Batman 554

Synopsis for ”Cataclysm, Part Twelve: Master of Destruction”
The Gotham City Police Department watches the videotape sent by Quakemaster and decide that they can’t risk the city getting hit by another earthquake, so they will give Quakemaster what he is asking for. Batman watches the video from afar, and decides to seek a professional seismologist to confirm whether the threats are valid or empty. Batman arrives at Jolene Relazzo’s apartment and finds it empty and with signs of violence. Batman assumes that Relazzo is involved in this case but he is unsure what her role is.

At Quakemaster’s hideout, he threatens a captive Jolene Relazzo and tells her that the information that she gave him better convince the people or she will be in great danger.

Bruce goes to the Wayne Enterprises building to search information on Jolene Relazzo and discovers that she is a honest woman working for him and the city. Bruce assumes that she is abducted by whoever the Quakemaster is and she is being used to give information on earthquakes to their captors.

Batman meets with Commissioner Gordon who gives him a copy of the videotape and both of them set a plan to catch the Quakemaster. They put the ransom money in the given place and when the henchmen arrive to take the money, Batman sneaks under the chopper they are using. Upon descending on another rooftop, Batman surprises the henchmen and demands to know who their boss is, but they don’t know the identity. While they are struggling, someone takes the ransom money and Batman tells the henchmen to take him to the last meeting place of them and the Quakemaster.

Renee Montoya and Harvey Bullock are watching the ransom videotape over and over again. Renee recognizes the background of the scene as the GCTV news set and both of them rush to said place. Upon arriving, they find it empty except for Batman who is also looking for Quakemaster and turns the two henchmen over to them.

Batman arrives at the Batcave where he discusses the events with Nightwing; Robin; Alfred and Harold. They watch the videotape and Batman realizes that the information that the Quakemaster is giving in it is false as he mentions the extinction of the mammoths being caused by earthquakes. Batman knows that the facts that Quakemaster exposes in the tape are false and that they are given to him by a seismologist expert, wich in this case was Jolene Relazzo.

The Bat-Family is a bit less worried about another earthquake but Batman is more concerned that Jolene Relazzo’s life is still at the mercy of Quakemaster.

Appearing in ”Cataclysm, Part Twelve: Master of Destruction”
Featured Characters:

Batman (also as Detective Hawke)
Supporting Characters:

Alfred Pennyworth
Gotham City Police Department
Commissioner Gordon
Harvey Bullock
Renee Montoya
Harold Allnut
Jolene Relazzo
Lucius Fox
Robin
Nightwing
Antagonists:

Quakemaster
Dunk (henchman)
Mo (henchman)
Other Characters:

Kim (Single appearance)
Vesper Fairchild (on the radio)
Locations:

Gotham City
Batcave
Wayne Enterprises
Wayne Manor
Items:

Batarang
Batcomputer
Vehicles:



Notes
This Batman: Cataclysm crossover takes place between Nightwing #20 and Huntress/Spoiler: Blunt Trauma #1.
This issue is reprinted in the Batman: Cataclysm collection, as well as the 2015 edition.
Trivia
Jolene Relazzo lives on Mercator street. It is a reference to the Mercator projection; a map projection used by geographers, cartographers and seismologists.
The Crustal displacement theory used by Quakemaster is also called the Pole shift hypothesis.
There is a reference to Altantis; the fictional real-world city. Not the in-universe Atlantis.

05/1998

DC Comics

554

May

1998

55411

United States

$1.95

(Chrome Age, from 1992 to 1999) and (Modern Age, 2000 to present)

Modern Age

English

Magazine

2018-07-02 21:52:05

Batman (1940-2011)

”Cataclysm” Crossover, Part 12.
Continued from ”NIGHTWING #20”.

2018-07-02 21:52:05