come on, let’s get nuts!”

  “Get him!” the Joker yelled to the Rogues.

  The super-villains charged at Batman.

  Bam! Pow! Crash!

  Batman battled them all. He kicked, he punched, he busted out awesome karate moves. He sent batarangs zipping through the air. One by one he took down the evildoers until only one was left … the Joker!

  The Joker floated away from the energy core in a hot-air balloon. Batman leaped up and grabbed the Joker’s hand.

  “I got you,” Batman told him.

  “Oh yeah?” the Joker asked. “Well, there’s only one problem: Who’s gonna defuse the bomb?”

  Batman looked down. The Joker Bomb—dynamite, curly wires, and a big, red ticker—was attached to the energy core. The timer was ticking down. Batman had only seconds to deactivate it.

  “It’s gotta be one or the other, Batman,” the Joker pointed out triumphantly. “Save the city or catch your greatest enemy. You can’t do both.”

  “It’s weed-whacking time,” Batman said.

  He sliced through one of the thick vines with his batarang. The broken piece of vine fell to the ground.

  Batman looked at Barbara. “Told ya.”

  Then something strange happened. Three more tendrils of the vine started growing from where he had just cut!

  “Batman, look!” Barbara cried. “When you cut one vine, three more grow back!”

  The three vines wrapped around Batman and Barbara. Batman frantically slashed at them.

  “Just. Stop. Growing!” Batman cried in frustration.

  The vines wrapped around Batman and Barbara like a thick cage. Batman couldn’t move his arms or legs. He heard Poison Ivy laugh.

  “Now you’re trapped in a plant prison!” she said.

  Then he heard Barbara Gordon through the vines.

  “I told you so!”

  THE END

  Superman picked up Batman under one arm.

  “Hey!” Batman protested.

  Superman ignored him and flew up to a window on the third floor of City Hall. Then he hovered there.

  “Check it out, Batman!” he said. “Joker’s got a crowd in there. I can hear them with my super-hearing.”

  Batman produced a suction-cup device from his Utility Belt and stuck it to the window. “I can hear them, too.”

  Killer Croc was complaining to the Joker.

  “I hate being in charge of the aquarium,” he growled. “Everyone thinks I’m one of the attractions. They keep asking to take selfies with me.”

  Catwoman stepped up. “Being in charge of animal control is purrrr-fectly boring. Where are the diamonds? Where are the puurrrr-ls?”

  The Joker swung around in his desk chair. “Complaints! Complaints! Complaints!” he exclaimed. “That’s all I’ve heard ever since I’ve become mayor of Gotham City. What a thankless job!!”

  “I’ll thank ya, Mayor J,” Harley Quinn said. “I think you’re doing a great job.”

  “Of course I am, but it’s no fun!” the Joker complained. “I wish I could blast this whole city into the Phantom Zone!”

  “Well, why don’t cha, baby?” Harley asked. “The Justice League is busy running all over Gotham right now. We can just go to Superman’s Fortress of Solitude and grab the Phantom Zone Projector.”

  The Joker grinned. “Why yes, we can!”

  “Oh no, you can’t!”

  Superman flew through the window, breaking it. Batman dropped to the floor.

  “Superman! Batman! You don’t have an appointment with Mayor J,” Harley Quinn informed them.

  The Joker’s goons converged on Batman and Superman.

  Pow! Bam! Wham! Batman dropped each thug that came after him.

  “Justice doesn’t need an appointment,” Batman said.

  “Game’s over, Joker,” Superman said. “We’re taking back Gotham City.”

  The Joker stood up. “Oh, is that so?”

  He picked up a soda can and shook it. Then he aimed it at Superman. A glowing green rope snaked out and wrapped around him.

  “It’s … Kryptonite,” Superman said, struggling to break free.

  Batman was still punching the Joker’s goons. Before he could break away, three of them picked up Superman and carried him away.

  “Sorry to run, Batman,” the Joker said. “But I’ve got a Phantom Zone Projector to steal.”

  He raced out of the office. Harley Quinn followed him. “Right behind you, Mayor J!”

