Story: The Factor of Fear! (22 pages)
Writer(s): Chuck Dixon
Pencils: Dick Giordano
Inks: Dick Giordano
Characters:
Bruce Wayne / Batman (appears also as his alter ego Matches Malone)
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
'Happy' Haskins, Mac MacFindley, Johnny Rasta, Tony Tank, Spinell, Leo, Titus, Dutch, Sugar, Soapy
Synopsis:
Titus, Spinell and Leo are sitting in a bar planning to rob a truck with electronic equipment. Spinell tells stories about Batman persecuting criminals, but Leo says he's not afraid of "the Bat." Batman is also in that bar, disguised as his alter ego Matches Malone. Though there's no indication that Batman actually interferes with their crime, or is even near them, all of them see Batman, i. e. mostly the distinct silhouette, in everyday shapes and shadows, and their crime is foiled by their fear (and their own incompetence) without Batman ever really doing anything (maybe not even following them). Leo ascribes their failure to Batman and flees, and again feels like he's followed by Batman, until he's such an exhausted nervous wreck that Batman can just pick him up without resistance and hand Leo over to the police. Finally Matches Malone is once again in the bar, and pays a round for the "good entertainment" of the Batman tales.
Gotham City Details:
- There's a neighborhood in Gotham called Tricorner. [p. 1]
Trivia:
- Gotham's criminals (at least the everyday kind of criminals) call Batman "The Bat" [p. 2f, 13, 16]
- The name of the bar is "My Alibi Bar & Grill". [p. 3]
Story: Cavernous (22 pages)
Writer(s): Devin Grayson
Pencils: Roger Robinson
Inks: John Floyd
Characters:
Bruce Wayne / Batman, Arthur Curry / Aquaman
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Dick Grayson / Nightwing, Barbara Gordon / Oracle, Tiffany (off-screen)
Synopsis:
Batman is alone in the Batcave. It is a slow night, and he's lonely, even talking to a bat. Aquaman calls to ask about Commissioner Gordon, but Batman doesn't want to talk about this. Batman spends the night contacting Oracle and Nightwing about nothing, beating up a few small-time criminals, and then crouches on a gargoyle most of the night. After dawn he wanders through the empty manor, tries to read, and finally contacts Aquaman again to ask him to retrieve the giant penny, which was buried under water below the Batcave during the earthquake. Aquaman soon realizes that the penny is immovable, that Batman knew that and called him just for companionship. He says next time Bruce should just ask him to pick up some beer and videos on his way over.
Continuity References:
- Aquaman refers to events in the Officer Down mini-series. (Batman #587, Batgirl #12, Robin Vol. 2 #86, Birds of Prey #27, Catwoman Vol. 2 #90, Nightwing #53, Gotham Knights #13) [p. 4]
- The earthquake during which the giant penny was buried happened in Cataclysm (most Batman titles from March to May 1998). [p. 15]
- Batman notes that both Alfred and Robin are not currently in his employ. Alfred left in Nightwing #53, Robin is absent since ?? [p. 18]
Bruce Wayne Character Details:
- Batman talks to a bat in the cave. [p. 1]
- Batman suffers from insomnia, he tells the bat that he has slept two days ago. [p. 1]
- When Aquaman broaches the subject of Gordon's injury [see Officer Down mini-series], Batman blocks the conversation. [p. 4]
- Batman (who has to handle phone calls himself in the absence of Alfred) answers the phone with "Wayne Manor." not with his name. [p. 5]
- Batman calls Aquaman "Arthur." [p. 15]
Romances:
- Bruce Wayne is called by a "Tiffany" asking for a date. They seem to have dated at least once before. Bruce stops her advances by acting like a jerk, he asks her if she could bring her sister along too. [p. 5]
- Dick is at Barbara's place [p. 8], both are getting annoyed at Batman for contacting Oracle several times without any good reason. [p. 6ff]
Trivia:
- The titles of the books Batman reads in the library are: Proust Complete, Beowulf, Kaje Kempo, Electric Future and Criminal Insanity. [p. 12] On his nightstand is a copy of King Lear. [p. 13]
- In Dick's old room are a Robin Hood poster above the fireplace, a poster of the "The Amazing Flying Graysons presented by CC Haley & Norton Circus" above the bed, and a telescope in front of the window. [p. 13]
- The giant penny weighs 216 pounds. [p. 17]
- Aquaman thinks the movie "The Lost City Of Atlantis" is hysterical. [p. 22]
Story: Matatoa, Part 1 (22 pages)
(next part is in Gotham Knights #17)
Writer(s): Devin Grayson
Pencils: Roger Robinson
Inks: John Floyd
Characters:
Bruce Wayne / Batman, Matatoa
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Samuel Yates / Samsara, Dick Grayson / Nightwing, John Grayson (Dick's father, first name not given here; appears in a dream sequence), Mary Grayson (Dick's mother, first name not given here; appears in a dream sequence), Thomas Wayne (Bruce's father, first name not given here; appears in a dream sequence), Martha Wayne (Bruce's mother, first name not given here; appears in a dream sequence), Jason Todd / Robin I (appears in a dream sequence), Arnie (GCPD cop), Dave (GCPD cop), Barbara Gordon / Oracle (off screen)
Synopsis:
Batman is dreaming of his own and Dick's dead parents when Samsara appears in the dream, warning him of Matatoa, who then also appears inside the dream, just as Batman is woken by an alarm. Matatoa is an immortal, a "soul-eater" who stays alive forever by killing people and consuming their souls. He hears orders inside his head telling him what kind of person he needs to kill next, and then he takes on the qualities of his victim. This time he has been ordered to find "an undefeated warrior" and is now after Batman. The alarm calls Batman to a bar where Matatoa has killed two people and is now waiting for Batman. The GCPD on the scene leaves Batman through. They fight, Matatoa flees on a motorcycle, and Batman chases him in the Batmobile. At the end of the chase Matatoa explains his nature to Batman. As Matatoa suggests that Batman might just give in to be killed, because this way Gotham would be protected for eternity, Nightwing shows up.
