Nightwing #36

Issue Details

Synopsis

NO MAN'S LAND PART 42: ESCAPE TO BLACKGATE PART 2 - NOTHING BUT TIME Nightwing is lying unconscious in Blackgate Penitentiary after Lock-Up attacked him from behind. Lock-Up tells the Trigger Twins to carry him down to the hole where all the other inmates are being held. One of them tries to unmask Nightwing but Lock-Up prevents that from happening. When the Twins are about to drop Nightwing in the hole, they search his suit looking for Batarangs or any other weapons Nightwing has; but the suit protection system is enabled and they receive an electric shock. The Twins are mad and kick Nightwing while he is down and then they throw him into the hole.  After a while, Nightwing recovers and he realizes that he is surrounded by all of the Blackgate inmates. At once, Nightwing starts to fight all of them at the same time. His acrobatic skills helps him to reach the ceiling bars where he looks for a way out of the hole but on top of him is KGBeast who forces Nightwing down again. Jonathan Crane, a.k.a. The Scarecrow talks to the inmates and tells them that Nightwing's presence might be helpful for them. Garfield Lynns opposes that idea and wants to kill Nightwing as revenge for his burned skin. Black Mask is in favor of keeping Nightwing alive and so the inmates are divided into two groups and they start to fight each other.   Meanwhile in Bludhaven, Chief Redhorn grants Nite-Wing access to his personal files and records on the most prominent criminals in Bludhaven. Redhorn offers Nite-Wing the chance to work for him as his personal vigilante and Nite-Wing accepts the offer gladly. Elsewhere, Blockbuster is looking at the options for his heart transplant and when his mother listens to what is happening, Blockbuster tells her the truth. She is devastated.   Back in Blackgate, the inmates are killing each other and The Ventriloquist talks to them and makes them understand that Nightwing is their best option for getting out of there. Lock-Up and his men are worried for Nightwing's presence and they search the prison looking for Batman. They find nothing and Lock-Up is even more concerned. He asks Elmo Galvan's opinion and the man just laughs at them.   Lock-Up tries to speak to Nightwing down in the hole, but The Mad Hatter tells him that Steeljacket killed Nightwing and ate him. Tetch shows Lock-Up a skull as a proof. Lock-Up is convinced and Nightwing's plan is working. The inmates are gathered around Nightwing expecting him to come up with the next step of the plan. Nightwing looks around and notices that the walls are filled with gunpowder. The cellar is used as storage for weapons and the walls contain amounts of gunpowder. Nightwing tells the prisoners to start taking as much gunpowder as possible from the walls and he is expecting that it will be enough to blow up one of the walls.   Lock-Up is really worried now that he thinks that Nightwing was dead. He knows that Batman will show up any moment soon and he doesn't want the inmates getting the chance at freedom. Lock-Up decides that it is time to sentence all of them to their deaths.