Batman (2024) # 154

 By Mark Rodriguez

Gotham is finally getting on the right track thanks to Bruce Wayne cleaning up the city with affordable housing and other projects. Edward Nygma is now legit and selling online security technology but Mayor Nakano keeps blocking him due to his past as the Riddler. A new hero arrives in Gotham named Commander Star but his methods seem a bit extreme as he's not above using guns. Later that night, Mayor Nakano was murdered. Also someone claiming to be Bruce's brother is trying to file a claim for his shares of Wayne Enterprises. What will happen next?

"The Dying City Part Two" opens with Harvey Bullock and other officers investigating the crime scene. Bullock says they found no prints or video footage so far. There was so sign of forced entry and the neighbors questions so far were woken up by the gunshots. As the rest of the officers check around the building, Batman and Gordon show up. Jim asks if they found anything. Bullock wants to be careful to not be seen with them as he doesn't want his boss to have any ammo against him. He says Nakano's wife is being questioned as they speak. Batman will check things out after Bullock's team leaves.

Jim says that Nakano put Vandal Savage as the new police commissioner. There were rumors that Nakano was going to oust him at the next City Hall meaning, so he might be a prime suspect. Batman says its possible, but there are no shortage of enemies in Gotham.

Later on Batman is with Nakano's secretary, Ms. Tilford. Batman asks if she would know who'd want him dead. Ms. Tilford knew people didn't like Nakano but didn't think they'd resort to murder. She said he fought with Nygma and his lawyers a lot, as well with the Commissioner. He also fought with his wife a lot. There is also a man named Leonid Kull, someone who always made Nakano nervous. As she cries she asks who would want one less good man in the world. Batman tells her it's the selfish ones who see good men as getting in their way.

Batman sends Jim a tap into Nakano's wife interrogation. She was out at the time of the murder. Bullock says midnight is a bit late for a nightly stroll with her two year old. He asks her why she won't unlock her phone for the police. She asks for her lawyer and her phone call. 

Jim visits Savage, who asks if he came for work like Bullock did and adds that there's an opening for parking enforcement. Jim remarks that it must be odd for him to be investigating the man that was about to fire him. He says he hopes he brings the impartiality the job requires. 

Batman tells Jim that it will take him time to unlock Koyuki's phone and asks him to see what he can get from Bullock. Batman pulled up the info on Leonid Kull and he will go pay him a visit.

Elsewhere, Nygma is having a fancy dinner with Leonid and the deputy mayor Horgan. Nygma says Mr. Horgan is now the mayor due to a tragic bullet and might become a prime suspect. Leonid tells Nygma that he promised him a pliable government and apologizes that Nakano couldn't deliver. He says that lucky for them, Jacob Horgan knows what's best for Gotham. They pour Horgan some win who is still in shock and laments that Nakano was a good man, and feels bad for his wife and child. Nygma says the darker the night, the brighter the stars, and he hopes that Horgan will be that star. 

Batman arrives asking if they've having an impromptu wake or if they're celebrating a job will done. Nygma says the entertainment has arrived. Batman tells Nygma that he better has his alibi in order. Batman tells Leonid that he tracked him down for answers and seeing him with Nygma got him higher on the list of suspects. Leonid says they're businessmen, not murderers, and the only one committing a crime is Batman. The restaurant is closed for a private event and Batman broke in. The police arrive and tell Batman to put his hands behind his head. 

Batman fights the police and cracks the bottle of champagne on one of them. He pulls off a button from one of the officers. Leonid says Batman has not only broken in but also assaulted officers. Batman tosses the button over to Leonid and says he heard there was a new leader of the Court of Owls. The button has the owl insignia on it. Batman says the Court promised Ngymatech a 'legit' foothold in Gotham, and when they didn't work, they murdered the obstruction. 

Leonid says he could have murdered Nakano a million ways, but Owls are silent and bullets are loud. Nygma says he is innocent as well. Batman says every murder leaves evidence and he will find it. He tells them to get their affairs in order as he leaves.

Later on, Batman is allowed ten minutes in the morgue to examine Nakano's body. Afterwards, Bruce meets with Rowan who asks how things are out there regarding the protestors. Bruce says they're small but growing. Now they think Wayne Enterprises murdered the Mayor to take over the government. Rowan says she's checked in on this claimant for his shares. Bruce says he has faced people that claimed to be secret heirs to the Wayne fortune and asks why this one is so different. Rowan says this one has the backing of Mintz & Topping, the biggest law firm in the city. They got the claimant under lock and key but she was able to find his name and occupation.

The man is named William Pureford, a nurse working at the Cathedral Square Medical Clinic who gets funding from Wayne Enterprises. It turns out his mother was also a nurse that worked at Gotham General where Bruce's father was a surgeon. Rowan suggests to sell the shares and then buy them back under an NDA. Bruce asks why they can't pay him, why does he want the shares. Rowan says the lawyers are saying William wants legitimacy, even if he wants the shares just to sell them. She says she's not sure there's a bluff and it's possible there's a connection with Bruce's father.