Continuity References:
- Samsara mentions the time he and Batman first met in Gotham Knights #3. [p. 4]
Bruce Wayne Character Details:
- Bruce dreams himself in costume when kneeling on his parents' grave. [p. 1f]
- The conversation Batman has in the dream indicates that appearances of both Dick's and his own dead parents happen regularly in his guilt-ridden dreams. [p. 2f]
- Batman calls Samsara "Sam." [p. 4]
- With Alfred still away(?) [see Officer Down, Part 5, in Nightwing #53] Bruce even sleeps in his Batman gear (without the cape, cowl and boots). [p. 5]
- In the dream sequence Mary Grayson mentions that Bruce had adopted Jason Todd. [p. 3]
Trivia:
- The name of the bar where Matatoa waits for Batman to show up is "The Pour House."
- We see some of the functions of Batman's cowl/lenses from his POV [p. 20]:
Recording...mapping voice waves.
Infrared Scanning: Engaged.
Photo Capture/Covert: On.
Running for Cross-Ref.
X-Ray Scan/Covert: Engaged.
Captured.
Story: Far from the Tree (23 pages)
Writer(s): Devin Grayson
Pencils: Roger Robinson
Inks: John Floyd
Characters:
Bruce Wayne / Batman, Tim Drake / Robin III, Pamela Isley / Poison Ivy
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Jack Drake (Tim's father), Dana Drake (Tim's stepmother)
Synopsis:
Poison Ivy escapes from Arkham by killing a gullible guard. Tim is home during spring break, and composes an e-mail to Batman, explaining how Batman's files [see Gotham Knights #?? ] prompted him to wonder whether he is the right person to be Robin. The Drakes and Bruce are at the "Gotham Rainforest Fund Raiser" when Poison Ivy crashes the event, accusing the attendants of being hypocrites who in truth (through their businesses and lifestyle) were responsible for the very environmental destruction they pretend to care about. She takes hostages, tying the women up in vines and bringing the men under her control. Bruce leaves shortly before Poison Ivy's arrival, but Tim is on the phone with his parents and notices the emergency. While alerting Batman he accidentally sends the e-mail. He joins Batman as Robin on the scene. Batman fights the mind-controlled hostages and Ivy, but won't negotiate with her. When Poison Ivy flees, he sends Robin after her to get the anti-toxin. Robin threatens to burn plants if she won't give him the anti-toxin, he's also willing to listen to her. Though Poison Ivy is wrapping Robin in wines, hindering his movement, they negotiate. Both have three demands; Robin's are the anti-toxin, release of the vines, and Ivy returning to Arkham, Poison Ivy's voiding the contracts abetting tropical deforestation, land protection, and killing the "traitors." They settle both for "two out of three" and Robin manages to get the anti-toxin from her, but as she's about to leave Batman stops her from behind with a baterang. Robin fears that Batman thinks him not to be mature enough to handle his family in danger and had sent him out of the room for that reason, but Batman says that his approach to get the anti-toxin from Ivy wasn't working, and that's why he sent Robin after her. Robin is reassured, and also manages to delete the e-mail later in the Batcave.
Continuity References:
- Robin sees Batman's files, which cause him to write the e-mail, in Gotham Knights #?? [p. 4]
- The wedding of Tim's father and stepmother takes place in Robin 80-Page Giant #1 (?). [p. 5]
Bruce Wayne Character Details:
- Bruce hasn't seen Jack Drake since before Jack's wedding, he congratulates him on his "recent nuptial bliss" [p. 5]
- Bruce plays golf with Jack Drake. [p. 6]
Tim Drake Character Details:
- In his e-mail Tim reveals his thoughts and uncertainties about his role as Robin and his relationship with Batman (written before Batman expresses his confidence in Robin). [p. 23]
- Tim thinks Batman needs a Robin to do the job the right way, but he is not certain whether he is the right person to be Robin, whether he meets Batman's expectations. He feels he isn't like Batman, "not even like Dick or Barbara or Batgirl or Jean Paul." He doesn't want to do this forever.
