{"product_id":"batman-vol-2-27","title":"Batman Vol 2 #27","description":"\u003cp\u003eAproximate Grade: 9.2\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSomeone has set the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dc.fandom.com\/wiki\/Batman_(Bruce_Wayne)\" title=\"Batman (Bruce Wayne)\"\u003eBatman\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eup for murders committed by\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dc.fandom.com\/wiki\/Karl_Helfern_(Prime_Earth)\" title=\"Karl Helfern (Prime Earth)\"\u003eDr. Death\u003c\/a\u003e, and now the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dc.fandom.com\/wiki\/Gotham_City_Police_Department\" title=\"Gotham City Police Department\"\u003eGCPD\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis hot on his trail, fully intent on charging him for the crimes. Unfortunately, the police seem to be aware of his every tactic, and with each move he makes, they are prepared to counteract it. This problem is compounded by his inability to get any communication signal from the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dc.fandom.com\/wiki\/Batcave\" title=\"Batcave\"\u003eBatcave\u003c\/a\u003e. In an effort to make a quick getaway, Batman makes for his\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dc.fandom.com\/wiki\/Batboat\" title=\"Batboat\"\u003eBatboat\u003c\/a\u003e, only to learn that it has been rigged to explode. With both his identity and his health at risk, Batman desperately tries to outrun the police snipers' bullets. He is forced into the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dc.fandom.com\/wiki\/Gotham_River\" title=\"Gotham River\"\u003eGotham River\u003c\/a\u003e, where he encounters a lone\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dc.fandom.com\/wiki\/James_Gordon_(Prime_Earth)\" title=\"James Gordon (Prime Earth)\"\u003eJim Gordon\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ein a police dingy. The Lieutenant promises that he will save Batman's life and protect him from\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dc.fandom.com\/wiki\/Gillian_B._Loeb_(Prime_Earth)\" title=\"Gillian B. Loeb (Prime Earth)\"\u003eCommissioner Loeb\u003c\/a\u003e's men. Reluctantly, Batman accepts his helping hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJim insists that Batman should remove his cowl before the acid that was sprayed on it burns through his eye, offering up his prescription glasses as a show of good will in maintaining the vigilante's secret. Of course, Batman must be his eyes, lest they crash the boat with the storm still approaching the city rapidly. Jim admits that it was the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dc.fandom.com\/wiki\/Edward_Nygma_(Prime_Earth)\" title=\"Edward Nygma (Prime Earth)\"\u003eRiddler\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewho sent the department information about the Batman's methods, claiming that they were estranged partners. Given that, Batman wonders why Jim would help him. The lieutenant explains that he has not met many men who would save others' lives without thought. Batman had saved\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ehis\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003elife at\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dc.fandom.com\/wiki\/Ace_Chemical_Processing_Plant\" title=\"Ace Chemical Processing Plant\"\u003eA.C.E. Chemical\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003erecently.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBatman asks why he should listen, and Jim responds that he should listen because of Bruce Wayne. Ever since Wayne returned to Gotham, something had changed in him. He had met Bruce once after he'd skipped school, and he was called to bring him back. On the way, they stopped to check in with shop owners as part of their usual rounds, and Bruce had\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eseen\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eJim accept a gift - a coat. He had told Bruce that it was a gift of thanks for his help, but the look of hope on the boy's face drove him to worry that maybe Gotham\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ewasn't\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eany better than\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dc.fandom.com\/wiki\/Chicago\" title=\"Chicago\"\u003eChicago\u003c\/a\u003e. Maybe Gotham was just as corrupt. The feeling motivated him to return to one of the shops on the route that night, just to be sure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe was horrified to discover that a dog-fighting ring was being run out of the establishment.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"new\" title=\"Dan Corrigan (Prime Earth) (page does not exist)\"\u003eDan Corrigan\u003c\/span\u003e, his own partner, was there, breaking bread with criminals. When Jim threatened to go to Loeb with this, he was disturbed to learn that the Commissioner was in on it too. Realizing that he wouldn't play ball, they threw him in with the dogs. It took him a moment, then, to realize that they\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ewanted\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ethe dogs to tear him apart. When it was all over, it turned out that Corrigan was the only one who had bet on him to\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003elive\u003c\/i\u003e. Jim had\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ewanted\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eto kill him, but instead, he decided to walk his beat, shut his mouth, and stay out of it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat night, though, when he walked his route up\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dc.fandom.com\/wiki\/Park_Row\" title=\"Park Row\"\u003ePark Row\u003c\/a\u003e, he heard two gunshots, and discovered Bruce Wayne\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eagain\u003c\/i\u003e, crying over his murdered parents. After seeing him so hopeful that afternoon, he couldn't face Bruce. The next day, an anonymous present came for his daughter\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dc.fandom.com\/wiki\/Barbara_Gordon_(Prime_Earth)\" title=\"Barbara Gordon (Prime Earth)\"\u003eBarbara\u003c\/a\u003e. It was a pit-bull puppy - a reminder. So, Jim still wears that coat he'd received as a reminder to\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ethem\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ethat he hasn't forgotten what\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ethey\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003edid either. Sometimes, though, he wonders if he doesn't just wear it out of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eshame\u003c\/i\u003e. Since that awful night, though, Jim feels