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"Batman Eternal": Jason Bard has only just arrived in Gotham City, and he is struck by the way the city shines at night. Though he's nervous to be taking a job in a place like Gotham, he is optimistic when he is greeted at the station by [[Harvey Bullock (Pri

Quote1 You fired your gun on an unarmed man? It's your pistol that's responsible for the deaths of hundreds. You've committed manslaughter on a massive scale! Quote2
Major Forbes

Batman Eternal #1 is an issue of the series Batman Eternal (Volume 1) with a cover date of June, 2014. It was published on April 9, 2014.

Synopsis for "Batman Eternal"

Jason Bard has only just arrived in Gotham City, and he is struck by the way the city shines at night. Though he's nervous to be taking a job in a place like Gotham, he is optimistic when he is greeted at the station by Harvey Bullock, his soon-to-be coworker, after he got transferred from Detroit. Unfortunately, the Commissioner himself was too busy to meet Jason himself.

Jim Gordon is busy protecting children from gunmen in the Aviation Museum, under attack by Professor Pyg. Desperately trying to shield the kids from stray bullets, Jim calls to Batman in frustration. Apologizing, Batman explains that it took longer to escape the deathtrap he was caught in than expected - his suit was being eaten away by the Dollotron serum. Fortunately, he had a spare. With that, he crashes through an upper window, wearing a powerfully armoured suit, and tears the tail from Professor Pyg's plane. When it all comes down, he steps out of the armoured suit and asks after the children. Jim admits that some will need medical attention - but he has some fight left in him.

Together, he and Batman chase down Pyg and his escaping cohorts. Gaining on them, Batman spots one of the thugs - a man called Derek Grady, who reassures himself that he needs to just think about the money he'll be getting for this - splitting off from the others, and sends Jim to follow. The Commissioner pursues his quarry into the subway system, calling backup to close down the station. Batman quickly apprehends both Pyg and his remaining men, but receives a worried call from Alfred warning that two trains are fast approaching the station, and Jim is caught on the tracks.

Meanwhile, Bullock brings Jason Bard in to GCPD Headquarters to meet with Major Forbes. Crudely, he remarks that Gordon must like Bard if he placed him as Lieutenant on the MCU's night-shift - the Commissioner's own former position. He warns that it's a mistake to feel honoured by that placement, as Jim Gordon never understood how Gotham City works. The city has more to offer - if one is man enough to take it. Gordon has always fought that aspect of the city, but Forbes is sure he will lose that battle one day. He is interrupted in his tirade by Captain Maggie Sawyer, who condemns Forbes as a dirtbag and reports that Jim needs backup nearby, inviting Jason to tag along.

Jim corners the thug between the rails of the subway line, warning him to drop his weapon. Terrified, the man claims that he isn't holding a weapon, though Jim can plainly see it. Angrily, the Commissioner gives him the count of three to drop it. On three, he fires at the gun and sees the bullet pass through the weapon, narrowly missing Grady's head. The bullet strikes instead an electrical box behind his quarry, and the overload causes an explosion that knocks them both back. Regaining his composure, Jim realizes suddenly that he can hear the rumble of an oncoming train.

Hurriedly, Batman orders Alfred to shut down all the power to the grid to stop the trains, but Alfred can't get the system to respond. Frozen, Jim realizes that there are two trains coming on the same set of tracks, and a collision is inevitable. People are going to die. Batman manages to swing across the tracks and yank Jim out of immediate harm's way, but the collision is still imminent, and he warns all of the bystanders to shield themselves.

Just in time for Jason Bard and the other officers to witness it, the trains collide with one another, causing destruction and injury to the station and the passengers. When, finally, the dust settles, Jim is horrified that his attempt to disarm the thug caused all of this. Batman warns that he saw the security footage. The man didn't have a gun. This confuses Jim - not to mention the fact that one electrical box shouldn't have exploded, nor should it have controlled the rails. Batman warns that Jim's officers are coming, but suggests that he can stay if necessary. Jim waves him away, and by the time Bullock catches up, Batman is gone. Rather than worry about what happened, Jim suggests that they all go to work on helping those hurt in the crash. Forbes won't let it go, though, pointing out that it was Jim's gun that caused the crash - and that the target was unarmed. For this, he places the Commissioner under arrest, and orders Jason Bard to take the collar. Despite the circumstances, Jim admits that it is good to meet his new recruit, stating that it is important that Jason remember exactly what he'd told him over the phone. Jason confirms his understanding, and recites Jim's Miranda rights, as the emergency services get to work on rescuing those trapped on the trains.

All of this - the thug, the train crash, and Jim's arrest - are merely the beginnings of a grand design, orchestrated to strip Bruce Wayne of everything he cares about.

Appearing in "Batman Eternal"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Unnamed (First appearance; unnamed. Appears only in a flash-forward, off-panel)
  • Professor Pyg
  • Derek Grady (Apparent Death)

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:



Notes

  • Maggie Sawyer is addressed as a Police Captain in this issue, but holds the position of Detective in her recurring role in Batwoman.
  • This issue is reprinted in Batman Eternal Vol. 1.



See Also


Links and References

Superboy Vol 4 69
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