History:  (Batman I #178) - Bruce (Batman) Wayne and Dick (Robin) Grayson visited Bruce's old college friend Dr. Nelson, who was working as a rocket scientist. He told Bruce succeeding his his rocket launch was paramount to him, because he was the first male member of his family not to make the cut for the military, and he wanted to find a way to serve his country. The first two missiles disappeared from the tracking screen, and was lost by the tracking units. Nelson despaired, but Bruce told him to wait a day and add more tracking units. When he launched the rocket Batman and Robin followed it in the Bat-jet, and saw a weird beam strike it that disabled its' tracking system. A tractor beam then appeared and drew it to a nearby island. They tried to follow, but were confronted by the Rocketeers, scientific criminals outfitted with rocket-packs, who nearly drowned the Dynamic Duo before taking them hostage. They explained that they'd equipped one of the stolen rockets with an atomic warhead, and would destroy Gotham if their demands for 1 billion dollars was not met. They launched a rocket into Gotham Park, with their demands and threats scrawled on the side. Gotham refused to negotiate, and they launched the warhead, with Batman and Robin strapped inside. The heroes wiggled out of their bonds, and hit the rocket's abort button before parachuting to safety and making short work of the pursuing Rocketeers.

Comments: Created by Robert Kanigher & Sheldon Moldoff.

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