Story arc · 17 issues
Batman faces a new enemy who knows his secret identity and is out to destroy both Bruce Wayne and Batman.
Plot Summary A mutated Killer Croc holds the young heir of a wealthy family for a ten million dollar ransom which he plans to use to fix his mutation. Batman arrives on the scene, defeats Croc and saves the child. During the fight, Catwoman snuck in and stole the ransom money. As Batman chases after her high above the rooftops of Gotham, his bat-rope is mysteriously cut and he fall right in the middle of Crime Alley, fracturing his skull. He is saved by Huntress and Oracle who brings him back to the Bat-Cave using the Batmobile. With Alfred unable to help him, a barely conscious Batman signals to his butler with Morse code the name "Thomas Elliot", a famous surgeon and a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne. Dr. Elliot manages to save Bruce's life. Killer Cros escapes from jail and goes after Catwoman who reveals that she was being mind-controlled by Poison Ivy when she stole the money, but Croc doesn't care and tries to kill her only to be stopped and defeated by Batman again. Catwoman thanks Batman with a passionate kiss causing Batman to start to develop feelings for her. She also reveals that Ivy is in Metropolis. There, the two track her down only to be confronted by her latest mind-controlled victim, Superman. Using a kryptonite ring, underground tunnels and his own wits, Batman manages to hold off Superman's long enough to break Ivy's control over him. After that, they manages to finally take down Poison Ivy. Later on, Bruce Wayne is invited to the Opera House by his friend Tommy Elliot along with Selina Kyle and Leslie Thompkins. Harley Quinn then crashes the show and attempts a robbery. As Batman chases after here, he is horrified at the site of Joker standing over the dead body of Tommy. Enraged, Batman quickly takes down Harley and then proceeds to savagely beat Joker almost to death until he is stopped by Jim Gordon. Later on, after stopping a robbery by Riddler, Batman finds traces of the Lazarus Pit in the crime scene and so tracks down Ra's Al Ghul to Africa where, after defeating the villain, learns that someone has been using Ra's' Lazarus Pit. Following Nightwing's advice, Batman finally gives in to his feelings for Catwoman and reveals his identity to her. Later on, Scarecrow is on the loose in a cemetery, and after Batman takes him down, a man with a bandaged face appears, holding Robin hostage and reveals himself to be Jason Todd, the Robin who dies many years ago. As Batman gives chases, he finally realizes that it's actually Clayface in disguise. Part 1: The Ransom Batman breaks into a building in a shipping yard. He knocks out several miscellaneous people (a Gotham city wrestler, an FBI agent, a military veteran). We see in the captions that Batman is out to rescue a kidnapped boy who is the son of a major Industrialist and a close friend of Lex Luthor . Batman rescues the boy but Killer Croc (the kidnapper) attacks him. Batman and Croc fight. Batman says that this is too smart for someone like Croc, that's why he had to get involved but he would have anyway. Batman and Killer Croc fight and Batman wins and chains up Croc. Several FBI field operatives swarm the place. They take the boy with them but the ransom money is missing since it was with Croc a while a ago. Batman activates the Heat sensors in his mask and sees Catwoman swing away with the ransom money. Batman chases her and Batman acknowledges there is something strange about this even for Catwoman to just come and steal the ransom money. He chases her and just when he was about to catch her something cuts the bat line and Batman falls. He grabs a gargoyle but slips and crashes to the ground in crime alley. Catwoman meanwhile goes and delivers the ransom money to Poison Ivy . A street gang surrounds Batman, one of them tries to take off his mask but it releases a pepper spray. Another one tries to hit Batman with a metal pipe but the batsuit electrifies him. Oracle meanwhile finds out Batman is down and calls for help. A gang member was about to shoot Batman in the head. Huntress then arrives on her bike and kicks the would-be shooter. She takes on the gang. Batman, unconscious is able to hear Huntress fight and compliments her in his head that she is just like he was in his first year. Oracle sends the Batmobile by remote control and Huntress puts him in it. Poison Ivy arrives in a dark street, a voice in the dark ask if it is his half. She says yes and hands it over to him. A while later, Bruce is able to hear Alfred. Bruce's injuries are too big even for him to operate on. Bruce's skull is fractures and has many other injuries. Bruce begins to tap morse code of the operating table, Alfred hears it as Dr. Tommy Elliot a childhood friend of Bruce. Bruce is taken to a hospital and Dick wreaks the Wayne car to fake a car accident. Tommy Elliot arrives from Philpedia, now a world renown surgeon. He operates on Bruce with