Batman: Dark Victory #7

Issue Details

Synopsis

FOOLS The Special Task Force keeps their guns trained on Batman, demanding his surrender. Batman deploys a gas grenade, which disorients most of them, but Lopez keeps shooting even as her eyes water. As Batman leaves, Gordon orders his men to stand down. Batman is not the enemy, anyone with even the slightest grasp of the good that Batman has done for Gotham would know better than suspect him of being the Hangman. He directs them to help calm down some of the neighbors who were likely rattled by the gunfire, he has the unenviable task of telling Merkel's wife that she is now a widow.  Two weeks later, Two-Face convenes a tribunal in his underground hideout. The Joker, Scarecrow, Mad Hatter, Riddler, Poison Ivy, and Mister Freeze are serving as jurors, with Solomun Grundy as the bailiff. Calendar Man is delivering his testimony, still wearing his prison uniform, but now featuring tattoos on his head. Two-Face tells them that the tribunal's purpose is to determine the identity of the Hangman. Since Calendar Man offered valuable insight into Holiday, Two-Face suspects he might offer similar insight into the Hangman. Calendar Man notes that all the evidence suggests that Dent himself is responsible for the murders. Two-Face insists that it is too obvious, someone is clearly trying to frame him. He asks Calendar Man who the Hangman will target next. Calendar Man tells Harvey that he should already know that information. He should hurry though, today is a holiday: April Fool's Day.   At the Falcone Estate, Alberto is again contacted by the disembodied voice of his father, who directs him to the gun he used as Holiday. He quickly hides it as Sofia and Mr. Mirti return to the mansion. They have just returned from meeting Don Gazzo in Metropolis. Gazzo is going to have some words with Mario. Sofia demands to know where Alberto stands in her feud with Mario. Alberto simply tells her that she can do whatever she wants with Mario, he has his own plans.   After a training session, Batman and Alfred go over more forensic data from the Hangman murders. Batman expresses his frustration at Porter keeping him out of the investigation, and suggests they investigate her. Alfred tells him to list the order of the Hangman's victims, and he gets it wrong. Alfred notes that Bruce has been behaving erratically since Christmas and the breakup with Selina. Batman finally remembers that he was poisoned by Scarecrow on Christmas. Alfred fetches his medical bag.   Gordon is phoning Barbara from his office, when he notices someone has activated the Bat signal. When he goes out to investigate, he finds a rope around his neck. Batman arrives just in time to see Two-Face cutting him down. Two-Face insists that he is not the Hangman, someone is going to great lengths to set him up. Saving Gordon proves his innocence, but he will not help them any further. He adds that he has two snipers aimed at Gordon, and they will shoot unless they let him go. After Two-Face slips into the shadows, Batman wonders if Two-Face faked the hanging to throw suspicion off him. Gordon suggests that if it was the real Hangman, he would have left a note. Upon closer inspection, they find a police report involving Mario Falcone's deportation. Chief O'Hara was the arresting officer, and Harvey Dent was the prosecutor.   At the Ace Trucking Company, Zucco notes that Skeevers has recovered nicely from the injuries he sustained last month, but Skeevers is more concerned about the war between the Falcones and the Arkham Asylum escapees, as it is starting to hurt their bottom line. Zucco assures him that he has found a new way to move merchandise, and if it works, it will make them both very rich.