Bruce goes to visit Leslie Thompkins as she was tending to a child with a cast on one of her arms, and says they need to talk. Once alone, Leslie says the woman's name was Tara. Leslie explained his parents weren't happy at the time. Leslie was working at the hospital and saw things but it wasn't her business. She knows Thomas told Martha and they worked through it. Bruce can't believe his father would have a secret child. Leslie says Thomas made a mistake but they would never abandon a child. Bruce says he only remembers them as a child but didn't really know them. 

Just then the protestors arrive just outside the clinic. The staff heads for the emergency exits but Bruce steps outside to face them and tells the nurses to lock the door behind him. Bruce confronts the protestors who accuse him of giving handouts to illegal immigrants and taking jobs from Gotham citizens. They accuse him of murdering the mayor.

One of the protestors grab the kid with the cast and accuses her of having a Russian accent. He asks her what things Wayne promised her. Bruce grabs the man's hand and then grabs him by the throat. Bruce threatens to put him in the hospital for a month if he so much as breathes on her again. One of the protestors pulls a gun on Bruce. 

Commander Star leaps in and tackle the guy just as he fires off his gun. The new hero socks the guy out and says it's a shame when bad actors choose to make well-meaning protestors look bad. Commander Star tells Bruce that no one wants violence, they just want their voices heard. He adds that no good man should be scared of the truth.

Later on Batman returns to Nakano's home, where Jim was already searching for evidence. Jim says even with Bullock on the case, he doesn't trust that Savage's men would catch everything. Batman also says there are Owls within the police department. Batman tells Jim he saw the body and noticed precision points from someone that knows how to shoot. Nakano took a fist to the face, so there must have been a fight first. Batman says it might have been a fight that escalated to murder. The killer tried to cover up his tracks with what was on hand.

Nakano's hands were bleached, possible to kill any skin cells under his fingernails. Based on where Nakano fell he probably grabbed a weapon from his trophy case. He notices it was placed back but it doesn't line up with the dust. The killer placed it back but it wasn't exact. Jim asks why they would do that as putting it back wouldn't have made a difference. Batman says it might have been panic, the person knew how to kill but didn't intend to. Batman says he also spoke with Nygma and Leonid. Leonid is the new head of the Court of Owls and says he would have killed him quietly. Nygma would have killed Nakano in some sort of spectacular fashion. 

Jim says this could be a feint, killing the mayor in a way where it wouldn't be linked back to them. He says these are the kinds of men that would want you to know they did it, since they're that untouchable. Just then Bullock contacts Batman. They managed to crack the phone.

Bullock says there were a lot of texts. He says it's not a smoking gun, but it's close. It turns out that Koyuki was having an affair. Just then Jim shines a flashlight on Batman and points a gun at him. Jim is in tears and says he was only defending himself. Batman loses his temper seeing that Jim would point a gun at him. Batman shoves the gun back and punches Jim in the face. Jim falls and says he didn't mean to. Batman looks at his hand and realizes what he just did, making him sink to the floor. Batman and Jim sit on opposite sides of the room, both lost to their own despair. Bullock asks over the radio if everything is alright.

My Thoughts-

Wow, what a cliffhanger. There's been plenty of times where I fall behind with current comics, and then eventually I find the time to catch up and review them back to back. I kinda wish this was one of those times because now I have to wait all the way til December to find out what happens next.

Jim Gordon killed Mayor Nakano???? What???? Then Kanako's wife was having an affair... but don't tell me it was Gordon!!! What is going on??? Why did Gordon go to see Nakano anyway on that particular night? 

I am surprised Batman flipped out upon seeing Jim point a gun at him. I would think after all these years he would at least try to talk him down rather than lose his temper and sock him out.

This is a heck of a story. Even if they didn't pull the trigger, Leonid and Nygma still have a lot to gain with the former mayor's death. There's also the situation with Commander Star acting kind of shady, the people thinking Bruce is up to no good, and this mysterious William that want half of Bruce's shares. 

The story is very self-contained to Bruce and his immediate allies. I guess there's no room for anyone from the Bat-Family to get involved, even if to make a cameo, but it's weird to not see mention of the Pennyworth Estate after how the Dark Prisons saga ended. At the very least he could have talked to Selina about his problems. Like if you just read the last two issues on their own, you'd had no idea she moved in.

The comic also features another AEW story, this time the Darby Allin story. It's the same one in the AEW Origins comic that collects them all together. I thought all of them would be spread across the other DC titles, but maybe last month everyone got the Swerve story and now everyone is getting the Darby story?

It's a pretty intense story so far, and I can't wait to see what happens next issue. For all the times that Batman has tried to avoid getting under Jim's crosshairs, now Jim has fallen into Batman's.