Batman: Blink is a three-issue storyline featured in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (Volume 1).
Synopsis
Lee Hyland, though blind, possesses the paranormal ability to see through the eyes of anyone he makes physical contact with. Unemployed and desperate, he exploits his ability for fraud, using it to obtain financial information from unsuspecting victims. One day, he encounters Eli Cross, a man who seems to have no stable employment yet frequently makes large cash purchases. Curious, Hyland follows him for several days and, through Cross' eyes, witnesses him committing a brutal assault and kidnapping. Realizing the victim's life is in immediate danger, Hyland rushes to the scene, but by the time he arrives, the victim is already dead, and Cross has escaped.
Hyland stumbles over the body and is quickly found and questioned by the police. Commissioner Gordon and Batman investigate, skeptical of Hyland's story, until Gordon removes his sunglasses, revealing smooth skin where his eyes should be. At GCPD Headquarters, Hyland's alibi checks out, but investigators are baffled when he claims to have seen a dark blue SUV at the crime scene. Batman, intrigued by Hyland's peculiar insight, decides to test him and tosses an object at him, which Hyland catches effortlessly. This convinces Batman to take Hyland's information seriously.
Batman stakes out Cross' home, following the address Hyland provides. When the police question Cross, they are forced to release him due to a lack of evidence. Batman secretly plants a bug in Cross' home, intercepting a conversation in which Cross discusses police scrutiny with an unknown associate who assigns him another job. Meanwhile, Hyland remains aware of the investigation's progress, having made physical contact with Batman at the police station, allowing him to see through Batman's eyes.
Later, when Batman returns to the Batcave, Hyland momentarily glimpses the hideout through his eyes but is unable to determine its location. Meanwhile, Batman develops a theory about Cross' motives after noticing three circular indentations near the crime scene. Cross, attempting another abduction, is fatally shot by a sniper just as Batman moves to intervene. Trapped in the crossfire, Batman evades the shooter while ensuring the safety of Cross' intended victim.
Using smoke cover and tactical maneuvering, Batman helps the victim escape while the sniper, later identified as Joe, retreats. At GCPD, Batman shares his theory with Gordon: the indentations found at previous crime scenes were left by a tripod used for filming snuff videos. The absence of these marks at the latest scene suggests the sniper was the cameraman. Joe returns to the hideout of his employer, Davies, reporting that he killed Cross but failed to eliminate the intended victim due to Batman's interference. Davies orders Joe to eliminate all potential witnesses, including Hyland.
Batman arrives at GCPD just as Gordon releases Hyland and informs Gordon that Hyland can see through his service dog's eyes. Hyland corrects him, revealing he can see through anyone's eyes and that he has been watching Batman's investigation unfold. As proof, Hyland mentions Alfred, but reassures Batman that he didn't learn enough to uncover his identity. Grateful for Batman's help, he promises not to investigate further.
Meanwhile, at a charity event, Richard Carmichael, a wealthy client of Davies' snuff-film operation, is angered by the police attention on the case. Furious, he provides Davies with a police file on Hyland, allowing Davies to learn of Hyland's blindness and his claim of seeing through others' eyes. Recognizing Hyland as a threat, Davies instructs Joe to eliminate him.
Joe breaks into Hyland's home, demanding to know what he saw and how he learned about the murders. Batman, still investigating the sniper, is unable to uncover Joe's identity, Cross' connections, or the snuff-film network. However, a bug planted on Hyland alerts him to Joe's attack. Hyland and his service dog fend off Joe, who escapes before Batman arrives. Using his ability, Hyland sees through Joe's eyes and warns Batman not to touch him, as doing so would sever their psychic link.
Joe returns to Davies and recounts the interrogation failure, still believing Hyland's story is nonsense. However, Davies realizes Hyland is likely telling the truth and that he may be watching them through Joe's perspective at that very moment. Addressing Hyland directly, Davies delivers a chilling threat before abruptly murdering Joe, shocking Hyland as he witnesses the act through Joe's eyes.
With Joe dead, Davies struggles to dispose of the body and calls in a favor from Carmichael, using a ledger of transactions from the snuff-film operation to blackmail him. Davies demands that Carmichael leverage his underworld connections to dispose of Joe's body. Meanwhile, Batman enlists Hyland's help in locating the killer, but Hyland, having not seen any street signs, cannot provide a location. Batman works with him to reconstruct the visual clues, tracking Joe's movements.
Davies meets with Carmichael to demand assistance in covering his tracks, but Carmichael instead orders his men to kill Davies. Fleeing for his life, Davies crashes into the Batmobile. Hyland identifies Davies as Joe's killer, but a firefight erupts before Batman can act. As the violence escalates, Davies is fatally shot by Carmichael's men but reveals with his dying breath that the ledger is in his car trunk. He pleads with Batman to ensure Carmichael faces justice.
Batman subdues Carmichael's men but finds Carmichael holding Hyland at gunpoint, demanding the ledger. Batman reveals that he already has the ledger and attempts to talk Carmichael down. While keeping him distracted, Batman uses his connection with Hyland to silently signal him to press a button on the Batmobile. Hyland complies, activating a mechanism that closes the car's retractable roof onto Carmichael's arm, creating an opening for Batman to subdue him.
Later, Batman and Gordon examine the ledger, which implicates several prominent citizens in the snuff-film operation. Hyland thanks Batman for saving his life, and Batman acknowledges that Hyland risked himself to try and save Cross' victim. In return, Batman agrees not to pursue charges against Hyland for his past crimes, on the condition that he stop using his ability for fraud. Batman warns that if he doesn't, he will know. Reflecting on how his attempt to do good led to his exposure, Hyland wryly comments, “No good deed goes unpunished.”
Issues
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #156
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #157
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #158
Recommended Reading
Links and References
  This event or storyline is specifically related to Batman, or to members of the Batman Family. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the Batman Storylines category. |