This month, Batman takes a break from Zero Year with a spoiler-filled issue from Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV and Dustin Nguyen that acts an appetiser for the upcoming weekly series, Batman Eternal. Taking a glimpse into the future of the Bat-verse, there’s plenty of surprises in Batman #28, which I will go into depth here. Big SPOILER WARNING if you haven’t read the issue.
UNLOCKING THE FUTURE
Let’s start with the cover. It’s a deceptively simple cover, but it is a striking image. While many of the questions raised by this issue may be solved in the coming months, there’s still a good amount we can gather. The very first thing we see in
Batman #28 - Dustin Nguyen’s cover - could represent unlocking the future of Batman, as shown by the Bat-shaped lock hole; it could also symbolise the locked up Stephanie Brown, who we see tied up in Selina Kyle’s vault. By the time we reach April there will most probably be yet another layer to this cover, but for now it still remains somewhat a mystery.
DESOLATION ROW
First appearing in May 2012’s
Batman #7, Harper Row has a played a very small role in Snyder’s DCnU Batman stories, popping up in various issues in various situations. After moving out of her abusive father’s home, Harper and her brother Cullen take to the Narrows and are… pretty poor. She and Batman have interacted a few times, but here she plays her biggest role yet - as the Dark Knight’s new parter, Bluebird. Rocking a new punk-flavoured costume (a fantastic blend of Nightwing and Robin) and big guns, she’s definitely unlike any member of the Bat-family we’ve seen.
This puts aside rumours that she would take up the mantle of Nightwing - though his fate is still very much uncertain - but also asks more than it answers. She’s been trained by Batman’s “sidekicks” with bad-ass new abilities - so where
are those sidekicks? And which ones are they? I’m going to say, based on her use of firearms, she’s had some help from Jason Todd, and potentially Tim Drake, too. Why is she disrespecting Bruce’s code of honour (no guns) - but more importantly, why is he totally cool with Harper using them?
Perhaps he’s become desperate. Selina mentions that he’s “lost so much already… your friends… this city”. Lost them how? Dick Grayson’s got one foot in the afterlife already. The ‘Happy Batsgiving’ piece featured in DC comics a few months ago featured Jim Gordon in handcuffs and Alfred in a straight jacket, so they’re out of the game somehow (Snyder has mentioned that their future is in “jeopardy”). In fact, there’s no sign of the Bat-family at all - no existing New 52 members, anyway.
We’ve got a mysterious female-looking figure manning the Batcomputer, stating she’s “still new at this”. There’s a few possibilities there. It could be Cassandra Cain, who’s yet to appear in the new relaunch. It could be Cullen Row. It could be Carrie Kelley, who was introduced into New 52 continuity in
Batman and Robin. As there’s no sign of the Caped Crusader’s most trusted allies, it’s fair to say the Bat-family is getting a shake-up.
SERIOUS BUSINESS
Which leads us to Selina Kyle, who, it turns out, is the new “Kingpin of Crime” in Gotham. She’s running The Egyptian, the last nightclub left in the city (all the cats placed around the place are bits of not-so-subtle foreshadowing). This is quite a reversal from her previous characterisation in the New 52 (in which she and Bats were a little more than just friends) and actually reminds me of the
Batman ’66 TV show. Selina - no longer Catwoman - has descended into all-out villainy, thanks to a betrayal by Batman. While he denies this, and she seems to still have feelings for him, their relationship has fractured.
It’s possible we’ll learn of this betrayal in the final two issues of
Forever Evil, or - more likely - this will play out in the issues of
Batman Eternal. And another thing - just how the hell did she manage to become the centre of crime in Gotham, arguably the worst city in comics? Where’s the Riddler, or Two-Face? Black Mask? The Penguin? The
rest of crime?
UNDER WATCH
The opening pages of
Batman #28 are straight out of a dystopian horror story, as Harper is confronted by brutal, armed police offers. And even for Gotham cops, these officers are hugely corrupt, meaning Batman doesn’t have high-powered allies in the GCPD anymore. From the little we can gather, Gotham’s taken a turn for the absolute
worst. People are getting infected - including Harper’s brother Cullen “at ground zero” - and there’s an 8pm curfew. Seriously. This either demonstrates the power Selina has, or perhaps this is to minimise the spread of the infection.
SPOILER ISSUE
And yet, even after all that, the biggest surprise of the issue is the final page appearance of Stephanie Brown, aka the Spoiler. She may not say or do anything, but it’s so great to finally see her again. Selina says she's the only one who knows how to stop whatever's coming next, so it's a fair assumption that Steph will play a big role in this upcoming story. The tease of
Batman #28 being a “spoiler issue” really takes on a double meaning, one few people managed to realise until it happened.
That just about wraps up the issue, chocked full of mysteries and surprises. I do just want to clear something up: many people are getting confused as to
where this story takes place in continuity. Scott Snyder has stated this storyline will play out in the main
Batman title and
Batman Eternal, but this issue -
Batman #28 - takes place between
Batman Eternal #39 and
Batman Eternal #40, about a year from now.
So, with
Zero Year getting back underway and the new weekly not starting until April, expect a lot of the unanswered questions to stay that way - for now, at least.