Batgirl #29

Issue Details

Synopsis

ART OF THE CRIME, FINALE: DIPTYCH Batgirl drives to Gotham Museum of Antiquities to stop Grotesque, who is the detective leading the security team. Given that the whole place will become a shooting gallery if she shows up as Batgirl, Barbara puts on a dress and walks into the building. As her father shows her around, Barbara tries to spot Dark Web's agents among the cops and the public. When she comes upon Evan Douglas, though, he looks unexpectedly hesitant.  Barbara heads into the women's restroom, suits up and turns the fire alarm on. Then Batgirl goes to confront Detective Douglas. Batgirl reveals she can free him from Wyrm's control thanks to an inhibitor device if he repents, discloses the bomb's location and turns himself in. Douglas claims he can't and won't cross Wyrm and transforms into a Terminal. At the same time, several cops are forcefully transformed into Dark Web's mind-controlled Terminals.   Batgirl manages to take down several of them, albeit one Terminal punches her father out, and faces Grotesque. Grotesque has the upper hand, though, and as ranting over his victims deserving getting killed because they had better, more fullfilling lives than him, he pins Batgirl to the ground. Claiming he isn't being controlled by Wyrm, Grotesque sets off the bombs, but he orders the Terminals to evacuate the civilians before the ten-minute-long countdown is over. However, the Terminals go against his orders and block the emergency exits.   Batgirl exploits Grotesque's shock to sweep him off her and wrestle him to the ground. Then she gives him two options: dying together with everyone else or stopping the Terminals and getting back whatever is left of his self. Grotesque agrees; he blocks the signal controlling the Terminals and reveals where is the bomb. The Terminals turn on Batgirl but she fights her way past them while Douglas provides backup. Batgirl destroys the bomb, but the Terminals attack Douglas. All of sudden, Wyrm shows up and boasts that he is untraceable and still has the stolen art, and executes Douglas. Then he vanishes.   Later, Barbara is sitting by Commissioner Gordon's hospital bed when he comes around. She pretends she was trapped in the bathroom during the mayhem, and hints Douglas might have been involved but he tried to turn around and help. James admits sometimes he is upset and feels useless, and Barbara confesses she is scared about the surgery and him.   Three days later, James is watching how his daughter is being wheeled into the surgery when he is approached by two F.B.I. agents.