WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman: The Detective #1, by Tom Taylor, Andy Kubert, Brad Anderson and Clem Robins, on sale now.
Batman has encountered many fearsome foes over his long superhero career defending the DC Universe, from common criminals and mafiosos to science fiction and supernaturally inclined supervillains. And as the Dark Knight's latest mission takes him to the United Kingdom, the first enemy that greets him upon his arrival in jolly old England is the spectral Gentleman Ghost.
Normally appearing in the vestiges of a noble 19th-century English figure, the ghastly Jim Craddock has taken on his most monstrous form yet in an attempt to defeat the Caped Crusader for good.
Created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert in 1947's Flash Comics #88, James Craddock was a 19th-century robber in England that traveled to the Southwest United States only to be gunned down by Hawkman and Hawkgirl's cowboy past lives as Nighthawk and Cinnamon. Because his soul can't rest until his killers break their long cycle of death and resurrection, Craddock rises from the grave as Gentleman Ghost and continues his vendetta against Hawkman by targeting the Justice Society of America. Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Gentleman Ghost's origins retconned Craddock as a 19th-century criminal who rose from the grave as a specter following his execution.
Batman comes to England after an airliner is targeted by a terrorist sect, causing it to crash and nearly killing Bruce Wayne's British counterpart Knight. As Batman investigates the crash site with Knight's sidekick Squire, he is attacked by Gentleman Ghost. No longer the sophisticated apparition with only his fancy clothes visible, Craddock now appears as a ravenous monster, revealing that as a being that feeds directly on fear, the mortal terror that all 146 people experienced as they crashed into the English moors caused him to grow into a voracious beast. He has retained his intelligence, but become more physically imposing and hungry to continue his fear-based feast.
Prepared as always, Batman thwarts the Gentleman Ghost as he attempts to pull out the superhero's heart. The Dark Knight reveals he has gauntlets he obtained from John Constantine. Previously, Gentleman Ghost has been vulnerable to Nth Metal, magical and energy attacks, as well as those of royal blood. While the exact makeup of Batman's new supernatural gauntlets is currently unknown, they do the job of laying an epic beatdown on the ghastly transformed ghost.
Gentleman Ghost has menaced many of DC's greatest superheroes, often targeting those originating from the Golden Age when he was introduced. Empowered by the fear of over a hundred victims, Craddock begins to realize his full, spectral potential and nearly adds Batman to his list of victims. Batman has shown that no matter how powerful and monstrous the late Jim Craddock becomes, he is still no match for Batman as the superhero pounds the foul apparition into immaterial.