Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War: Battle Lines Vol 1 1

"Battle Lines": Bruce Wayne wakes up after sleeping for eight weeks after his encounter with Insomnia. He immediately goes out into Gotham as Batman and interrupts a robbery by two goons who previously worked for [[Joker (Prime Ea

"Battle Lines"
Part of the "Dawn of DC", and "The Gotham War" events
Cover
Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War: Battle Lines
October, 2023
Rated T for Teen (12+)
Executive Editor	Marie Javins
Cover Artists	Jorge Jiménez
Battle Lines
Writers	Chip Zdarsky Tini Howard
Pencilers	Mike Hawthorne
Inkers	Adriano Di Benedetto
Colorists	Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Editors	Ben Abernathy Jessica Chen

I'll fight you all if I have to. The mission has been tainted: We stop crime. Because we're Batman.

— Batman (Bruce Wayne)

Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War: Battle Lines #1 is a one-shot with a cover date of October, 2023. It was published on August 29, 2023.

Synopsis for "Battle Lines"

Bruce Wayne wakes up after sleeping for eight weeks after his encounter with Insomnia. He immediately goes out into Gotham as Batman and interrupts a robbery by two goons who previously worked for Joker. The goons get away using a feint that is familiar to Bruce.

Selina Kyle receives word that Bruce woke up and returns to her base of operations in Alleytown to inform her team.

Robin fights Maxie Zeus at an electric plant, only for Batman to swoop in and assist him. Tim informs Bruce that Selina wants to have a meeting. Kate Kane, Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Duke Thomas, Damian Wayne, and Bruce all meet with Selina at the Kitty Kat Club. Selina presents her plan to train the henchmen of Gotham to be elite burglars who steal only from the wealthy, instead of working for Gotham's more violent criminals. Selina tells the gathered vigilantes that her way is working because the villains have lost their workforce and ask them to leave her and her people alone.

While some are more willing to discuss the idea, Bruce is immediately against it and refuses to agree to Selina's request and leaves.

Catwoman returns home, only for Red Hood to break in. They fight, until Jason offers to work with her as inside help. Selina tells him to go to one of her partners, Marquise, if he wants to help.

Roland Garner, one of the henchmen Selina trained, breaks into what he thinks is an empty condo to rob it. The robbery is interrupted by the owner of the condo who threatens to shoot Roland. Roland falls twenty stories. On the ground, the police and Batman stand around Roland's body. Bruce recognizes Roland, and because of Roland's death and the influence of Zur-En-Arrh, he decides he will devote himself to stopping Catwoman, even if it means fighting his family.

Appearing in "Battle Lines"

Featured Characters:

• Batman/Batman of Zur-En-Arrh (Bruce Wayne) (Flashback and main story) (Also in a vision)
• Catwoman (Selina Kyle)

Supporting Characters:

• Bat-Family
  • Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) (Cameo)
  • Batgirl/Spoiler (Stephanie Brown)
  • Batwoman (Kate Kane)
  • Nightwing (Dick Grayson)
  • Oracle/Batgirl (Barbara Gordon)
  • Red Hood (Jason Todd)
  • Robin (Damian Wayne) (Flashback and main story)
  • Robin (Tim Drake)
  • The Signal (Duke Thomas)
• Catwoman's Team
  • Dario Tomasso
  • Eiko Hasigawa
  • Hoops
  • Lady Clayface (Sondra Fuller)
  • Linda Friitawa
  • Lisa Foss
  • Marquise
  • Scorpiana
  • Vox (First appearance)
• Gotham City Police Department
  • Commissioner Renee Montoya
  • Unnamed Officer (First appearance)

Antagonists:

• Insomnia (Christopher Lukas) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
  • John Dee (Appears only as a corpse) (Possessed) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
• Marcus Tolliver (Single appearance)
• Maxie Zeus
  • Cronius (Craig Groff) (First appearance)
• Professor Pyg (Flashback only) (Cameo)
• Stan Bevington (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

• Flannigan
  • Syd (First appearance) (Cameo)
• Hannah Jiang (Single appearance) (Cameo)
• The Riddler (Cameo)
• Roland Garner (Single appearance; dies)
• Sally Garner (Single appearance) (Cameo)
• Superman (Clark Kent) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
• Wonder Woman (Diana of Themyscira) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
• Deadman (Mentioned only)
• Failsafe (Mentioned only)
• God (Mentioned only)
• Gods of Olympus (Mentioned only)
• Jiang Family (Mentioned only)
• Jim Gordon (Mentioned only)
• The Joker (Mentioned only)
• "Knightmare League" (Mentioned only)
• Leslie Thompkins (Mentioned only)
• Mister Freeze (Mentioned only)
• Red Mask (The Bat-Man of Gotham) (Mentioned only)
• Wayne Family (Mentioned only)
  • Martha Wayne (Mentioned only)
  • Thomas Wayne (Mentioned only)
• Two-Face (Mentioned only)
• Yakuza (Mentioned only)
• Rip Van Winkle (Mentioned only)

Locations:

• Bruce Wayne's Mindscape
• Earth 0
  • United States of America
    • New Jersey
      • Gotham County
        • Gotham City
          • Batacombs
          • Flunky's
          • Fort Graye
            • The Garage (Cameo)
          • GCPD Headquarters
          • The Kitty Kat Club
          • Gotham City East End
            • Alleytown
              • 228 Marie Ave
                • Training Compound
          • Gotham Clock Tower (Cameo)
          • The Trixie
            • Selina Kyle's Apartment
          • Blackgate Penitentiary (Mentioned only)
          • Jiang Chemicals (Mentioned only)
          • "Mount Arkham" (Mentioned only)
        • Gotham County Correctional Facility (Mentioned only)
    • New York
      • Metropolis
        • Valhalla Cemetery (Flashback only) (Cameo)
    • Washington, D.C.
      • Hall of Justice (Flashback only) (Cameo)
    • Missouri
      • Central City (Mentioned only)

Items:

• Batman's Robotic Hand
• Bat-Signal
• Batsuits
  • Batrope
  • Utility Belts
• Bracelets of Submission (Flashback only) (Cameo)
• Fear Gas (Mentioned only)
• Nightmare Stone (Flashback only) (Cameo)
• Robin's Battle Staff

Vehicles:

• Batmobile

Concepts:

• Magic (Flashback only)
• Night of Terror (Flashback only)
• Zur-En-Arrh
  

Notes

• Batman's story continues from the epilogue of Knight Terrors: Night's End #1.
  • This story takes place eight weeks after the events of that issue.
• The Gotham War storyline continues in Batman (Volume 3) #137.

Trivia

• Bruce Wayne lost his right hand to Ghost-Breaker during the events of Batman (Volume 3) #134.