that\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003emaybe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ethere's a chance things can get better in Gotham. Bruce Wayne came\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eback\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eto fight. The Batman is helping to change crime. Maybe, together, they can fix the city. Batman calls for Jim to stop the boat, and finding his glasses surreptitiously replaced in his front pocket, Jim puts them on. By then, the Batman has already gone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dc.fandom.com\/wiki\/Alfred_Pennyworth_(Prime_Earth)\" title=\"Alfred Pennyworth (Prime Earth)\"\u003eAlfred Pennyworth\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efinds Bruce working on the jammer he built to counter another EMP attack by the Riddler. Unfortunately, tests cannot pinpoint the location of Dr. Death's lab, and so with no leads, Alfred suggests it is time for Bruce to eat - or rather\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003edrink\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e- his breakfast smoothie, commenting that lately, he has had to feed Bruce through an IV, with all the injuries he's incurring. He suggests that Bruce might benefit from some\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ehelp\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e- like that offered by Jim Gordon, who appears to be one of the few good cops in the city. Meanwhile, Alfred himself wishes to help.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlfred explains that there was a time when word got out that Bruce was sighted before he returned to Gotham, and\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dc.fandom.com\/wiki\/Philip_Kane_(Prime_Earth)\" title=\"Philip Kane (Prime Earth)\"\u003ePhilip Kane\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ehad endeavoured to go and\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ecollect\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ehim. Alfred had used his old military contacts, spending all of his savings in an effort to get word of Philip's plans to Bruce\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003efirst\u003c\/i\u003e. He got a courier to put a phone in Bruce's hand, and he waited on the other end of the line for the sound of his lost charge's voice, but nothing came but silence. Even though he tried to rationalize that the courier had lied in order to get the payment, Alfred\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eknew\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ethat Bruce was there, and that he'd refused the call. He had told himself that with his reputation for having reported Bruce for truancy as a boy, reporting that behaviour to his parents, Bruce would have no reason to trust that he'd help him escape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow that Bruce is back, though, Alfred sees the truth. It wasn't that Bruce didn't trust him. It isn't that Bruce doesn't trust Jim Gordon, either. He is just\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eangry\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewith them for failing to be there for him when his parents were killed. Nobody was there, and so part of him is angry at the entire\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ecity\u003c\/i\u003e. Being Batman is, in part, a way for Bruce to\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003epunish\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ethe city for failing him, by making them bare witness to\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ehis\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003esuccess. By being now what they could not be, then, he\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eshames\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ethem all. Letting the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003epast\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ebe what drives Batman will cause him to fizzle out, eventually, though. And having seen his example, the people\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ewant\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eto help. Bruce cuts Alfred's heartfelt pleading short, explaining that he has determined where Dr. Death's lab is.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBatman enters the city's catacombs, pointing out to Alfred via radio that the catacombs cannot be a tourist attraction during a blackout. The multiple DNA sources of the sample they tested is explained by the dust from bones and decayed remains from within the catacombs. In any case, the catacombs stand as a monument to the idea that the essence of a person can be carried on through his or her bones - which plays into Dr. Death's flair for the dramatic. It isn't long before Batman discovers the lab, but what he finds there disturbs him. He realizes that Helfern's killings aren't\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003erevenge\u003c\/i\u003e, they're a\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003esmokescreen\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efor his theft of the victims' research materials, with which he intends to build some kind of doomsday device. Of course, this wasn't Helfern's plan - it was his\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003emaster's\u003c\/i\u003e. And that master is the Riddler.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt that moment, the Riddler's visage appears on Helfern's computer monitor, and he calmly remarks that the deaths of thousands is his\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eintent\u003c\/i\u003e. The world is throwing more disasters at humans all the time, and the only way they will survive is with\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eintelligence\u003c\/i\u003e. He proposes that if he forces humanity to get smarter or\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003edie\u003c\/i\u003e, it will prepare them to face destruction, and evade it. Batman though, he says, is not not smart enough to survive his plans. A sudden explosion causes the catacombs to flood, and the last thing Batman hears before being swept under the water is that Gotham City will soon belong to the Riddler, and the time of the self-styled detective is\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eover\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"DC Comics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52496101933358,"sku":null,"price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0845\/2027\/2174\/files\/DSCF0026_f49f7960-e0ff-4b5c-abdf-0ef523961044.jpg?v=1787628975","url":"https:\/\/lunatechcomics.com\/zh\/products\/batman-vol-2-27","provider":"Luna-Tech Comics LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}