Batman/Houdini: The Devil's Workshop

Characters

• Bruce Wayne/Batman
• Harry Houdini
• Victoria Vale, a reporter
• Jack Schadenfreude
• Elijah Montenegro, the Beef Baron
• Leonora Reinhardt, an actress and medium
• Tom Mix

Plot

In the Winter of 1907, children are disappearing from the impoverished part of Gotham, known as the "Devil's Workshop". The criminal is a grinning white-faced ghoul named Jack Schadenfreude.

Meanwhile, Harry Houdini is in town for a performance and mingles with Gotham's elite. Amongst them is Bruce Wayne, from an old money background, and Elijah Montenegro, the nouveau riche, self-styled "Beef Baron". Also in town are other notables, specifically Tom Mix and Leonora Reinhardt. All the high society events are being documented for the Gotham Globe by Victoria Vale.

Vale and Wayne attend Reinhardt's performance as the lead in Medea, where they meet the Baron again. They are then invited into a séance held by Reinhardt. An invitation also extended to Houdini, who has an interest in the paranormal. The séance is apparently a success, leading the three to conclude something genuinely supernatural is going on.

The abductions are traced to Montenegro's meat factory and it soon becomes apparent that everything is somehow connected.

The story is narrated by Houdini. He contrasts his own poor upbringing with that of Bruce Wayne. It also highlights Batman, as he learns a number of his skills from studying Houdini's work.

Publication

The story was published as a 64-page, prestige format one-shot by DC Comics ().

Awards

• 1993: Won "Best Graphic Novel" Don Thompson Award
• 1994:
  • Nominated for "Best Painter" Eisner Award, for Mark Chiarello
  • Nominated for "Best Letterer" Eisner Award, for Ken Bruzenak

Notes

References

References

1. "Don Thompson Award". Hahnlibrary.net.
2. "1994 Eisner Awards Winners/Nominees". Hahnlibrary.net.