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| Issue |
Detective
817 |
| Subtitle |
Face
the Face part 1 |
| Date |
May
2006 |
| Writer(s) |
James
Robinson |
| Artist(s) |
Leonard
Kirk, Andy Clarke |
| storyline |
Someone
calling himself "Gotham's Protector" killed
the KGBeast by pushing him off a building. The Russian
assassin was in town to knock off a mob informant. When
the police found him, he also had two bullet holes in
his forehead. Detective Bullock, back on the force,
got the case.
Harvey Dent received a visitor who told him his year-long
gig as vigilante was up. Newly reappointed Commissioner
Gordon received a call from the mayor - Poison Ivy was
back from the dead and holding several high-society
residents hostage. Gordon took Officer Harper to the
roof and turned on the signal; people on the streets
cheered. Batman and Robin answered it for the first
time in a year. They watched as plants overtook the
entire penthouse of a nearby building. |
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| Issue |
Batman
651 |
| Subtitle |
Face
the Face part 2 |
| Date |
May
2006 |
| Writer(s) |
James
Robinson |
| Artist(s) |
Don
Kramer, Keith Champagne |
| storyline |
The
entire city watched as Batman's plane smashed into the
building where Ivy held several CEOs captive. He and
Robin entered the building and split up. Both faced
off against several unnatural / attack plants before
Batman finally got to Poison Ivy. She captured him with
vines, etc. while preaching her ecoterrorist motives.
As Robin got to the sprinkler system, Batman released
a defoliant from his belt and was freed. She surrendered
when Batman told her they'd release it throughout the
building if she didn't stand down.
Batman and Robin gave Gordon the lowdown; he got a call
- Magpie was dead. |
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| Issue |
Detective
818 |
| Subtitle |
Face
the Face part 3 |
| Date |
June
2006 |
| Writer(s) |
James
Robinson |
| Artist(s) |
Leonard
Kirk, Andy Clarke, Wayne Faucher |
| storyline |
Less
than 24 hours after KGBeast was found dead, Magpie was
found in similar fashion: two bullet holes in her head.
Every bird in her aviary had a broken neck.
Back at the cave, Bruce and Alfred talked about the
murders, Harvey Dent, and Tim.
Dent, who'd been watching Batman and Robin in action,
realized they were more in synch than they'd been in
years. As in synch as Batman had been with the first
Robin and much more than the second. He began to believe
that the first Robin had been in on this one's training.
He wondered what his place would be now that Gotham
City had its protectors back. He saw Two-Face in his
reflection.
After taking down Mad Hatter, Batman told Robin he had
other business to take care of. They were to meet at
police headquarters in an hour.
Someone broke in on Scarface and the Ventriloquist.
Wesker was shot, Scarface was stomped.
The
Crime File of Jason Bard
Jason Bard laid awake in bed while his client, Mrs.
Buckmaster, slept. She'd hired him to find her husband's
killer. He got up when he thought he'd heard a noise.
Batman was in his apartment. Batman was intrigued that
the man was not afraid of him. He offered Bard a job.
He needed someone he could trust, someone who operated
in the daylight. After seeing his offer, Bard accepted.
He asked Batman if he'd drop Mrs. Buckmaster off at
police headquarters - she was her husband's murderer. |
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| Issue |
Batman
652 |
| Subtitle |
Face
the Face part 4 |
| Date |
June
2006 |
| Writer(s) |
James
Robinson |
| Artist(s) |
Don
Kramer, Michael Bair, Wayne Faucher |
| storyline |
Batman,
Robin, and Bullock investigated the Ventriloquist murder
scene. They found a clue - Wesker had used Scarface
to write a street name down before he died.
Robin found some security footage from an address on
Norvick Way - KGBeast, Magpie, Orca, and the Ventriloquist
were meeting with Harvey Dent. They got in the car and
headed out to meet Gordon. After going over the details,
Batman spoke with Bullock. Though he was the man who'd
uncovered the GCPD corruption (all the way up to Akins),
Batman still didn't trust him. Bullock fingered Penguin,
who had left the country a few months back. He'd hired
all of the recently dead as muscle.
The murder weapon was found. Robin got a print from
it - Harvey Dent. Batman wasn't sure Dent was guilty,
but began doubting his decision to leave the man "in
charge" when he left town. Gordon clued them in
on Killer Moth; Robin went after him solo.
