Comic Title: Batman:The World's Finest Comics Archives Vol. 2 HC
Publisher: DC
Cover Date: 2004
On Sale Date: April 7, 2004 Direct Market Date April 14, 2004
Source: Previews, Vol. 14 #2 (#182)

Direct Market Date April 7, 2004
Source: ComicList, New Comic Book Releases List for Wednesday, April 7, 2004

Cover Price: $49.95
Page Count: 228
Editor: Dale Crain

See Also: The Guide to Graphic Novels and Collected Editions

Title: "The Second Chance"
Pages: 13

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

Writer: Don Cameron
Artist: J. Winslow Mortimer

Reprinted From:
World's Finest Comics #29 (1947)

Feature Character(s)

• Batman (last appearance in Detective Comics #125; next appearance in Batman #42)

Supporting Character(s)

• Robin (last appearance in Detective Comics #125; next appearance in Star Spangled Comics #71)
• Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in Detective Comics #125; next appearance in Detective Comics #127)

Villain(s)

• Joel Benson (a former nightwatchman; no further appearances)
• Slugs Hamer and his men (no further appearances)
• Chesty Murkel and gang (no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• An unnamed man, Martha, Ed Smith, and Mary (a farmer, his wife, son, and daughter; Ed dies in this story; no further appearances)
• Sally (Joel's girlfriend; appears in flashback; no further appearances)
• A prison warden (no further appearances)

Synopsis:
While working as a nightwatchman, Joel Benson is approached by criminal Chesty Murkel to help them in a robbery. Joel agrees, but when Batman arrives he flees. When Batman captures him, Joel is sentenced to death because a guard was killed with his gun.

Joel wishes for a second chance. When he breaks out of prison with another convict, he is injured. He is found by a family of farmer, and the injury has temporarily given him amnesia. Using the name Jim Brown, Joel gets a good job and is happy.

When a newspaper reports that Joel has been cleared of the murder, his memory returns. However, instead of staying clean, he teams up with Chesty in another robbery. This time one of the farmers is killed. Batman captures Joel again, and this time he is sent to the electric chair.