several other surgeons, Bruce has a brief flash back of both of them playing antique war games, Bruce loses because he can't think like the enemy. Bruce recovers from the head injury and will leave the hospital soon. Later a shadowy figure is reading an article on the accident written by Lois Lane . He crushes the paper and cuts through the Wayne's picture with a sharp object. He declares war so "That we may live in peace". Part Two: Beast Batman, now recovered, visits Killer Croc in Arkham Asylum . Killer Croc shouts to Batman saying the money was his. Batman ignores him and speaks to the guards. Killer Croc gets mad and shatters the shatterproof glass. He attacks the guards and Batman attacks him only to get a choke hold on his neck. Croc throws him at the guards and escapes through the drainage. Amanda Waller was watching this, she tells Batman he has until midnight to find and interrogate Croc after that the FBI will recapture him and he becomes a federal criminal since Croc had kidnapped the son of a close friend of President Lex Luthor. Batman goes after Croc, Batman was counting on his escape since he had jammed a tracking device on him, he was hoping that it will lead to the person who orchestrated the kidnapping. Meanwhile, Tommy Elliot visits the Wayne Manor. He talks to Alfred and leaves when he finds Bruce gone. Before he leaves he says that Bruce is playing a dangerous game, going out about. Batman has a flashback of a similar night, Tommy comes to visit him during a storm his parents just had a car crash and were near death. Bruce promises to Tommy that his father will save them. Thomas comes out and says Tommy's mother survived but his father had died. Tommy gets angry and punches Bruce, Thomas comforts Tommy and tells Bruce to be quiet despite the fact that Bruce was bleeding. Back in the real world Batman is still on the trail of Croc. Something blows out one of the tires of the Batmobile. The car loses control and crashes into a wall. Batman escapes with no injuries. Killer Croc arrives at a Greenhouse to find Catwoman. Croc believes she has his money and Ivy passed the word to her in Arkham. Catwoman denies of having the money and that Ivy was supposed to meet her there. Croc almost eats Catwoman but Batman ties Croc's jaws with a bat bola, connects it to the grapnel hook and shoots it outside taking Croc with it. Batman begins to talk to Croc who says he needed the money to fix himself to, become human again, but before he could go further the FBI arrives and catches Croc. A figure perched on a roof top quotes "All men by nature desires knowledge". Batman turns around to see no one there. A few nights later, Batman meets with Catwoman. She says that she's found Poison Ivy and that she is in Metropolis . Catwoman and Batman have a moment and she kisses for saving her life. After a moment they separate Batman gives her a tracking device. If she finds Ivy first she has to alert him with that. Catwoman then takes off into the night. Part Three: Metropolis Bruce Wayne goes to Metropolis he remembers a long time ago, when he was a kid, he wanted to come to Metropolis. He has brief flashbacks of him kissing Catwoman. He walks around the airport and several women seem to admire him. Tommy Elliot is there and he calls Bruce. They meet up and talk friend to friend. They talk about the first time they visited Metropolis. Thomas Wayne took them there once Tommy came along when Martha Wayne suggested Bruce could bring a friend. While Bruce and Tommy were waiting for Thomas to come out of the Metropolis hospital, they see Green Lantern ( Alan Scott ) fly over them. They both follow him and sees him fighting with Icicle . Tommy gets excited about the battle and wants to follow them, but Bruce suggested they go back. Thomas finds out that both of them had wandered off and the two had to stay at a hotel room the entire time they were in Metropolis. Bruce and Tommy are talking about this in the Limo, Tommy mentions Bruce hadn't given himself enough time to heal, ("You're not Superman , you know"). Tommy also mentions that he had to take a bone chip out of Bruce's skull while operating in him. They arrive at the Daily Planet ("It's always nice to see Lois" Bruce thinking) and Tommy departs for a little walk. Bruce enters the Daily Planet and brings a bunch of roses to Lois. Clark and Lois were working on a story and Lois pretends to flirt with Bruce. Bruce asks whether he could use Lois's computer. He establishes a link with Oracle, about a plant called Aztec Gilia according to Oracle it requires ethylene which Lex Corp has bio engineered to withstand temperature changes. Lois secretly read some of that and Perry arrives and talks with Bruce, they both go on away from the newsroom. As for Lois ("So much for flirting with the billionaire playboy to find out what he is really doing here, hope I didn't make you too jealous, Mr Kent"). Clark says that there is another way to find out what Bruce is really doing here, he then pulls on his collar. That