Birds of Prey #40 is an issue of the series Birds of Prey (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 2002. It was published on February 20, 2002.
Synopsis for "Switchback"
Black Canary and Spoiler head over to Oracle's place after taking all the information they needed on Vesper's place.
They take all the evidence they found to Barbara and she starts looking into it, while she sends Black Canary on a mission to help Spoiler with her problem at home. At that moment, Theorore Kord calls Barbara and informs her what the doctors said about his heart condition and they agree to have some coffee the next day. Ted goes to Kordtronics and as he goes into his office, he finds a package in the middle of the room. From inside comes an spider robot, sent by a man called Quam, a former business man that Ted refused to deal with in the past. The robot attacks Ted with a firebolt that Ted is unable to dodge.
Meanwhile, Spoiler and Black Canary are going to Steph's place in order to get her father, Cluemaster and The Riddler out of her home. As soon as they get there, Dinah checks the place and realizes that they are planning some big hit. Steph is unable to take them out of her home because her own father threatened to kill her if she tried anything. Black Canary decides to act and knocks the door. One of Riddler's henchwomen opens the door and Dinah blasts her with her sonic scream and then she does the same to disarm Riddler and Cluemaster, forcing them to get out of the house or otherwise, she'd be forced to call in the Justice Society. The crooks leave the place and Stephanie feels joy for the first time in a long time.
Back in the Watchtower, Tim Drake helps Barbara on Bruce's case, but all they find is more evidence against Bruce, as he bought the gun that killed Vesper. Both of them try to figure out Bruce's real intentions behind that move when they are interrupted by an alarm system placed by Barbara on her apartment. The alarm is triggered when key words related to Bruce Wayne start to appear in more than three TV stations at the same time. They go to check the disturbance and they are shocked when they learn that Bruce has escaped Blackgate Penitentiary. Barbara is infuriated because Bruce has shown no faith in them and Robin decides that there is only one place to go looking for him.
Barbara fears what might happen to Robin if he faces Batman alone and she calls Nightwing to get his help, but he is already on his way to Wayne Manor and to the Batcave, hoping his mentor can answer all the questions.
Appearing in "Switchback"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Bruce Wayne (On a TV or computer screen)
- Ra's al Ghul (On a TV or computer screen)
- Poison IVy (On a TV or computer screen)
- Killer Croc (On a TV or computer screen)
- Joker (On a TV or computer screen)
- Penguin (On a TV or computer screen)
- Bane (On a TV or computer screen)
- Two-Face (On a TV or computer screen)
- Mister Freeze (On a TV or computer screen)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Gotham Clock Tower
- Wayne Manor
- The Browns' Place
- Kordtronics
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Batman: Bruce Wayne - Murderer? and Batman: Bruce Wayne - Murderer? New Edition.
- This is the twelfth and final chapter of the storyline titled Bruce Wayne: Murderer?. The previous chapter is Robin (Volume 2) #99 and the story continues in Batman #600; the first chapter of the new storyline titled Bruce Wayne: Fugitive.
