Future State: Dark Detective Vol 1 2

"Future State: Dark Detective, Chapter 2: A Sign"

Part of the "Future State" event.

Cover
Variant
Textless Variant

Future State: Dark Detective Vol 1 #2

March, 2021

Rated T for Teen (12+)

Future State: Dark Detective, Chapter 2: A Sign

Red Hood - Part One

Editors

Ben Abernathy

Previous Issue	Next Issue
Future State: Dark Detective # 1	Future State: Dark Detective # 3

In this Gotham, vigilantes are the enemy. I am the enemy. Or I would be... if I were alive. But I'm not. I was killed by a Peacekeeper, Gotham's highest level of law enforcement, almost two years ago. And not just any Peacekeeper.

— Batman

Future State: Dark Detective #2 is an issue of the series Future State: Dark Detective (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 2021. It was published on January 26, 2021.

Synopsis for "Future State: Dark Detective, Chapter 2: A Sign"

Gotham Port: Authority Shipyard

Bruce Wayne is trying to hunt down the Magistrate's cybers, robotic soldiers that the military force now ruling Gotham uses to protect its personal interests, other than killing vigilantes. They should protect the people, but it seems that is not the Magistrate's priority. Bruce also reflects on the ambush Peacekeeper-01 made against him: why aiming for Bruce Wayne? And how could he know where he was in that moment? Those were questions that he could not have answered back then, but now...

Peacekeeper-001 tried to kill him, and by a stroke of luck he was able to save himself. The Magistrate kept telling the city he was dead, but Bruce does not know if they really still believe that: it might be just a publicity stunt. Bruce needs answers, and under the alias of Jeff Marks he found out a place to live in, rented by a paranoid Gotham citizen called Noah. In the basement Noah rents him, Bruce started to understand how Peacekeeper-01 knew that killing Bruce Wayne was the same as killing Batman. As always, the first rule of investigating on a major military company is to follow the money, and see where it leads.

But as he is working, Noah's daughter is arguing with someone outside: the girl threatens another woman, telling her to get away because she works for dangerous people. Bruce asks her who is her employer, but the girl just leaves. It might be an opportunity to find out. Getting back to his investigation, Bruce decides to follow a trail leading to Carl Bennington: a businessman on the verge of bankruptcy, he now is the CEO of Plexitech, a company manufacturing the Magistrate's military armors and ballistics. As he moves to infiltrate a Plexitch complex, Bruce is spotted and has to get away, but not before discovering what kind of device caught him: a Wayne Entreprises experimental mini-drone.

Lucius, before the Joker War, told him that just creating a device like that meant that one day, potentially meant it could be used against them. Now the Magistrate is using Wayne technology, and could they have spied on Wayne Enterprises before all this happened? Could that be the key about how Peacekeeper-01 knew of his secret identity? About how the Magistrate knew where to find him in the moment of his own assassination attempt? But the most shocking truth of all is that his renter, Noah, might not be that crazy: they are watching everyone, everywhere...

Appearing in "Future State: Dark Detective, Chapter 2: A Sign"

Featured Characters:

Batman (Bruce Wayne/"Jeff Marks") (Flashback and main story) (First appearance as Jeff Marks)

Supporting Characters:

Hannah Harris (First appearance)
Noah Riley (First appearance)

Antagonists:

Carl Bennington (First appearance)
Magistrate
- Cybers
- Peacekeeper-01 (Flashback only)

Other Characters:

Mayor Nakano (In a photograph only) (Cameo)
Draftech (Mentioned only)
The Joker (Mentioned only)
Lucius Fox (Mentioned only)
Neo Corp (Mentioned only)
Plexitech (Mentioned only)
Wayne Enterprises (Mentioned only)

Locations:

Future State
- Gotham City (Flashback and main story)
  - Gotham Docks (Flashback only)
  - Gotham River (Flashback only)
  - Gotham Port Authority Shipyard (First appearance)
  - Willy's Steakhouse (Single appearance)
  - Old Gotham (Mentioned only)
  - Wayne Manor (Mentioned only)
- Washington, D.C. (Mentioned only)

Items:

Batarang (Flashback only)
Batsuit
- Batrope (Flashback and main story)
Magistrate's Drones
- Nano-Drones (First appearance)
Electro-Grenade (Mentioned only)

Vehicles:

Batcycle/Noah's Motorbike (Single appearance)

Concepts:

The Joker War (Mentioned only)

Synopsis for "Red Hood - Part One"

Jason Todd currently works for the Magistrate, as a mask hunter. He is in an unwilling partnership with another former vigilante, Rose Wilson, also known as Ravager. Jason and Rose have a strange, and more than friendly, relationship, but they do not work together: while Red Hood takes masks while still alive, Ravager kills them without mercy. Still, they work well, and they get paid for that, which is always a good thing. Rose would like to work more together, but Jason insists on working alone. As he is following the case of the new Red Hood Gang, Jason tracks their leader and tries to capture him, telling him he could be able to help him.

But before he can catch him, Rose finds him and kills him. Jason decides then to unmask him, and discovers that inside the Red Hood helmet the guy was wearing is installed a mind-controlling technology, which looks very advanced, but that also is clearly signature tech of the Mad Hatter, one of the Batman's most known foes. Jason wants to move by himself to track him down, but given that Rose knows the Hatter's last known position, Red Hood allows her to come. The two reach the hideout of Tetch, but find him dead: someone killed him, and probably stole his tech.

In that moment, a mask alert is notified to both Red Hood and Ravager: the money is plenty, and the target... is Jason himself?

Appearing in "Red Hood - Part One"