Batman: Dark Victory #13

Issue Details

Synopsis

PEACE Batman is hanging from a noose at the Falcone Penthouse, when Catwoman appears out of nowhere. Batman leaps back to the building and assumes that Catwoman is involved somehow in the hangman killings and he attacks her and forces her to confess where she has been for the last six months and why was she at the penthouse. Catwoman explains that the night Carmine Falcone was murdered, she scratched Sofia's face, just like she did her father. However, Sofia survived the fall from that night thanks to Catwoman's bola and was saved by Angelo Mirti, who took Sofia to Italy, to her brother Mario. There she was operated by a plastic surgeon that fixed her face completely, but she scarred it back, to resemble her father's face. As Catwoman explains the situation, Batman asks why she cares about Sofia and before she can answer, Batman leaves her talking alone.  Batman returns to the Batcave and it is revealed that he was using a special neck brace that prevented him from being killed by the noose. Dick Grayson is willing to help, but Bruce isn't in the mood to deal with him. Dick tells Alfred that he just wants to help, but Bruce never asks and Alfred tells him that Bruce may never ask for it.   At 2:00 a.m. of Columbus Day, Two-Face and his gang kill all the members of the Falcone Crime Family except for Sofia, Alberto and Mario.   Meanwhile, at the Gotham Cemetery, James Gordon and Julia Lopez await at Janice Porter's grave to meet with Alberto Falcone, who is looking for protection after all that's happened. At that moment at the Falcone Mausoleum, Sofia Falcone is taking care of his wounded brother, Alberto, who was shot by Calendar Man. Alberto wants to go to a Hospital, but Sofia wouldn't allow it because they would be discovered if they go to any hospital. Sofia tells him to be like their father, who survived being shot five times in the chest. Alberto replies that he is not their father and Sofia is infuriated by the answer and kills Alberto by asphyxiating him.   Later, Mario Falcone is taken to Gordon's office in the GCPD Headquarters, where he tells Gordon and Lopez about the deal he had with Janice Porter. Mario was giving Porter all the information about Sofia's movements in return of protection. Gordon and Lopez show him the last record from Lauren Wilcox before she was hanged and Mario tells them that Wilcox is the name of someone who was part of Sofia Falcone's deals. The evidence makes sense and the officers are in shock to learn that one of them was a betrayer. At that moment, Batman appears in Gordon's office and reveals to them that Sofia Falcone is the Hangman Killer. As soon as Batman finished his sentence, a big explosion destroys the windows of the office and many expulsions across the city are destroying the streets.   The gas lines have been opened and set afire, causing the sewer system to collapse and forcing Two-Face and the whole Arkham gang leave their hideout in a hurry. While Gordon takes care of the citizens, Batman goes to the sewers and saves a burning Scarecrow from dying and asks him about Two-Face's whereabouts.   Two-Face is escaping from the chaos in the sewers when suddenly, a noose falls around his neck and he is hanged from one of the main pipes. The whole place starts burning as Two-Face is hanging from his neck. The killer appears from the flames and she approaches Two-Face in a menacing way. Sofia reveals herself to the man she hated the most for killing her father. Two-Face spits her and she punches him in the stomach and tightens the rope he is hanging from. A Batarang cuts the rope, saving Two-Face's life and Batman fights Sofia Falcone. Batman struggles for a while and as he gets the upper hand in the fight, Two-Face kills Sofia by shooting her from behind directly in the head. As Sofia's body falls down, Two-Face places the noose around her neck and hangs her from the pipe she was hanging him while he drops down to a lower level in the sewers.   Two-Face reaches the gang and they find in a dead end. Two-Face tells Solomon Grundy to remove the electrified fence in order to keep moving. The undead does as he is told but the shock causes him to drop unconscious. Two-Face and the rest leave him behind and keep moving forward until they arrive at the Batcave. Dick Grayson realizes the threat of the villains inside the cave and decides that it's time to start acting. He gets himself a disguise and using his skills, he drops a stalactite on top of Mister Freeze and knocks down Poison Ivy with a rock just in time for Batman to make it to the cave. Batman and Dick attack Two-Face and Joker and when they have the situation under control, Batman starts beating Two-Face until the latter pulls out a gun and points it towards Batman. Two-Face feels victorious for having eliminated all the organized crime in Gotham, turning him into the most powerful force in the city, until Joker shoots him and makes him fall to a dark abyss in the cave. Joker tells Batman that he wouldn't let Two-Face have it all, because in the end, all he wanted was to get rid of the organized crime, just like the "old" Harvey Dent. Joker starts telling Batman that only they understand Gotham City but before he is finished, Dick knocks him down by breaking a staff in his face. Batman is surprised with Dick's performance and with his costume. After the incident, Batman decided to seal off the tunnel from the sewers, to prevent events like that from happening again.   Days later, Gordon and Batman discuss the aftermath of the events and Gordon thanks Batman for the help provided in the hangman case. Gordon also tells Batman that he wants to meet his young partner sometime.   On Halloween night, Julia Lopez is a guest at the Gordons' place, and Gordon tells her that he is appointing her as Chief of Police.   At the Falcone Estate, Mario has lost what he had left of sanity and he burned the whole place down after learning that Sofia Falcone murdered their own brother Alberto. As the last member of the Falcone Crime Empire, the man has been left in a broken state.   Selina Kyle visits the reconstructed gravesite of Carmine Falcone and she reveals that she always robbed from him because she always had the right to claim some of his money to change her life into one that she deserved. She explains that she left for Italy in order to prove once and for all that she is Carmine's daughter. She failed, but deep inside, she is convinced that Falcone is her father.   Meanwhile, somewhere in Gotham's sewers, Two-Face keeps the corpse of the man he hated the most, Carmine Falcone, inside a block of ice.   In the Batcave, Batman makes Dick go through a ritual in which he is asked about his costume and the name he wants to be called. Dick tells that he chose his costume in honor of his dead parents and that his secret name from now own will be Robin. Under the dim light of a candle, the two orphans swear to protect Gotham together. Batman and Robin.