Detective Comics #42

Issue Details

Synopsis

PARTNERSHIPS Despite being shot with an RPG, Batman is alright, but before he can recover completely, his assailants shoot out the joints in his robotic suit's knees, preventing him from getting further. Spotting one of the men aiming for a killshot with a crossbow, he shines bright lights into the man's face, throwing off his aim, and buying time for GCPD reinforcements to show up. The attackers escape, but Jim suspects that they'll be back. After all, he was their target. Their weapons were designed to short-circuit his suit.   Later, Commissioner Sawyer informs her staff that they will be required to attend Le Cirque de Volant, with assigned seating that matches the seating for the following night, when Gotham's VIPs will be attending. Despite the problems of their own that the Major Crimes Unity is facing, Maggie insists that she needs all hands on deck for this credible threat. Disgusted by the jeers of his colleagues, Harvey Bullock ditches the briefing, prompting Renee Montoya to chase after. She reminds that the divide between the straight and the crooked in the precinct has always been there, and Harvey wonders if she intends to root out the bad ones. Grimly, he suggests that she has become a snitch, since she moved to Blüdhaven.   As he returns to his apartment with his girlfriend Nancy, Harvey comments that Gotham seems to have been turned upside down recently. He worries that Montoya is working for Internal Affairs, and might be trying to dig something up on him. Nancy supposes that maybe, Renee is looking for someone else.   Meanwhile, Renee checks in on the thug who was injured in the attack on Batman, hoping he might have recovered enough to tell her something about why they attacked. Unbeknownst to her, she is being watched by the man's compatriots, who swear revenge.   Harvey lies awake when his phone begins vibrating on the nightstand. Grabbing it, he sees that it's from Jim Gordon, picking it up, he notes that Nancy's phone has had eleven missed calls tonight - all from the same number.   Harvey meets Jim on the steps to his building, and admits that some of the cops think he's a joke as the Batman. While it seems good to offer the advice that Jim will win some and lose some, they both know that when it comes to Batman, there's no time for a learning curve. Jim changes the subject to Harvey and Nancy's relationship, and wonders if his friend trusts her. Harvey responds that he doesn't trust anyone except Jim. On that note, both of their phones start ringing, signaling that the Batman is needed again.   Unfortunately for Harvey and his task force, they are mostly needed to wait, for the time being. Tiring of waiting, Nancy decides to get a coffee. As she walks away, Renee notes that Nancy seems to be making a lot of private calls. Once she's out of earshot, Harvey passes Renee a note with a phone number on it, and asks her to check it out - it is the number from Nancy's phone. He ignores her questions, and leaves her to grab a doughnut.   Batman, meanwhile, is tracking the three remaining assailants, who call themselves La Morte. Jim is uncomfortable. He feels that they know he is following them, like they're leading him into a trap. He confronts them on top of a building with three water-towers, and as he calls them out, they detonate explosives in the towers, washing him under the flowing water. Daryl Gutierrez notes that they must already know that the suit is airtight, so they must have other plans. The water pushes Jim off the roof, and upon impact, the suit short-circuits.   Knowing something's wrong, Harvey and his team speed to Jim's location, hoping to save him before the assassins get to him. Desperately, Harvey warns Jim not to leave the suit, but it's too late, and Jim is outnumbered.