- Title: Northwestward
- wiki: link
Throwback Thursday takes us back to the Milano restaurant located in Midtown Manhattan where a group of six friends, a waiter, and one guest, would gather once a month for an exclusive dinner and a mystery to be solved. Originally published in the anthology The Further Adventures of Batman as one of 14 short stories from various authors to commemorate the hero’s 50th Anniversary, “Northwestward” provides a tale where the Widowers helped the world’s greatest detective solve a mystery.
Invited by Thomas Trumbull, the guest (who only identifies himself as Bruce Wayne) claims that he was the real-life vigilante which the exploits of Batman were fashioned (albeit with liberal license and artistic flair). The now elderly Wayne has a problem that has been gnawing at him for nearly a year involving his current butler (the nephew of Alfred Pennyworth) who he suspects may have been tempted to make off with some of the man’s valuable Batman collectibles.
Other than including Batman at the table, the mystery runs very much to formula with the guest describing his circumstances, the Widowers offering various suggestions only to get nowhere, and then, in the end, Henry making the all-import observation about an important word choice used by the butler that explains everything and completely alleviates the former vigilante’s nerves.
“Northwestward” is a fun way to bring a larger-than-life character like Batman into the world of the Black Widowers, allowing the members to be dubious about his circumstances and story while also stripping away the grandeur of the character, to allow him to be simply a man in need of their help.