The Dark Knight: Batman and the Villainous Voyage

By Scott Sonneborn and Luciano Vecchio

A charity cruise filled with GOTHAM'S wealthiest citizens has been boarded by not one but two groups of hijackers! POISON IVY and MR. FREEZE  fight for the right to ransom the passengers with countless citizens caught in the crossfire. Outnumbered and out of his element, BATMAN will have to find a way to play one group of crooks against the other, or they’ll all go down with the ship.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Jun 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781434263704

Scott Sonneborn

Scott Sonneborn has written more than 20 books, one circus (for Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey), and a bunch of TV shows. He’s been nominated for one Emmy and spent three very cool years working at DC Comics. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their two sons.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

ALL ABOARD!

VRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The Batmobile roared through the last moments of the night. As the sun rose over Gotham City, Batman drove through the secret entrance of the Batcave and came to a screeching stop.

Batman took off his mask, revealing the weary face of Bruce Wayne underneath. Bruce was exhausted after a long night of fighting crime. All he wanted was to drag himself into bed for a full day of sleep.

So, Bruce was very disappointed to find himself, thirty minutes later, in the back of a limousine. His loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth, was at the wheel.

I don’t know how you talked me into doing this, complained Bruce. He looked down at the flowery Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and flip-flops he was wearing. And why did you insist I wear these ridiculous clothes?

You are wearing the proper costume for the circumstances, replied the butler. If it were the middle of the night and you were about to face the Joker, then I would have laid out the Batsuit for you.

Alfred turned the steering wheel and pulled the limo into a parking space at the Gotham City Docks.

Right now, however, it is daytime, Alfred continued, and we are about to board a cruise ship.

Bruce rubbed the corners of his eyes with his fingers. Explain to me again why I’m going on this charity cruise, he asked.

The fifty richest people in Gotham are going to be aboard this ship, the butler replied. If Bruce Wayne doesn’t do the things a typical billionaire does, people might start asking questions. The kind of questions someone who has a secret Batcave under his house doesn’t need.

Bruce sighed. He knew Alfred was right.

When it came to being Batman, Bruce always knew what to do. But when it came to being billionaire Bruce Wayne, he would have been lost without Alfred’s guidance.

Bruce also knew the cruise was raising money for a charity. Just as important, the ship would only be at sea for the day. Bruce would be back at Gotham Harbor by nightfall, just in time for him to go to work — as Batman.

The only thing he was going to miss was a good day’s sleep.

As he walked up