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| Publisher |
DC |
| Artist |
Klaus Janson |
| Cover Artist |
Klaus Janson |
| Writer |
Grant Morrison |
| Colorist |
Steve Buccellato |
| Letterer |
John Costanza |
| Published | April 1990 |
GOTHIC: A ROMANCE PART 2 - THE DEATH SHIP Batman answers the summon of the inverted Bat-Signal and meets with the mob members. They tell him how twenty years ago they killed Mr. Whisper, the man with no shadow, and how he has returned to kill them one by one. They propose that Batman help them find Mr. Whisper and in return they will cease all criminal activity until he is found. Batman tells them no deal and leaves. At that moment, a young woman claiming to be the Bride of Christ is kicked out of the Gotham Cathedral, where Mister Whister is hiding. The next morning, Bruce Wayne tells Alfred about the recurrent nightmare that he has been experiencing. He also reveals a painful memory from his childhood which was triggered after listening to the mob members talking about the man with no shadow. As a small kid, Bruce was sent to a private school, where he and many other kids experienced bullying and torture at the hands of students and teachers alike. The headmaster was a man called Winchester and was probably the most vicious man among them. After one of Bruce's friends disappeared without an explanation, Bruce suspected Winchester and his attitude towards the man earned him several punishments at the hands of the twisted headmaster. However, Bruce was finally able to recall a most traumatic experience, in which he was being punished by Winchester, but he noticed that the man had no shadow at all. For years, Bruce thought this to be a misconstruction of reality from a kid's perspective, but after listening to the mob members, he is not quite sure anymore. That night, Mr. Whisper appears in Ottavio's penthouse, ready to kill him and Batman crashes in through the window. Whisper attempts to flee, but Batman takes off after Whisper and Ottavio realizes that Whisper has already killed him with poisoned wine. Whisper knocks Batman off the roof and using a Batrope, he swings back up onto the roof, where he confronts Whisper. When Batman calls Whisper by the name of "Winchester", the evil man realizes he knows Batman behind the mask and decides to let himself fall from the edge of the building to the street below. Knowing that Whisper is most likely alive, Batman tries to save Ottavio, but is already too late.