- Tim is not always sure it's good for him.
- Recently his relationship to his father has improved, he's closer to him than in a long time.
- He refers to Dana Drake as new mom.
- Tim worries that all of this makes him become less like Batman.
Trivia:
- The name of the Drakes' housekeeper is Mrs. MacIlvenne. [p. 4]
- If Poison Ivy's mind control victims are immobalized too soon the toxin can cause permanent brain damage. [p. 10]
- The e-mail addresses of Batman and Robin are displayed like this [p. 23]:
Cave@Batshield/confidential [address diverted]/Oracle.net (Batman)
Redbird@Batshield/confidential [address diverted]/Oracle.net (Robin)
Story: Forever Hold Your Peace
Writer(s): Devin Grayson
Pencils: Greg Land
Inks: Bob McLeod
Characters:
Dick Grayson / Nightwing, Emily Claire Washburn
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Bruce Wayne / Batman, Tim Drake / Robin III, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon / Oracle, Wally West / Flash III, Linda Park, Donna Troy, Roy Harper, Lian Harper, Dennis (Emily's son from her first marriage), Annelise Schubert (childhood friend of Annelise), David Schubert (Annelise's father), James Stridham (Emily's deceased ex-husband three; son of a WayneCorp executive), Douglas (owner of Douglas Auto Salvage), Mr. Fulson (off-screen, business man who wants to dump chemical waste illegally), Harry (one of Fulson's two thugs )
Synopsis:
Dick marries Emily Washburn to find out whether she killed her prematurely deceased previous husbands. It turns out her childhood friend Annelise is framing Emily to avenge her father David Schubert, who is in Blackgate, because he took the fall for Emily's first husband in a counterfeiting operation and Emily's husband got away with the money.
Dick Grayson Character Details:
- Dick enjoys spending time with Emily's kid Dennis, they go to the zoo, the circus [p. 12, 31]
- when Dennis wants to play Superman and Batman ("Look! Look! I'm Superman! You be Batman, okay?") Dick declines ("Uh, no, thanks. But how about I help you fly?") [p. 12]
- Dick's mother was a dental assistant from the East Coast before she fell in love with Dick's father and married into the circus life. [p. 13]
- Dick's father was Romany. [p. 13]
- Dick is horsing around with Tim on a rooftop when Batman and Robin visit, acting a lot like a big brother [p. 41]
Bruce Wayne Character Details:
- Bruce says he wants Dick to inherit WayneCorp some day. [p. 11]
- Bruce uses Alfred's concern as an excuse to look after Dick ("Alfred asked me to see if--"), but Dick sees through that ("You can tell Alfred that I'm a big boy [...] ...and it's nice to see you too.") [p. 40]
Romances:
- although a minister marries Dick and Emily, Dick asks Donna to destroy marriage certificate, thus the marriage never became legal [p. 16]
- Dick actually sleeps on the couch during the "marriage" and skillfully arranges separate rooms for their honeymoon (with the help of "Oracle Travel"), so it's implied that he never actually sleeps with Emily. She proposes marriage counselling.
- Dick cares about Emily and offers to "start over" after he had cleared her name, but he's not in love with her, and Emily doesn't want to continue a relationship. [p. 53]
- There is some romantic tension between Dick and Barbara [p. 14ff]
Trivia:
- Dennis watches Superman cartoons on tv.
