Comic Title: Detective Comics #88
Publisher: DC (Detective Comics, Inc.)
Address: 480 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY
Cover Date: June 1944
Approx. On Sale Date: April 26, 1944 Copyright Date April 23, 1944
Source: Library of Congress, Periodicals 1944
Until 1958 DC did not report actual on sale dates to the copyright office
The publication dates listed in LoC records are NOT release dates.

Frequency: Monthly
Cover Price: $0.10
Page Count: 56
Editor: Jack Schiff

Title: "The Merchants of Misery"
Pages: 13

Feature(s):
Batman (of Earth-2)

Writer: Joseph Greene
Artist: Dick Sprang

Reprinted In:
Batman Archives Vol. 4 HC (1998)
Batman:The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 3 HC (2017)
Batman:The Golden Age Vol. 6 TPB (2020)

Feature Character(s)

• Batman (last appearance in Batman #23; next appearance in World's Finest Comics #14)

Supporting Character(s)

• Robin (last appearance in Batman #23; next appearance in World's Finest Comics #14)

Villain(s)

• Big-Hearted John and his henchmen (John dies in this story; no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• George and Mary Simpson and their daughter (no further appearances)

Synopsis:
Big-Hearted John, a loan shark, has set up his operations in a poor district of town. When his victims can not pay or threaten to call the police he has them killed. Batman and Robin prevent the murder of George Simpson, one of John’s victims. Simpson implicates the loan shark to Batman, sending the Caped Crusaders after the crook.

Batman and Robin go undercover to get the crooks to try murdering them too. They succeed, but are captured and placed in a death-trap. Batman uses a mini-bomb to escape, then they track down John who has gone to kill Simpson. Batman rescues Simpson, is wounded in the process, and falls. He lands on John, knocking him off a high ledge. John falls to his death, and his gang is rounded up by Batman.