Batman #598

"Santa Klaus Is Coming to Town!"

To Bruce Wayne's dismay, Sasha Bordeaux is decorating a Christmas tree inside of Wayne Manor. He explains to his bodyguard that Christmas is about family which of course is a difficult topic for Bruce.  Later, Batman meets Detective Renee Montoya at a crime scene which was caused by a man actually named Santa Klaus. Batman describes him as a delusional psychotic who believes to have psychic powers and, thus, can tell if people behaved good or bad. Talking to some witnesses though, Rene and Batman come to the conclusion that Santa Klaus may indeed be able to read people's minds.  Over the next five days, several reports indicate that Santa Klaus has recruited some young henchmen who help him hand out presents to selected pedestrians. Those presents include explosives and already killed four people while injuring even more. Batman believes Santa Klaus will strike again at the Gotham Square festivities involving the mayor of Gotham City. When Santa Klaus reveals himself, Batman is able to stop him but not without Santa Klaus suffering some serious burns.  Back at the Batcave, Sasha surprises Bruce with a Christmas present and she also has a meal prepared at the manor. Bruce does not seem unhappy about that ...