What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies. 
- — Hush
Batman #618 is an issue of the series Batman (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 2003. It was published on August 27, 2003.
Synopsis for "Hush, Part Eleven: The Game"
Jason Todd is ready to slit Robin's throat, and accuses him of being a "pretender" to the role. Catwoman arrives and dives on top of him, freeing Robin from Jason's grip. With the Boy Wonder out of danger, Batman takes the opportunity to engage Jason directly. Batman stabs him in the leg with a Batarang, then delivers a crushing punch to the solar plexus. The two continue to trade blows, until Jason takes to higher ground. Jason confesses to cutting the batline, which caused the Dark Knight to plummet nearly to his death in Crime Alley. Batman begins to suspect that this may not actually be Jason Todd. After several more minutes of intense fighting, Batman wins out over him. Jason's features dissolve into a river of clay that slips through Batman's fingers. Jason was actually Clayface in disguise.[1]
More frustrated than ever, Batman goes to Oracle's Clock Tower in the hopes of finally solving the mysteries that had been plaguing him of late. Oracle shows him the electronic relay device that Batman had discovered in the cave. This device was used to learn all of Batman's secrets, including his relationship with Catwoman. Batman learns that the person responsible for installing the device was his old friend and technician, Harold Allnut.
A few days later, Batman drives out to the Gotham City Bridge, where he secretly meets with Harold. He is now standing upright and can speak. He confesses to planting the monitoring device, and explains that the man who hired him healed his physical deformities and even enabled him to speak. Harold is remorseful for betraying Bruce, and apologizes. Just as he is ready to reveal the name of the man who hired him, a shot rings out and Harold falls over, dead. Batman spins around to find Hush standing before him.
Appearing in "Hush, Part Eleven: The Game"
Featured Characters:
- Batman (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Jason Todd (Flashback and main story)
- Jonathan Williams (Clayface) (Impersonates Jason Todd)
- Hush
Other Characters:
- Harold Allnut (Dies)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Gotham City Bridge
- Gotham Clock Tower
- Infantino Parkway
- Gotham Cemetery
Items:
Vehicles:
- Batmobile (Flashback and main story)
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in:
- Harold Allnut's first encounter with Batman takes place during a storyline called "The Penguin Affair”, which ran through issues Batman #448-#450. His surname is revealed for the first time in the next issue.
- This issue contains flashbacks from Batman #408, Batman #608 and Batman #610.
- In Batman Annual #25, it is revealed that Jason and Jonathan trade places during the former's tactical retreat on page 9.
Trivia
- When Batman meets Harold, they appear to be on "Mazzachelli Drive,” a (possibly intentional) misspelling of Dave Mazzucchelli's, the artist of Batman: Year One, last name. The sign on that road also points on the direction of Infantino Parkway. This is a reference to classic comic artist Carmine Infantino.
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
- ↑ See the trivia section for Batman #616 for clarification of Jason's role in this story.