VICKI VALE

Real Name: Victoria Elizabeth Vale

Class: Human

Occupation: Journalist

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Gotham City

First Appearance: Batman I #49 (October, 1948)

Powers: Vicki Vale was a skilled journalist.

History

(Detective Comics I #216) - Crooks committed several inside jobs, and Bruce and dick hoped the hospital charity event they were attending would be the next target. A large model of a proposed new hospital tumbled down the stairs, and Bruce grabbed it, wrenching his arm, and allowing the crooks to rob the event, but prevented anyone from getting hurt. Vicki Vale was covering the event for Vue, and Batman reviewed her photos, spotting banker Jackson Barrow pushing the model. He talked to Barrow, who had an alibi, and realized that mob makeup man Martin Weir was creating disguises to allow the robbers access to events. Vicki was determined to track down Weir with them, but Batman feared she'd see his arm in a sling and realize he was Bruce Wayne. He used a super-scientific radio from his hall of trophies given to him byt the Batman of 3055 to contact the hero, who said he'd be happy to stand in for Batman while he healed, and offered to speed up the healing process with scientific massage. Batman 3055 almost rammed the Batmobile into a freight train because he assumed it was jet powered and could jump over the plane. Vicki joined their investigation, and Batman 3055 was a ladies man who enjoyed flirting with her, making her nervous. Robin had to keep distracting Vicki while he used futuristic devices like a jetpack and truth vapor to learn Weir's location. They captured Weir, and foiled the last job he set up, a racetrack robbery, but Vicki was absolutely convinced Batman was an imposter because he was an inch shorter than the Batman she knew. Batman, whose arm finally healed, switched places with Batman 3055 and showed Vicki he wore high leather soles when doing electrical experiments, explaining the disparity in height. Batman 3055 returned to the future, saying the past was too hectic for him.

(Batman I #111) - The Gotham City Hall of Fame dedicated a bust to Batman, and Vicki Vale covered the story, taking photographs. The ceremony was interrupted by Blair Graeme, who told the crowd that he was after Batman and wanted Vicki to pass on the message. Vicki told Batman and Robin about Graeme and the seemed to be panicked, returning to the Batcave and showing up again wearing k night’s armor saying they needed it for protection against a most dangerous foe. They saved a construction worker form falling off the Barton Building construction site and apprehended fugitive John Marrow, who’d let lions loose at the Gotham Zoo. Their armor encumbered them, but they still found a way to save the day. Vicki dug into who Graeme was, and wondered if he was involved in a recent case where Batman and Robin responded to a robbery of the Gotham Scientific Foundation. Vicki got suspicious when she told Batman she was hot on Graeme’s trail and he insisted that neither she nor the GCPD could catch him and shouldn’t bother trying. Vicki said she knew Batman never believed she had a talent for detective work, but she was determined to crack the case. Batman and Robin found the thieves who robbed the Scientific Foundation hiding in a waterfront warehouse. When confronted the thieves opened the lead vault they were keeping the radioactive atomic fuel they’d stolen, hoping to kill the Dynamic Duo with radiation poisoning. The heroes stripped off their armor to reveal radiation-proof suits underneath and mopped up the crooks. Afterwards Vicki Vale met with Batman, Robin and Commissioner Gordon. Gordon admitted he’d kept details of the Scientific Foundation robbery from the public so as to not cause a panic about radioactive fuel being loose in the city. As Vicki suspected Blair Graeme wasn’t a real crook, he was just Batman in disguise. Batman concocted the ruse as an excuse to wear armor so the atomic thieves wouldn’t suspect he was wearing a radiation-proof suit. He congratulated Vicki on her detective work and said he wouldn’t ever doubt her detective abilities again.

(Batman I #672) - Vickie Vale, Linda Park, Lia Briggs and Tawny Young’s latest episode of The Scene focused on the relationship between Gotham’s most eligible bachelor Bruce Wayne and Jezebel Jet. Tabloid Gotham Noir suggested that Bruce was going to propose to her when they were set to raise money for charity by basejumping. The show annoyed Vicki, and when her co-hosts asked what was on her mind she tersely said she hoped Bruce was happy and wanted to move on to the next story.

(Azrael: Death s Dark Knight #1) - Vicki returned to her job as a reporter and investigated the death of Jimmy Burrows, an undercover cop killed by the rogue Azrael Abraham Arlington.

(Batman I #703) - The hi-tech thief the Getaway Genius began tipping off Vicki Vale to her robberies, which specifically targeted the Wayne Foundation, sheerly for the thrill of it. Vicky reported on Batman and Robin failing to catch her after robbing a Wayne Foundation art show, and mocked the heroes in the Gotham Gazette. Batman was suspicious of her presence, and talked to her as Dick, but got nowhere with her, and she demanded to speak to Bruce Wayne. He wondered what happened during their breakup years ago that made her hold such a grudge towards Bruce. She callously told him she didn't really believe she'd caused Tim Drake to be injured and said she was still sure that they were the Batman Family. Dick told her to prove it, and placed a bug on her. The heroes learned that the Genius was targeting a Gotham Historical Society gala, and caught her, but Vale later discovered the bug, almost confirming her suspicions about the Batman Family.

Comments: Created by Bill Finger & Bob Kane.

Vicki Vale received a profile in Who s Who in the DC Universe #9.

Vicki Vale's appearance in Batman I #111 was reprinted in Batman I #193, Detective Comics I #216 was reprinted in Batman I #187.

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