Story: Rough Justice (22 Pages)
(continued in Nightwing #8)
Writer(s): Chuck Dixon
Pencils: Scott McDaniel
Inks: Karl Story
Characters:
Dick Grayson / Nightwing
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Barbara Gordon / Oracle, Wally West / Flash III, John Grayson (Dick's father, in a flashback), Mary Grayson (Dick's mother, in a flashback), Ricky Noone, Sulieman Thomas Ali, Timothy "Lunchmeat" Deever, Turk Fremunda, Dudley Soames, Roland Desmond / Blockbuster II, Chief Redhorn, Antonio "Angel" Marin (or his body anyway), Bridget Clancy, Hank Hogan (first name not known yet)
Synopsis:
Nightwing is fed up with being one step behind the criminals and mobs, playing catch-up. He recalls a lesson his father taught him about the importance of strategy, so now he systematically captures all the mob criminals he knows of. He starts with Ricky Noone and his enforcers, who work for Marin's loansharks, then Sulieman Thomas Ali, who runs the meth and crack labs and street trade, then Timmy "Lunchmeat" Deever and his "removal" experts, and finally Turk Fremunda and the unions. Nightwing brings them all to a refrigerated warehouse, and hangs them onto meat hooks. He starts to interrogate them, starting with Turk Fremunda. But Fremunda refuses to tell Nightwing both where Marin is as well as who's running Blüdhaven. Fremunda says nobody cares who the capo is, as long as everything runs smoothly. When Nightwing gets ready to leave (or at least pretends to do so), threatening to leave them to die of hypothermia, Fremunda tells Nightwing that the new boss has positioned guards at St. Antony's nursing home. Nightwing checks out the nursing home, and it turns out the lead is solid. He's now back to detective work again. Meanwhile the BPD bomb squad checks out a barrel that was addressed to Chief Redhorn. The barrel isn't a bomb, but contains Angel Marin's body, preserved in formaldehyde to obscure the true time of death. Marin's head is twisted backwards. Chief Redhorn is getting angrier with Soames, both because of the mob war and because of Nightwing. He wants the status quo back. Soames says he's working on it, but of course he's in truth working for Blockbuster. During Dick's shift at Hogan's Alley some cops talk about Marin's body. With Oracle's help he finds out that Blockbuster's mother, Joyce Elizabeth Desmond, is a resident of St. Anthony's. Dick recognizes the name and calls Wally, i.e. The Flash, for an update on Desmond. Wally hasn't run into him, but Impulse has, and he's more dangerous than he was before. Blockbuster and Soames look out over Blüdhaven from Blockbuster's villa. Soames thinks it wasn't a good idea to dump Marin's body, that now there'll be more heat from Chief Redhorn, because the deaths can't be explained anymore as Marin cleaning up his own organization. Blockbuster says that it is Soames job to keep police interests distracted. Soames might have higher ambitions, he refers to Blüdhaven as "ours" when talking to Blockbuster, and Blockbuster isn't happy about that "greed." Soames explains it as a slip of the tongue. Soames also worries about Nightwing, but Blockbuster thinks Nightwing is a mere shadow of his mentor Batman, a charlatan who can be occupied with lowlifes and streethoods. Nightwing takes that as his cue to make his presence known, and confronts Roland Desmond, aka Blockbuster. Nightwing says he almost decided Soames was Blüdhaven's new crimelord, had it not been for Desmond's mother and the gunmen assigned to guard her.
Important Continuity Events:
- Blockbuster is seen openly as the hidden power in Blüdhaven for the first time. [p. 22]
Continuity References:
- Nightwing thinks that he almost got Robin killed, that refers to events in Nightwing #6. [p. 2]
- Sulieman Thomas Ali was last seen in Nightwing #3, he was also mentioned by Marin in Nightwing #5. [p. 3]
- Turk Fremunda was mentioned by Marin in Nightwing #5, but he's seen here for the first time. [p. 5]
- The anxiety dream is the same as in Nightwing #4. [p. 14]
- Dick recognizes Desmond's name, their last encounter was in ??. [p. 16]
- Wally mentions that Impulse encountered Blockbuster, that was in ??. [p. 18]
- The "now" and "before" when Wally talks about Blockbuster might refer to the events (which were ??) that increased his intelligence in ??. [p. 18]
- Blockbuster met Batman before in ?? [p. 19]
Dick Grayson Character Details:
- Dick's father told him about the importance of strategy when he taught him to be a trapeze artist. [p. 2]
- Dick's mom called him "little Robin" [p. 6]
- Dick wonders if he might be responsible for Angel Marin getting killed, because he shakes things up in Blüdhaven. It might have happened anyway, but Dick thinks that kind of justification is a slippery slope. [p. 12, 13]
- Dick is still plagued by the recurring anxiety dream about the falling boy he can't reach, who's shouting something he can't hear. [p. 14]
- According to Oracle Dick snores, she says she can hear it through their computer connection. [p.14]
- Oracle calls Dick "Bucko" [p. 14]
- Dick sleeps in his boxers. [p. 14]
- Dick is reluctant to ask Batman for help, even for research and information gathering help. He's more comfortable asking Oracle, though the task wouldn't necessarily require her level of expertise. [p. 15]
- Dick recognizes Desmond's name. [p. 16]
- Dick hasn't met Impulse, he doesn't know his name. [p. 18]
- Dick agrees that he's no Batman, but he tells Blockbuster and Soames that he's close enough to shut them down. [p. 21]
Barbara Gordon Character Details:
- Oracle can hear sounds, like snoring, in Dick's bedroom. [p. 14]
- Oracle has access to Medicare, Medicaid, social security and private insurance files. [p. 16]
Bridget Clancy Character Details:
- Clancy was born in Hong Kong, but was adopted by an Irish family and left Hong Kong as a baby. She came to America to go to college and never went back. [p. 13]
Blockbuster Character Details:
- His mother's name is Joyce Elizabeth Desmond. She's in the St. Anthony's nursing home, guarded my three mob gunmen. [p. 16]
- He had a run in with Impulse. [p. 18]
- There are no mirrors in his house, he also keeps it dark. [p. 20]
- He once was a petty felon. [p. 21]
- Compared to Nightwing he's really huge. [p. 22]
Romances:
- Dick and Clancy are flirting. [p. 13]
Blüdhaven Details:
- The St. Anthony's nursing home is in the Caernarvon section. It's know as St. Ant's to the locals. [p. 8]
- Blüdhaven is an Archdiocese. [p. 15]
Trivia:
- There's a DC Logo on one of the letters in Dick's mail. [p. 13]
- According to Oracle Batman got half a dozen Crays in his basement. [p. 15]
- St. Anthony's records are still on paper. [p. 15]
- Dick has a coffee mug with the Bat-Logo. [p. 18]
[Note: This entry is based on the TPB edition of the issue.]
