Detective Comics #730

Issue Details

Synopsis

NO MAN'S LAND PART 4 : No Law and a New Order Part 4 - Language Batman and Alfred are in a make-shift Batcave discussing the use of spray paint for Batman to mark his territory in No Man's Land. Although Alfred decries it as an act of vandalism, Batman calls it the new language of Gotham. Batman travels through an empty city at night, realizing that for the first time ever, the streets of Gotham are safe at night because it's too dark to see anything. For this reason, no one can see him as he marks his territory, and replaces the mark of Scarface.  The next morning, Officer Ramirez shows Commissioner Gordon one of Batman's marks on a statue outside of the Blue Boys' territory. Gordon says that it must be a jokester making the marks, because Batman would never be tagging places and he has abandoned them anyway. They paint over the symbol so no one believes the street is safe, and don't try to find whoever made the mark since it is outside of their territory.   The same morning, Scarface's gang discovers Batman's mark in their territory. While The Ventriloquist gives him a Zesti to drink, one of the gang members paints over the symbol to send a message. The message isn't enough for Scarface, who kills one of the people of the neighborhood and paints his symbol on the corpse. He then orders the people back to work.   At night, Batman finds his symbol painted over and the corpse from Scarface. He realizes that since he was gone no one respects his symbol anymore. He knows that the people must see him to fear him again and tries to have a neighborhood civilian tell him where Scarface is. The man refuses, however, since Scarface protects the people. A guard hears Batman and takes a shot at him, but misses. As returns to his make-shift Batcave, he wonders why the guard did not shoot at him again. In the cave, he tells Alfred that he has a responsibility to take back Gotham. In Scarface's territory, the guard tells Scarface what happened and asks for another bullet for his gun.   When Batman can't get much information from Oracle, he decides to go undercover. Dressed as a bum, he is confronted by one of Scarface's gang. Batman asks for a trade, as he has a full bottle of Zesti Cola. They finally come to a deal and Batman passes a note to Scarface. It tells Scarface that he has a box of ammo to trade if he wants. When the gang brings Batman the bum to see Scarface, he finally convinces him to a trade. However, Batman has set up a trap and takes out some gang members and steals Scarface from The Ventriloquist. Knowing he must do something to bring his image back, Batman goes outside during the day and taunts Scarface's snipers to shoot him. He is shot in the back, and looks to be dead, but gambled correctly and the snipers did not have armor piercing bullets. He gets up and the men believe that he is not human.   Although he liberated the people, they didn't know what to do. He realizes that these people need order and rules, so he tells Rhino to keep the people working as they have but this time Batman will provide the rations. Batman then frees The Ventriloquist and tell him to go away from there and then Batman told the Ventriloquist's henchmen that they were going to work for him from now on. With Batman as the true Boss, Scarface's gang will keep his rules for the people. Batman finally marks the territory as his own.