night, Batman breaks into Lex Corp tower, now that Lex is the President of the U.S.A, Talia Head is in control of the company. They both talk and Talia ("There is something different about you."). Batman asks her whether anyone in the city had obtained large doses of ethylene. She agrees to give him the information he needs and Batman gets a signal Catwoman had found Poison Ivy. Batman and Catwoman meet on an elevated train. Catwoman explains to Batman that she wants to get her revenge on Poison Ivy. She had taken control over her Catwoman's mind and now that she is out of it she wants to make her pay for violating her like that. She then tells Batman that he has to wait his turn when they confront Poison Ivy. At the docks, Poison Ivy is tending her plants, Catwoman comes in still pretending to be under her control but (Poison Ivy: *yesss, ;but I can always tell when someone is pretending!) She slaps Catwoman but she fights back, and cuts a shallow cut on her neck when one of Poison Ivy's vines attacks her, a flying batarang cuts through the vine killing it. Poison Ivy smiles and says she's got her own champion, the building begins to shake (..no, not here), two hands begins to lift the entire building("not now..:") and turns it over and it falls into the water. (Not HIM) Batman gets up from the rubble, Catwoman is unconscious and Superman stands in front of Batman with Poison Ivy in his arms. He warns Batman: If you come near her, you are going to have to go through me. Part 4:Batman vs Superman Catwoman wakes up from the rubble then Poison Ivy orders Superman (under her control) to kill them both. Superman uses his heat vision, Batman grabs Catwoman and ducks. The heat vision cuts through Batman's cape and Batman (still holding on to Catwoman) jumps into the water with her. He gives her a breathing mask and Batman presses a button in his belt and jet propellers propel them through the water. Poison Ivy looks down at her plants, all of them were dead. She tells Superman that he killed them and they were like children to her, (*I'm sorry) she smiles and tells Superman that there's one more thing she likes for him to do, she kisses him again to bring him to her control. Batman and Catwoman enter a tunnel accessed through the water and Oracle guides them through the maze. Batman explains that Superman will be back and plants several devices on the wall, and takes out a green kryptonite ring (You don't come to Metropolis, not expecting to meet him). Catwoman agrees to Batman's plan and kisses, she says next time he may not be able to do that. The walls suddenly begin to shake and Catwoman leaves. Superman bursts through the wall and Batman throws the first punch. They both fight and Batman activates a button in his belt and a hypersonic sound wave disrupts Superman's super hearing and gave him a massive headache. Superman fights back freezing Batman's hand . Batman activates the devices only the wall, a blinding light fills the tunnel. As Superman recovers (Clark! I've activated a gas leak, if you used your heat vision you will take out the entire block, and you know what building we are under!) Batman shoots his grapnel, Superman throws another punch but Batman swings away saying he lied about the gas main and Superman ends up hitting a power line. After Batman comes to the surface and melts away the ice on his hand, Superman comes out of the hole, angry, and picks up a truck to crush Batman (Look up, you can either save her or fight me) Superman looks up and sees Catwoman forcefully, taking Lois on a flag pole and she hits Catwoman on the stomach and falls. (C'mon Clark be the boyscout...please*). Superman super speeds into the air and catches Lois, breaking Poison Ivy's spell. (No offense Clark, but you look like hell. Lois). Superman lands on the roof top and so does Batman. He explains about the Poison Ivy's mind control and that her lipstick was laced with kryptonite for her spell to work, Clark knew what he was doing but couldn't control it. They talk about how to catch Poison Ivy and Batman picks up a leaf on Superman and points it to his face and Superman knew what he meant. A while later Poison Ivy is in a rich hotel room with her cash when Batman (it's over Poison Ivy) and she turns to the other side to see Superman now out of her spell, she runs to the door and opens it, only to face Krypto : the Superdog (All the detective work in the world can't beat a Superdog with super smell). Poison Ivy turns around to see Catwoman (Hello, Ivy) and she punches her lights out (Bye, Ivy). The sun begins to rise on Metropolis, Catwoman is with Krypto and Batman is on a gargoyle speaking with Superman. Clark says that Bruce could have hurt Lois, Batman answers that he knew Superman would react as he did. Superman: But still, you might have hurt Lois Batman: No, I believed in you. Superman: All the good work including the JLA. Batman: Meaning? Superman: (smiles) Always the detective? Batman: Ever the boy scout Superman: (shakes hand) Thanks now