Story: The Freebooters (22 pages)
Writer(s): Chuck Dixon
Pencils: Scott McDaniel
Inks: Karl Story
Characters:
Dick Grayson / Nightwing
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Bruce Wayne / Batman, Tim Drake / Robin III, Bridget Clancy (we learn her last name, the first name is not given yet), Reynard, Sgt. A. Capone (a police officer), Sulieman Thomas Ali, Pescado (one of Reynard's men), Doc (one of Reynard's men), Mitch (Reynard's helicopter pilot)
Synopsis:
Nightwing moves into his new apartment, dealing for the first time with mundane concerns, like utility bills, on his own. He's cleaning his apartment and musing about his life, when he has to prevent a mugging right under his window. He realizes that Blüdhaven needs a protector. He e-mails Soames and they meet again. Nightwing suspects that Soames is playing both sides, and not sharing everything he knows. Nightwing knows that somebody is running Blüdhaven in the vacuum left by the Angel Marin gang, but it's not Black Mask (though he also wants to take over Blüdhaven's mobs) and it's not Freddy Minh, but Nightwing doesn't know who it is. He thinks Soames knows, though. But Soames only tells him that Blüdhaven's underworld is going through a sea change and that Black Mask and his gang from Gotham aren't helping matters. Soames gives Nightwing the tip to check out "Ali's Bank in the Zee Moores" because Black Mask has a new score planned there. Nightwing figures out that this refers to one of the places which cash checks in the "Zee Moores," a Blüdhaven slum. Nightwing watches the container and concludes that the place has to be crooked, because he doesn't see a single elderly person or "welfare mom" all day but only young guys who come in with paper bags and leave without them. Nightwing is interrogating the owner, Sulieman Thomas Ali, when a helicopter flies over them, lowers a magnet onto the container, and lifts the whole thing off ground. Nightwing throws Ali out of the container shortly after it has been lifted and then stays to fight Reynard and his men, who rappeled themselves down into the container. The helicopter has problems holding the container because of the weight and the windshear, and is forced to drop it. It collides with the edge of one of the highrise buildings. Reynard and his men manage to jump onto the roof top in time, but Nightwing has to jump off the container as it already tumbles down. When the container crashes, the crack money, that was stored in the container, rains down on the poor neighborhood. Nightwing gets back on the rooftop in time to catch Reynard and his men, and gives Reynard a message for Black Mask, that Black Mask should stay out of Blüdhaven. Later Nightwing checks in with Batman and Robin, reporting slow progress on the twenty-one dead, that the real power in Blüdhaven is well concealed, and that the police is corrupt. Batman offers to be there in a half hour, but Nightwing says he can handle Blüdhaven.