  “I think it means something that the word ‘Grant’ is capitalized,” Batman said. “The Riddler must be sending us to Grant Park. It’s only open during the day, like the riddle says.”

  “Glad you figured that out all by yourself,” Barbara said dryly.

  They hopped in the Batmobile and headed to Grant Park, an oasis of trees in the middle of the crowded city. Batman jumped out of his Batmobile.

  “All right, Riddler! Show yourself!” he called out.

  He got no response. The only sound was birds chirping in the trees.

  Then Batman heard a buzzing so und. The question mark–covered drone was flying toward him again. It stopped in front of him and dropped another note.

  Good work, Batman!

  You’ve guessed my first riddle correctly.

  But you didn’t think finding me would be easy, did you?

  Now riddle me this:

  Moss only grows on this side of a tree.

  Go twenty blocks this way and that’s where I’ll be.

  “Since when does moss grow on trees?” Batman asked.

  Batman pulled the wire from the red port. Sparks shot from the machine. Then he saw sparks shooting from Barbara’s metal beanie that was protecting her from the Mind Control Machine.

  “Our beanies are fried!” Barbara cried. “We’ve got to get out of here, or we won’t be protected from—”

  You will do as I say.

  Batman heard Scarecrow’s voice inside in his head.

  All residents of Arkham Asylum, return to your cells!

  The waves from Scarecrow’s Mind Control Machine had hit them! Batman couldn’t fight it. He could see that Barbara couldn’t fight it, either.

  “Yes, Scarecrow,” they both said.

  Then they marched off to their cells in a daze …

  THE END

  “Surrender? No way,” Batman said. “We’re going to rescue Superman and take back this city.”

  “And I can help you,” Catwoman said.

  Batman stared at her.

  “She might be useful,” Alfred said. “Getting into Gotham City Hall has been difficult.”

  “Fine,” Batman said. He unlocked her cuffs. “Let’s go.”

  They squeezed into the Batmobile and sped toward City Hall. Along the way, they formulated a plan …

  A few minutes later, Catwoman walked up the steps to City Hall, flanked by two thugs dressed in black. Their faces were covered by cat masks.

  The two guards at the door stopped her.

  “What’s your business with Mayor Joker?” one of them barked.

  “I just want to congratulate him, of course,” Catwoman said. “It’s not every day a super-villain captures one of the greatest Super Heroes of all time.”

  One of the guys in the cat masks coughed loudly.

  “That’s right, Superman is one of the greatest heroes of all time, and the Joker has caught him,” Catwoman went on. “And I just want to pay my respects.”

  The guards stepped aside, and Catwoman and her thugs walked through. They marched into the mayor’s office. The Joker sat at his desk, flanked by six of his goons. Behind him stood Superman, wrapped in Kryptonite chains. His eyes were closed.

  The Joker stood up from his desk, grinning. “Catwoman! Have you come to congratulate me?”

  “Of course, Joker,” Catwoman replied. “Capturing Superman is purr-fectly fabulous.”

  “Now all I have to do is capture Batman,” the Joker said. “Then I can sit back and enjoy being mayor.”

  “The only place you’ll be sitting in is jail,” said one of the thugs, taking off his cat mask. He was wearing the batmask underneath.

  “Batman!” the Joker exclaimed.

  “Fun’s over, Joker,” Batman said. “We are taking back Gotham City.”

  The other thug took off his cat mask.

  “What’s Bruce Wayne’s butler doing here?” the Joker asked.

  “That’s not important,” Batman replied. Then … Pow! He slammed the Joker with a powerful punch.

  The Joker’s thugs charged at Batman, Catwoman, and Alfred, but they were no match for the trio.

  Bam! Blam! Wham! Batman, Catwoman, and Alfred took them down one by one with serious martial arts moves. When the last thug fell, Batman ran over to Superman and unwrapped the kryptonite chains.

  Superman’s eyes fluttered open. “Batman? Thanks for saving me!”

  “I had some help,” Batman admitted. “From Bruce Wayne’s butler and Catwoman …”

  He turned his head. Catwoman was gone. But she had kept her promise.