more than ever, I know I gave the ring to the right person. Batman: What are friends for? A bandaged figure on a distant roof with binoculars: "What are friends for?" Ha Ha Ha Part 5: Opera Bruce Wayne is back in Gotham and Alfred straightens Bruce's bow tie. He is attending an opera which he doesn't like. Selina Kyle is there too and so is Tommy Elliot and Dr. Leslie Thompkins . They enter the balcony and Tommy helps Leslie to the chair. The show begins and a figure in robes was banging a drum. Bruce and Selina became a bit suspicious then the figure bursts out of the robes and was really Harley Quinn . A gang of masked men come out with guns. Harley leaps acrobatically to the balcony and grabs a necklace Tommy is wearing she then shoots them and jumps away. Tommy goes after Harley, Bruce is missing and Leslie asks what Selina is keeping in her purse since it looks heavy. Tommy has a flashback of both childhood him and Bruce playing Bruce sees the necklace and jokes to dip it in water. Tommy explains that it is mother's necklace. Batman comes in uses a smoke grenade, mace and razor sharp batarangs to stop them. He goes after Quinn, then Catwoman swings in and kicks Harley. They both fight and Catwoman gets seriously injured and falls of the stage prop. Batman catches her on stage and the spectators clap thinking that its all part of the show. Leslie comes on stage with a medical bag telling Batman that she will help her while he goes after Harley. Tommy is still running after Harley but she has already dropped the bag with the necklace. Batman runs after them and finds that they are out of the Opera house. Batman runs through the rain and into an alley way and comes across (No) Tommy's corpse shot dead and the Joker near it with a....gun. Batman goes mad and contemplates on killing the Joker this time. He begins to strangle the Joker and meanwhile on the roof a bandaged figure is watching this. The police force arrives at the Opera house with Jim Gordon . He gets a call from the bandaged man telling him to come to the back. Gordon does so and sees Batman strangling him. Gordon stops Batman from doing it and allows the Joker to be sent to Arkham Asylum. Batman deals with Tommy's death and at his funeral Dick asks whether he should reveal his identity to Selina. At Arkham the bandaged figure come in and tears it off revealing it to be a bald Harvey Dent with no scars. He has the Joker released because he believes him to be innocent. At the Batcave, Alfred is tending some of Bruce's injuries and Catwoman is there and she asks about them. She sees a particular one on his chest where their is scratches. Batman (you don't remember?) it was the one she gave to him during their earlier encounters. He then reveals his identity to her. *[I haven't read the issue where the events in paragraph 2 takes place, most of them are important events mentioned on the internet.] Part 6: The Assassins It's a dark night over the skies of Metropolis. Lexcorp 1 is making a routine flight out of Metropolis. The Batplane is flying behind it. (Oracle, I'm in position), Batman presses a button and a device comes out and shoots a cable at Lexcorp 1. (Even for you, this is crazy, you got civilians in there Batman) Batman does not listen to her and swings down the rope. Batman thinks about his talk with Lucius about the design in the Lexcorp 1 and how it's similar to the Wayne Tech aircrafts. Batman places a gadgets near the hull and the cabin door opens. The plane begins to de-pressurize and Oracle jams their distress call. The guards confronts Batman who beats them easily. Batman had only seconds left before the cabin door re seals (by then I will have came for.) Talia. She was on the plane and Batman takes her out of the plane and jumps. Batman releases his parachute and Talia asks why he is doing this (Ask your father.). They parachute down into the bat boat. Batman believes it's Ras Al Ghul who is responsible for all that is happening. He has kidnapped Talia to get his attention. Some after midnight, Pete Ross runs into President Lex Luther's office explaining there's been a kidnapping and hijacking on Lexcorp 1. Pete explains that it was Batman and asks whether he wants to take action. Lex smiles and says (Not...yet). Batman returns to the Bat cave leaving Talia elsewhere. He comes in to find a sword embedded on the computer console. Batman picks up the sword and ("If he accompanied by any of his League of Assassins..then") Batman screams Alfred he runs up the stair case and out of the cave. To his relief Alfred was safe, they have a conversation and Alfred suggests that Ra's Al Ghul might want to draw Batman to his homeland and leave something or someone unprotected. Somewhere in Gotham, Catwoman is holding Talia hostage. Talia says she knows about Catwoman and Batman and she can never have him. Catwoman replies she's gone through life without having to have someone. Catwoman was thinking about gagging Talia when Lady Shiva comes in through the window. Catwoman jumps at