Important Continuity Events:
Nightwing moves into his new apartment in Blüdhaven. [p. 4]
Continuity References:
- Dick mentions that Batman sent him to Blüdhaven to find out who killed twenty-one of Angel Marin's gang, that happened in Nightwing #1. [p. 1]
- He mentions his former girlfriend Koriand'r (Kory), they were together from ?? to ?? [p. 5]
Dick Grayson Character Details:
- Dick feels he's letting down both Batman and the twenty-one dead Angel Marin gang members, because so far he hasn't solved the crime [p. 1]; he thinks that this ties him still to Gotham and to Bruce, though he was looking to get a new start. [p. 2]
- Dick encounters problems with the utilities companies because he has no credit history and needs to pay cash advances. [p. 4]
- It is like Dick Grayson doesn't really exist, Dick feels he hardly knows him. [p. 5]
- For years Alfred or Kory have handled the mundane details (like utility and phone bills) for him, and he had to rely on a line of credit paid for by Bruce. [p. 5]
- Dick thinks Gotham will always be Batman's town, never his own turf, and this new start on his own in Blüdhaven might be what he needs [p. 5]; and Blüdhaven deserves -- or at least needs -- a protector. [p. 6]
- Nightwing has the sudden vanishing when he meets with police officers down pat, just like Batman. [p. 8]
- Nightwing takes his victories where he finds them, even if they're just temporary. [p. 20]
- It's important to him to handle Blüdhaven on his own, and he likes the challenge of a town hopelessly lost to corruption, injustice and violence. [p. 22]
Bruce Wayne Character Details:
- Batman calls Nightwing "Dick", even even though Nightwing is in costume and their conversation centers on superhero things. [p. 22]
Romances:
- Dick is still interested in the superintendent of his building, but so far hasn't even managed to get a look at her face despite his curiosity. [p. 3]
Blüdhaven Details:
- The Zee Mores are hundreds of acres of highrise slums built in the name of the philanthropist Zeephram Moore who oversaw their construction as a "haven for the city's poor." Now they are "fortresses for the vicelords." [p. 9]
Trivia:
- The superintendent's last name is Clancy, and she prefers to be called just "Clancy" not "Ms. Clancy". [p. 3]
- There's a "Sgt. A. Capone" in the Blüdhaven PD. [p. 6]
- Soames calls Nightwing "lad". [p. 7]
- There are no banks in the Zee Moores only containers cashing checks for a percentage. [p. 9]
- Surprisingly there are what looks like rooftop gargoyles on (at least one of) the utilitarian highrise buildings in the Zee Moores. [p. 20]
[Note: This entry is based on the TPB edition of the issue.]
Story: Child of Justice (22 pages)
Writer(s): Chuck Dixon
Pencils: Scott McDaniel
Inks: Karl Story
Characters:
Dick Grayson / Nightwing
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Bruce Wayne / Batman, Mortimer Gunt (works at the Gotham morgue; only mentioned), Tandy, Freddy Minh ('alleged' vice lord of the Asian mobs; off-screen), Mrs. Minh (Freddy Minh's wife), Black Mask and his "False Facers" gang, Reynard (member of Black Mask's gang), Chief Redhorn (the Blüdhaven Police Chief), Inspector Dudley Soames
Synopsis:
Due to a summer drought the estuary backs up and twenty-one dead members of the Angel Marin gang float upstream from Blüdhaven to Gotham. Their necks were broken. Batman sends Nightwing to Blüdhaven to investigate their deaths. Nightwing looks at possible suspects who would profit from taking out the Angel Marin gang and starts with Freddy Minh. As he arrives at Minh's house, Freddy Minh is attacked by Black Mask's gang, who move a fridge while Minh's wife wails "My babies!" Nightwing pursues Black Mask's men, thinking there are kids locked up in the fridge. It turns out the "kids" are frozen, fertilized eggs, and in the moment Nightwing digests his surprise one of the thugs, Reynard, knocks him unconscious, and chains him to the fridge. Black Mask's men are after the eggs to gain leverage over Minh, so that Minh would let their gang have a piece of the heroin trade in Blüdhaven. Nightwing manages to kick the transport case with the eggs out of Reynard's hand and grabs it, but is thrown into the bay, still chained to the fridge, in danger of suffocation. He barely manages to burn through the fridge handle with a magnesium flare in time, but the masked gang members are gone. Black Mask is not happy with Reynard's work, he wants Blüdhaven. Chief Redhorn wants Dudley Soames to get rid of Nightwing, so that there won't be a costumed vigilante interfering with his corrupt PD. As Nightwing shows up to give the Minh eggs to Redhorn, he is cuffed but not for arrest and held at gunpoint by Soames.
Important Continuity Events:
- Batman sends Nightwing to Blüdhaven to investigate the death of twenty-one members of the Angel Marin gang, whose bodies have been floated into Gotham with broken necks. [p. 3]
- Nightwing decides to stay in Blüdhaven. [p. 20]
- The corruption in the Blüdhaven PD from its top officials downward is established. [p. 21]
Dick Grayson Character Details:
- Dick's initial motivation to go to Blüdhaven is to prevent the new new gang that's taking out the Angel Marin gang, to Gotham, because Batman is busy, and Tim not yet fit to handle a town like Blüdhaven on his own. [p. 5, 7]
Blüdhaven Details:
- Blüdhaven is only a short ride South down the coast from Gotham, both cities lie on the same stream. [p. 4, 5]
- Blüdhaven started as a whaling town, then became "Asbestos Town, USA", but now it declined and is worse than Gotham. [p. 4, 7]
- Freddy Minh lives on Avalon Hill in Blüdhaven. [p. 8]
Gotham City Details:
- Gotham has an annual summer drought. [p. 5]
Trivia:
- Nightwing's braid is cut-off. [p. 14]
- Nightwing has magnesium flares stashed in his costume's gauntlet. [p. 19]
- The thug in Black Mask's gang wearing a Fox mask is called "Reynard" (for the name of the fox in French fables) [p. 20]. Nightwing dubs him "Foxy". [p. 17]
[Note: This entry is based on the TPB edition of the issue.]
