Batman: Battle for the Cowl - The Underground #1

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE UNDERGROUND The Riddler reflects on the recent events occurring in Gotham City while in his office the Penguin wishes to hire him to find Black Mask.  Riddler starts his investigation and he realizes that Batman has "returned," with new, more violent methods. He is then is greeted by Harley Quinn, who wishes to tag along, and seems concerned about "Eddie's" safety. Harley joins Edward on his mission, even "hiring" him to allow her to help, with a mere 57 cents and Riddler gladly accepts her help.   In the meantime, Two-Face is admiring the chaos created by the rampant crime in Gotham, when Catwoman shows up and tries to apprehend him. Two-Face takes control of the vehicle he is in and manages to escape. Catwoman allows the criminal to escape because she is feeling very tired and seems to be giving up hope due to Bruce Wayne's disappearance.   Meanwhile, Killer Croc, Firefly, and Poison Ivy are attacking a warehouse owned by the Penguin, destroying everything inside as instructed by Black Mask. Firefly tells Ivy to get going to the next target, but Ivy decides to stop following Black Mask's orders and she disables the chemicals on her body that granted Black Mask control over her.   At that moment, Penguin is traveling in a convoy of cars, and is irately conversing with an underling on a cellphone regarding the recent activities of "Batman", when the convoy is attacked by Firefly, who destroys some of the cars. Just as he is about to destroy the Penguin's limo, Catwoman tackles Firefly and stops him from killing Cobblepot, much to the puzzlement of the Penguin, who escapes unscathed. Firefly ditches Catwoman and she is left alone in a burning street. While brooding, she sees Black Mask in the distance, which completely shocks her, as she killed him herself. Catwoman tries to approach the figure, but he soon disappears and then she spots "Batman", who starts shooting at Catwoman, after she initially thought that he was Bruce Wayne.   Riddler and Harley are at Holly Robinson's and Selina Kyle's apartment. Edward deduces that even though Holly wore the Catwoman costume at the time of Black Mask's death, Selina is the one who killed him, which slightly confuses Harley. Holly provides no useful information and then Poison Ivy then arrives, headlocks Riddler and threatens to kill him, despite Harley's protests that Riddler is her friend.  Catwoman keeps fighting "Batman" and she deduces that the man in the suit isn't Bruce, Tim Drake, or Nightwing, but someone else. After a long fight with Batman, who refers her to as "criminal trash," Catwoman gets flipped off of the overpass they are fighting on and lands on a car, losing her consciousness. When she recovers, she finds that Riddler, Harley, and Poison Ivy have found her and want to ask her some questions, despite the fact that she is not in her best condition.