Warning! Preview pages for Superman: Kal-El Returns Special #1 ahead!Even Batman has to give credit where credit is due when it comes to gadget making. A preview for Superman: Kal-El Returns Special #1 shows the Dark Knight pull out the one defensive weapon that he concedes a Justice Society member has the final word on.
If there's one thing that's allowed Batman to keep up in a world full of magic and superhumans, it's his impressive array of gizmos. Bruce Wayne has spent a considerable sum of his fortune on the research and development of weapons and tools to aid in his war on crime. Batman's utility belt alone has some of the most reliable tools at his disposal, such as his grappling gun and a cache of Batarangs. Obviously, Bruce has no powers of his own, save for his amazing analytical skills and prowess in fighting. But thanks to his numerous gadgets, he's more than able to keep up with his superhero associates.
However, even someone as much technical know-how as Batman has to admit when he's been beaten. In a preview for Superman: Kal-El Returns Special #1 Mark Waid, Sina Grace, Marv Wolfman, Clayton Henry, Dean Haspiel, and Jack Herbert, fans discover which of Batman weapons has actually been developed by another hero. Violent riots are mysteriously breaking out all across Gotham, with its citizens endlessly beating each other up senselessly. Batman arrives on-scene to put an end to the violence, but with so many people, the hero is forced to quell the fighting from the Batmobile. He drives around the crowds and a powerful gas emits from the vehicle, rendering the fighting citizens unconscious. However, this isn't a Batman-branded knockout agent, as Bruce himself admits that for people this violent, nothing beats the gas developed by the Golden Age Sandman, Wesley Dodds.
Batman Just Can't Beat The Sandman In One Way
While Dream of the Endless may be DC’s more powerful Sandman, Wesley Dodds is no slouch himself. After being tormented by prophetic visions, Dodds suited up to become one of the DC Universe’s first costumed adventurers. To aid his crime-fighting mission, he used his talents in chemistry to develop powerful gases to sedate others while he investigated crimes. Sandman's sleeping agent not only got him a spot on the JSA, it set a gold standard that even Batman acknowledges.
While Batman recognizes that there are things he can’t do that other heroes can, weapons are usually his domain. He’s developed a number of tech and gadgets that have helped make him one of the leading superheroes in the DC Universe. However, it seems that he couldn’t crack sleeping gases in the way that the Sandman did. Granted, someone like Bruce Wayne no doubt has the resources to brew up his own concoction. But Dodds was a gifted chemist and knew sedatives like the back of his hand. Not to mention, if Batman wants to keep people safe, it's best to go with the product that's time-tested. Fans can see if Batman uses any other hero's weapons when Superman: Kal-El Returns Special #1 releases November 29, 2022.