Story: Decoys (10 pages)
Writer(s): Howard Chaykin, Tommy Lee Edwards
Pencils: Tommy Lee Edwards
Inks: John Paul Leon
Characters:
Lieutenant James Gordon
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Paul Pendergast, Sergio D'Gioa, Officer Neiland, Officer Rice, Officer Kling
Synopsis:
James Gordon has been in Gotham for a few weeks. He recently has been promoted to lieutenant and assigned to homicide. He is partnered with Lieutenant Paul Pendergast, who's the D.A.'s nephew and got his promotion because of that, even though he's incompetent. Together with several other officers they are assigned to transfer a mob witness, Sergio D'Gioa, from a safe house to the courthouse across town. They use three separate vans with escorts to make following the witness harder, but despite that Gordon and Pendergast, who are with D'Gioa, are shot at and trapped in crossfire from several sources. During the firefight Gordon drags a woman, who seems to be an innocent bystander, with them to the safety of a tobacco store, but it turns out that she is really a professional and also acquainted to D'Gioa, and they planned the escape with a helicopter all along. D'Gioa and the woman both get away, while a dozen cops die in that firefight and yet more a wounded. Gordon also got shot in his right shoulder.
Continuity References:
- Gordon refers to a "snafu in Chicago", details of that are revealed in ??. [p. 1]
- The whole story premise is contradictory to the version of Gordon's early time in Gotham as it is told in Year One, Batman #404 - #407 (e.g. there Gordon already is a lieutenant when he arrives in Gotham, and he's partnered with Detective Flass). [p. 1]
James Gordon Character Details:
- Gordon recently got transfered to Gotham from Chicago because of a not closer described "snafu" [p. 1], but he thinks Gotham is more forgiving than Chicago. [p. 10]
- Gordon gets his promotion to lieutenant soon after arriving in Gotham, that promotion helped him to put the Chicago incident out of his mind. [p. 1]
- Gordon's Chicago background seems to be well known, Pendergast makes cracks about it, and Gordon had to develop a thick skin. [p. 1]
Gotham City Details:
- Arcadian Grove, aka "The Grove", is Gotham's little bohemia. A neighborhood with crowded, narrow streets and lots of nonconformists living there. [p. 3] The intersection of Gilbert and Shelton is there. [p. 4]
Trivia:
- The GCPD then had still a budget for a real motor pool. [p. 5]
- The tobacco store is "L. I. Peretti. Tobacconist. Since 1870." [p. 7]
Story: Oracle -- Year One: Born of Hope (18 pages)
Writer(s): John Ostrander and Kim Yale
Artist(s): Brian Stelfreeze and Karl Story
Characters:
Barbara Gordon / Oracle (in flashback also as Batgirl), James Gordon, Ashley Mavis Powell / Interface
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Bruce Wayne / Batman (also as his alter ego Matches), Joker, Riddler, Sylvia Kandry, Richard Dragon
Synopsis:
This story begins ten weeks and three days after the Joker shot Barbara in The Killing Joke. Barbara is still in the hospital, thinking that she was an idiot to be so careless to open the door without even looking through the peephole or putting the chain on, that she should have known better. She also has nightmares about the incident. The night before she's going to be released Batman visits her, and she is angry at him. She feels humiliated because she didn't have any significance as herself to the Joker, but only as a way to get to Batman. She lashes out at Batman, asking whether the private joke was her, when Batman and the Joker stood together laughing during the Joker's capture, hoping to hurt Batman that way. When she is released there are lots of reporters, watching her struggle to get into the car, but once again she feels only as an extension of someone else, this time of her father. She thinks the reporters wouldn't have bothered if not for her being the commissioner's daughter and thus a symbol. Six months of physical and emotional therapy follow, during which she had to accept that she would never walk again. Then for weeks Barbara just sits in her father's apartment, afraid to go out, afraid of the next day, feeling that she means nothing, that her life is now over, but then she resolves not to be a victim any longer. With a grant of the Wayne Foundation she gets a powerful computer set-up. She discovers her affinity for computer hacking and starts to make some money. The fledgling internet community also provides her with emotional support and acceptance during that time. One day her father, James Gordon, tells her about a case, a woman who launders money with the help of computers, Ashley Mavis Powell, also known as Interface. Gordon is out of his depth because he lacks the computer knowledge. Barbara researches Interface on her own. She gets information on Interface from Sylvia Kandry, a police computer operator out of NYC. Interface uses a low-level metahuman talent to interact directly with computers, she's also a child abuser. Barbara starts to go after Interface, but she doesn't protect her identity sufficiently yet. As Barbara tries to cross a busy street Interface pushes her into the traffic, but Barbara isn't run over. Barbara decides that Interface just made the biggest mistake of her life, because