Batman: Black & White #4

Issue Details

Synopsis

AN INNOCENT GUY An upstanding average young Gothamite records how he is sick of being good and being good or bad only matters if you have done both of them. Therefore, he has decided to do something bad. Initially, he had thought about abducting a young girl and letting her starve while chained to a bed in the sewers. Realizing this would give him now fame, he states he needs a more famous target, which he can fulfill with his own city's hero Batman.  He gloats that no one will catch him because he'll leave no evidence behind and even though Batman has the technology to monitor everything he is saying, he knows he won't since he is a good guy. He imagines how Batman will fight with various villains, he'll eventually come across the Penguin. And that's when the youth states he'll kill him. He however plans to escape before anyone discovers the vigilante's corpse and lead a normal life from thereon out. MONSTERS IN THE CLOSET Batman spots a strange liquid being thrown out of a building while keeping a watch on the city. Discovering that the building belongs to the Langdales, whose heiress recently went missing, he discovers that the liquid contains a strange small creature. Deciding to investigate the building, he comes upon a scientist creating strange hybrids and claiming he's doing it legally. Batman however spots water coming from behind a book shelf and upon investigating, discovers it is hiding a secret room.   Batman discovers a tank containing man and woman (the missing Langdale heiress) turned into hybrids, before being shot at by the scientist. The bullet however hits the tank instead and the force of water drags everyone outside. Batman gets grabbed by the Male hybrid and knocks him out, but is unable to save the scientist who gets dragged away into the ocean by the heiress. Upon inspecting further, he realizes the hybrid couple must have laid thousands of eggs which need to be destroyed to prevent any danger. HEROES  Robbie Lowell remembers how in his childhood he had no dearth of heroes, but one hero in particular, Batman, imbibed some traits of all the heroes he idolized. His father Norman, who was an industrial designer, meanwhile was obsessed with his work, especially ever since his wife died. One night his father kept working in his office and when requested by his son to go back home, kept stating he'll be done soon. As the bored Robbie looked out the window, he saw Batman but was interrupted by Kolb before he could tell his father.   Norman recognized Kolb as one of the members of the German tour group whose business proposition he had rejected earlier. Kolb reveals himself to be a Nazi agent and threatens Norman about killing Robbie if he doesn't agree to work for Germany. Norman is forced to agree and Kolb has his designs put in his briefcase. As he makes the father-son duo walk towards the roof, he gets confronted by Batman who states he knows his truth and that he killed an informant for the Americans as well.   Kolb soon turns around to fire at Batman and assumes that he died. After reaching the roof, he tells Norman that they're going to be traveling in a blimp, which will be anchored to the mast of his workplace. As Kolb makes them climb into the blimp, Batman arrives in a Batplane and fights him. Kolb falls to his death in the melee and Batman drops off Robbie with his father, while also leaving designs for his Batplane. Robbie remembers how at that time he didn't have a dearth of heroes, but Batman was not only someone who had traits of all heroes, but maybe also those who weren't considered heroes. LEAVETAKING After being shot by a goon, Batman starts remembering the night his parents died. As his mind remembers his wounded father calling out, he sees Robin come up and ask if he's alright. Batman however soon learns it was just an illusion as the man gets confused when he states how surprised he was to find Robin, and leaves as he doesn't want anything to do with it.   Bruce then then sees Alfred coming up to help him, but finds it's a hallucination as his mind shifts back to the night his parents died. Thomas Wayne called out for help, but a drunk passer-by refused as he didn't want to become a suspect. Batman's mind shifts back to present as he has an illusion about Gordon. It however turns out to be a police officer who refuses to help as it would mean a lot of paperwork for him.   As he struggles to walk after getting up, Batman remembers how his father was taken to hospital in critical condition but soon died, leaving a heartbroken Bruce pleading with his father to not leave him, something he does in the present as well while reliving his traumatic memory. THE THIRD MASK Batman chases after a man he's been seeking. The scene flashbacks to the time when Jim Gordon informed him about a recent victim being killed by buried under rubble. The killer was involved in other murders too and the police had initially suspected he had associates since varying tactics were used in the serial killings. Back in present, Batman asks the man who he was chasing and caught up to, about how he's managed to use so much variety in his killings even though he doesn't look someone capable of doing so.   The killer states that like many other people, he has different facets of personality, as he transforms to a raging brute. Batman is unable to overpower him after engaging in a fight and finds him standing at a ledge high above ground after recovering from being knocked away. The killer states that he can understand his split personality since he wears a mask and once someone acquires more than one personality, there's no limit to which they can go. Batman later believing he jumped off the ledge, goes to investigate, but finds he has simply fled.   Later at his manor, Bruce remembers the killer's word about multiple personalities and goes after him after learning he's fighting at Gotham City Gas Utility facility. Meanwhile the cops fire at the killer, but are unable to hit him. As the killer mocks them, he finds Batman coming towards him and stating that he's not Batman.