  “It’s too bad that she likes being a villain,” Alfred remarked. “You two would make a great team!”

  THE END

  A metal arm extended from the Bat-Sub. It turned the smaller gear.

  Whoosh! The tube opened, and Alfred got sucked inside it! He was propelled to the surface of the water.

  Batman pulled a lever on the Bat-Sub, and the craft shot like a rocket up through the water. When it reached the surface, Batman opened the cockpit and pulled Alfred inside the sub.

  “Thank you, Master Bruce,” Alfred said, when Batman pulled the gag off him.

  “No problem,” Batman said. “Now let’s get you home.”

  The Bat-Sub descended into the water again, this time swiftly traveling forward through the reservoir. It entered an underwater channel that ended at a dock underground in a rocky cave.

  Batman climbed out of the sub. “Alfred, I could go for some pizza bites,” he said. “Not the pepperoni ones, though. They’re—”

  “Batman! Is this your secret hideout?”

  Barbara Gordon had climbed out of the sub. She was still wearing her official Bat gear.

  “You’re still here?” Batman asked.

  “I was going to ask you about that, sir,” Alfred said. “She appears to be, well, part of our team.”

  “Well, kinda sorta,” Batman replied.

  Barbara was looking around. “Cool cave,” she said.

  “No,” Batman said. “This is a cool cave.”

  He pressed a button on the rocky wall, and a secret door opened up into the Batcave. Lights from the high-tech equipment glittered against the smooth, sleek black floor and walls.

  Barbara looked around in wonder. “Yeah, you’re right. This is cool.”

  One of the large screens flickered on to show a news anchor standing in front of Gotham City Hall.

  “Breaking news,” she said. “Gotham City has been saved!”

  “No, it hasn’t,” Batman said.

  “The Justice League has saved the day. They captured the Joker and his Rogues, and have restored the mayor to City Hall,” the reporter went on.

  The camera turned to Superman.

  “Just doing my duty as a Super Hero,” he said with a dazzling smile.

  Batman picked up a remote and shut off the feed.

  “That’s great news, isn’t it, Batman?” Barbara asked.

  “Yeah, great,” Batman mumbled. But he didn’t mean it.

  I like saving Gotham on my own! he thought.

  THE END

  Batman and Barbara traveled twenty blocks north of the park—and found themselves in front of the Gotham City Orphanage.

  “Uh-oh,” Barbara said. “I hope the Riddler isn’t giving these orphans any trouble.”

  They got out of the Batmobile. A bunch of orphan boys and girls ran toward them. One of the boys had been hanging upside down from a tree branch when Batman pulled up. He did a triple-back somersault off the tree and landed perfectly on the grass. Then he cartwheeled across the lawn to see Batman.

  “Hey!” Batman growled. “This is official Super Hero business. Has anyone seen the Riddler?”

  The kids shook their heads. Just then, the drone appeared.

  “Not again,” Batman grumbled. The drone dropped another riddle in front of him.

  Not done yet, Batman!

  Riddle me this:

  What is holy but doesn’t have any holes?

  Batman frowned and crumpled up the note. “I’m sick of this wild goose chase. I’m done chasing the Riddler.”

  “Holy without holes—that must be a church!” piped up the acrobatic boy. “I bet the Riddler is in Cathedral Square.”

  “Of course!” Barbara said. “What’s your name, kid?”

  The boy grinned. “Dick Grayson, orphan, at your service.”

  “Let’s keep looking,” Barbara urged Batman. “We can bring Dick with us. He’s smart.”

  “There’s not enough room in the Batmobile,” Batman said, but Dick was already whooping with joy.

  “Hooray! Let me go get a permission slip!” Dick cried.

  He raced off and returned shortly after with a piece of paper. “The director of the orphanage says it’s okay if I go with you on official business.” He turned and waved to the other orphans. “Can you believe it? I get to hang with Batman.”

  “Let’s go,” Batman said. “We’re going to get the Riddler, and then I’m bringing you both back here.”

 

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