she made Barbara feel like a victim again. Barbara wants to start learning self-defense from a wheelchair, but doesn't want to ask her father or Batman for options. She asks around on-line, and gets contact information from someone named "Matches" one of Batman's alter-egos (which Barbara doesn't know then). She meets with Richard Dragon, who asks her what she wants. First she says she doesn't want to be afraid anymore, to which he replies that fear is useful, then she says that she wants to walk again, he says that's not really what she's seeking, then she says she wants her life back, and to that Richard Dragon says that that is who she were, not who she is now. He asks "Who are you?" and Barbara says "I...I don't know. I don't know if I ever knew..." and he says now she's ready to begin. He teaches her escrima during the next months. The physical and mental discipline hones the questions of her identity until the answer comes to Barbara in a dream. In that dream she's dressed as Batgirl and is at Delphi, asking the Oracle "I've lost so much. I've lost everything I thought I was. Who am I now? How do I go on?" The Oracle replies "You have lost nothing that matters. You have everything you need. Everything before leads up to now and now leads to what shall be." Barbara says she doesn't understand, the Oracle replies that she will when they both remove their masks. The woman who is the Oracle removes her mask (which looks like the later Oracle logo) and it is revealed that she is also Barbara. That makes Barbara realize that the internet could function as a mask as surely as any cowl, and she assumes the identity of Oracle, ready to take on her first task, i.e. dealing with Interface. Three weeks later her preparations are finished. She lures Interface into a logic trap, exploiting that Powell is psi-linked with the computer. Eventually Oracle cuts her loose, but tells her that she planted a post-hypnotic suggestion in Interface's mind and that she could trigger it again anytime, and that she will unless Interface turns herself in. In the end Barbara feels that her life is finally her own, that she is no longer a distaff impersonation of someone else.
Important Continuity Events:
- Barbara Gordon becomes Oracle. [p. 14]
Continuity References:
- The encounter with the Riddler in the flashback took place in ??. [p. 2]
- The Joker shot Barbara Gordon in The Killing Joke. [p. 2]
- The time Joker and Batman stood together laughing, that Barbara mentions, was in The Killing Joke. [p. 3]
- Batman's connection to or knowledge of Richard Dragon refers to previous events in ?? [p. 12]
Bruce Wayne Character Details:
- Batman knows Richard Dragon. [p. 12]
Barbara Gordon Character Details:
- James Gordon is Barbara's adoptive father. [p. 2]
- She's lived in Gotham most of her life. [p. 2]
- She ran one of the largest libraries on the east coast. [p. 2]
- Barbara doesn't remember much after the shot and the initial pain, she's not sure what happened. That hints at the fact that she was found naked and the Joker took pictures of her to torture her father. [p.2]
- Barbara feels it is humiliating and demeaning that she didn't have any intrinsic value for the Joker, but that her life only counted in relation to Batman. She thinks that it was similar in her role as Batgirl, that she was only seen as a weaker version of Batman [p. 3], she feels similar when the reporters cover her release from the hospital, that they're not interested in her as herself, but only because she's James Gordon's daughter. [p. 6]
- Her initial physical therapy after being shot took six months, during which she accepts that she'll never walk again. [p. 6]
- The money for her first computer equipment comes from a Wayne Foundation grant, later Barbara starts to use her hacking skills to make money. [p. 7]
- Barbara doesn't know that Batman uses the alias "Matches" [p. 12]
- Barbara learns escrima from Richard Dragon for several months [p. 13], before that she feels conspicuous and clumsy in her body, no longer loving how it moves as she did before, when she was a gymnast and a dancer. [p. 10]
- Barbara conceives her identity as Oracle first in a dream, where she sees herself as the Delphi Oracle. [p. 14]
James Gordon Character Details:
- James Gordon refused to have police guarding their house like other police commissioners in big cities, because the symbol of an open administration was important to him. [p. 6]
- James Gordon hates computers. [p. 9]
Gotham City Details:
- Barbara meets with Richard Dragon in Robinson Park. Robinson Park has a Centograph. [p. 12]
Trivia:
- Barbara has her Batgirl doll with her in the hospital, although the way it looks here it could be just as well a Batman doll. [p. 1]
- The Joker used a .45 to shoot Barbara but with a doctored bullet, with only half the grains of a normal .45, because the Joker wanted her alive for his scheme. [p. 3]
- We see Barbara with a coffee mug saying "#1 DAD" propably her dad's. [p. 9]
- Both in her dream [p. 14] and in the final panel [p. 18] white birds surround her, like bats often surround Batman in these kinds of scenes.
- Unlike her later wheelchair, here Barbara's wheelchair is still a regular chair throughout, seemingly without gadgets, but with handles for other people pushing her.