"You're a wee puppet-man," jeers the peroxide-blond Englishman, "With a little bat-puppet pal."

Angel growls and leaps at him, Batman throws a felt Batarang and line to entangle his legs.

The blond topples through a glass wall, Angel head-butting him as he goes down. Batman kicks his ribs, realises he's still got his strength. During the fight he notices that Angel and Spike are both much stronger.

"You could be stuck like this," says the girl called Fred, "unless we can find a counter-spell."

"Not acceptable," says Batman, pressing phone buttons with stubby fingers.

On the fifth ring Zatanna answers.