Batman met with Dent. Dent got defensive and refused
to say whether or not he was the killer, even though
Batman claimed to still be on his side. As Robin took
down Killer Moth, Dent detonated his apartment. |
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| Issue |
Detective
819 |
| Subtitle |
Face
the Face part 5 |
| Date |
July
2006 |
| Writer(s) |
James
Robinson |
| Artist(s) |
Leonard
Kirk, Andy Clarke, Wayne Faucher |
| storyline |
Batman
and Robin headed into the sewer to find Orca. They found
Killer Croc instead. After knocking him unconscious
with some explosives, they found Orca's body. Two bullet
holes in her head, she was dead before Croc found her.
Harvey Dent began conversing with Two-Face through a
mirror.
The Crime File of Jason Bard
Jason Bard discovered Orca had gotten married. He visited
her husband. He gave up that she'd met her new "friends"
through the Penguin. They were going to switch sides
and work for another power inside Gotham. Dent had stopped
them from robbing one of Penguin's warehouses. He wanted
to use them as spies against Cobblepot. Before he could
say anything more, he was dead. Bard saw a laser sight
on his forehead before it exploded. Gunfire continued
to ring out; Jason was hit. The gunman introduced himself
as the Tally Man, and fired once more. |
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| Issue |
Batman
653 |
| Subtitle |
Face
the Face part 6 |
| Date |
July
2006 |
| Writer(s) |
James
Robinson |
| Artist(s) |
Don
Kramer, Wayne Faucher |
| storyline |
Dent
admitted to Two-Face that things had changed since Batman
returned. He thought back on when Batman told him he,
Robin, and Nightwing were leaving the city; he asked
Harvey to watch over it while they were gone. They trained
together for a month; together they took down Mr. Freeze
and Firebug just before Batman left.
Harvey realized he was no longer needed by Batman, then
how good it felt to be against him. He pulled out a
coin and flipped it. Two-Face returned after Dent took
acid and a knife to himself. |
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| Issue |
Detective
820
|
| Subtitle |
Face
the Face part 7 |
| Date |
August
2006 |
| Writer(s) |
James
Robinson |
| Artist(s) |
Leonard
Kirk, Andy Clarke |
| storyline |
Batman
talked with Gordon while he and Robin took on Scarecrow
and his new batch of fear gas. Tim saw the E2 Robin
and Superboy Prime; Bruce saw his father in his own
Batman costume.
The gun had been dismantled, then put back together
with another handle and trigger. After the murders,
the handle and trigger with Dent's original prints was
replaced.
Batman and Robin defeated Scarecrow and stopped in to
visit Gordon. While they were there, Jack Ryder broke
the story: Two-Face had returned.
The Crime File of Jason Bard
Jason had been able to make the Tally Man misfire by
tripping him with his cane. He then got up and knocked
him out with a kick to the face. He then called Batman
with the news. |
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| Issue |
Batman
654 |
| Subtitle |
Face
the Face part 8 |
| Date |
August
2006 |
| Writer(s) |
James
Robinson |
| Artist(s) |
Don
Kramer, Wayne Faucher |
| storyline |
Two-Face
took over the Gotham Zoo. Four cops were killed, a fifth
crippled. Everyone but a cleaner and a vet were ordered
to leave. He kept one male and one female of each animal
and set the rest free. Batman and Robin went in. While
battling it out, Two-Face blamed Batman for his re-scarring.
He escaped; Robin defused all the bombs.
Batman headed out to confront the man who'd framed Dent:
Warren White, the Great White Shark. From Arkham, he'd
taken over organized crime in Gotham City. He'd also
been behind the "revolving door" at Arkham
of late. Batman promised the man his troubles were just
beginning. He would be watching, and when he caught
Two-Face, he'd hand White over to him.
Back at the cave, Bruce and Alfred took Tim upstairs
to what used to be Dick's room. Bruce again asked Tim
if he could adopt him. They embraced as Tim began to
cry. |
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| Batman
651 second print |
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| Notes,
references to time, and chronology: |
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Harvey
Bullock is back on the police force. (Detective 817) |
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"Commissioner
for the third time, settling back into the same strange, wonderful
terror of crime in this city, just as I'd left it. Three months
since my return. Six months since Harvey Bullock made his discoveries."
(James Gordon, Detective 817) |
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The deaths
of KGBeast, Magpie, Arnold "the Ventriloquist" Wesker,
and Orca. |
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Poison
Ivy returned from the dead. (Batman 651) |
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Harvey
Dent scarred himself with acid and a knife; Two-Face returned.
(Batman 653) |
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