Ever been made an idiot of, Batman? 
Batman #473 is an issue of the series Batman (Volume 1) with a cover date of January, 1992.
Synopsis for "The Idiot Root (Part III of IV) - Into the Idiot Zone"
Captive and helpless, Batman attempts to reason with Dr. Crosby, but Crosby is too deluded by the Idiot's promises to listen. Before he can inject Batman with the idiot root extract, however, he is attacked by Zeno. Zeno goes on to free Batman, explaining that conscience would not allow him to abandon a man who had saved his life. Crosby's angels attack, but Batman subdues them with his grappling line; in the meantime, Crosby runs away.
Batman allows Crosby to flee, as his main priority is destroying the Idiot. Though the four mental patients whose minds compose the Idiot are within easy reach, Batman theorizes that physically separating them will not be enough; to unravel the Idiot, he must enter the Idiot Zone and separate them there. Zeno, whose tribe had once used the idiot root in religious ceremonies, reluctantly leads Batman to a sample of the raw root, which Batman eats.
Upon entering the Idiot Zone, Batman is immediately attacked by the Idiot; simultaneously, Zeno is ambushed by Crosby in the real world. Batman struggles to keep his mind together, and eventually slips free of the Idiot's influence, whereupon he disconnects the patients' minds and scatters the Idiot. He then wakes from the Idiot Zone, just in time to save Zeno from Crosby. Subsequently, the pair find Crosby's truck and begin the journey back to Rio de Janeiro.
However, Batman soon encounters a disturbing sight: countless Indians paddling down the Amazon River in Cadillacs. In horror, he realizes that he had never left the Idiot Zone or destroyed the Idiot; the Idiot had simply crafted a lifelike illusion to trick him into believing so. Batman flees from the illusion and, calling on mental training and meditation techniques, finally escapes the Idiot Zone. He is greeted by the real Zeno, who had managed to fight off Crosby but fled with the unconscious Batman when Crosby began untying his angels.
Zeno then reports that while they fled, the Idiot had successfully eaten the angels' minds, and crossed into the real world. The Idiot is now free to eat any mind he likes (and in the process rupture the victims' heads) without needing them to be lured by the idiot root, and his first destination is none other than Rio de Janeiro.
Appearing in "The Idiot Root (Part III of IV) - Into the Idiot Zone"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Zeno
Antagonists:
- The Idiot
- Crosby (Final appearance; dies)
- Crosby's angels (Final appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Slim
Locations:
- Brazil
- Rio de Janeiro
- Amazon Rainforest
Items:
- Batrope
- The Idiot Root
Vehicles:
Notes
- This story continues from Detective Comics #639 and continues in Detective Comics #640.
- This story is reprinted in Batman: The Caped Crusader Vol. 5.
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
| The Idiot Root | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Batman #472 | Detective Comics #639 | Batman #473 | Detective Comics #640 |