November, 2019. It was published on September 13, 2019.
Synopsis for "Balyushka!"
Alfred tells Bruce that it's been a busy year, given how many low-priority criminals he's put behind bars and asks him why. In response, Bruce tells him that he decided to go after them since the high-value targets just keep escaping justice. The swell in prison population however causes the city to greatly reduce funds for healthcare.
Joker hijacks a news interview with Father O'Doul talking about the healthcare cuts, to relay his message promising to fund all medical needs of five people a week if they post a video he'd be impressed with and have to say the word "Balyushka" in them. Despite his proposition being ignored early on, people eventually start taking up his offer out of desperation which causes a city-wide chaos.
Batman stops some of the people doing insane acts saying "Balyushka", but realizes he needs to stop Joker in order to put an end to it. As he tries to look up the meaning of the word for a clue, Joker announces new winners of the week including Father O'Doul who had tried to stop people from giving into Joker's proposition, but himself records a video apparently shooting himself after finding out he has stage 4 cancer.
Seeing a Pandora moth in Joker's video, Batman figures out he's at a Christmas tree farm. While taking him in, Joker states that he himself let the problem fester and next day the city council reinstates the healthcare fund in Bruce's presence, but decides to cut back on the college fund. The video phenomenon soon stops, but Joker develops another scheme, this time promising to pay off student loans if they make the Balyushka videos to impress him.
Appearing in "Balyushka!"
Featured Characters:
- Batman (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Joker (Flashback and main story)
Other Characters:
- Anne Crowley (Flashback only)
- Benny Dalrymple (Flashback only)
- Brian Fusselputz (Flashback only)
- GCPD (Flashback and main story)
- Father O'Doul (Apparent Death) (Flashback and main story)
- Joe Finnegan
- Philip Shoemaker (Flashback only)
- Sharon Jones (Flashback only)
- Sheila
Locations:
- Gotham City (Flashback and main story)
- Batcave (Flashback and main story)
- Crawley's Christmas Tree Farm (Flashback and main story)
- Gotham University (Flashback only)
Items:
- Batcomputer (Flashback and main story)
- Batrope (Flashback only)
Vehicles:
- Batmobile (Flashback and main story)
Synopsis for "Bad News"
Slade has been hired for a job in Metropolis, a city he hates because it is protected by the always optimistic Superman who makes it hard for any villain to pull off a job. This however means he can charge more for his work. As he lands at the port, he learns that he will be paid 3 million dollars if he succeeds and his target is a photographer who took a photo that could jail a politician in their pocket. Deathstroke then proceeds to set off a massive explosion near the Daily Planet, so his work isn't interrupted by Superman.
Sommariva's goons offer to assist him, but Slade rejects their offer stating he works alone and they're like amateurs who can't handle a young photographer. Asking from them about his target's identity, he learns that it's Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy while running away encounters a police boat docked at the port and requests a couple of officers to help him. They soon learn who's after him and get killed. Jimmy calls out to Superman for help, but Deathstroke mocks him stating he isn't coming since he'll be busy in helping others.
Supergirl comes in way of Slade's katana as he tries to stab Jimmy, leading to it being broken, and asks Jimmy if he is alright. Slade however had prepared for battling a Kryptonian and opens a gas grenade containing a mixture of kryptonite and lead, before firing towards Jimmy who is saved by Kara. As the gas dissipates, Jimmy discovers that Slade destroyed his camera with his broken katana before fleeing.
Appearing in "Bad News"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Sommariva
Antagonists:
- Jimmy Olsen
- Metropolis Police Department
- Joe (Dies)
- Supergirl
Other Characters:
- Kryptonians (Mentioned only)
- Superman (Mentioned only)
Locations:
Items:
- Green Kryptonite (Mentioned only)
Synopsis for "The Lady or the Tiger"
Harley while traversing through rooftops spots and attacks Huntress, who immediately subdues her before helping her get back up. She hands her the dossier on Tony Wymoux as she asked and warns that he's a dangerous man. Harley states that she knows and is prepared to deal with any trouble.
Harley narrates that Tony was her schoolmate and she had a crush on him because he seemed exciting. Tony used to bully the other kids and was always accompanied by his friend Glenn. One day, he dared Harley to eat a mouse to become her girlfriend and though she didn't, a part of her did consider doing it. Tony started calling her "mouse-girl", which became her hated nickname in school.
While attacking the guards outside Tony's hideout, Harley states that she knew his wife Bettany after being wrongly implicated in a robbery committed by him, but she never admitted the truth because of the physical abuse she used to suffer at her husband's hands. After her release Bettany went missing. Harley attacks the guards inside the hideout and Tony who is preparing to kill Bettany is alerted when Glenn shoots at her.
After she knocks out all the guards, Tony drops Bettany from a height, allowing him to try to escape using a car while Harley saves her. Harley throws the bombs she stole from the Joker at Tony's car, causing it to fall in the river. Tony pleads to be rescues stating he doesn't even know her, but she informs that he used to call him mouse-girl. She asks Bettany about saving him but she stays silent. As Tony drowns, Harley narrates she'd never save him anyway.
Appearing in "The Lady or the Tiger"
Featured Characters:
- Harley Quinn (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Bettany Wymoux
- Huntress
Antagonists:
- Tony Wymoux (Flashback and main story) (Dies)
- Glenn (Flashback and main story)
- Paolo
Other Characters:
- The Joker (In picture only)
Items:
Locations:
- Gotham City (Flashback and main story)
Synopsis for "Apotheosis"
This story is reprinted from Justice League (Volume 2) #23.1: Darkseid.
Long ago, there was a planet of mortal mud-grubbers, whose gods were giants. Those gods seemed to care little for the needs of those living beneath their feet, and stomped and trampled on their fields and homes out of ignorance or malice. One of these mud-grubbers was called Uxas - and he hated the gods. His brother-in-law, Izaya was devout, and he and his wife Avia prayed for help, only to see their hovel crushed under the foot of a giant. Uxas made no secret of his hatred, and Izaya warned that his blaspheming would bring disaster upon them. Uxas thought that might actually be a good idea.
That night, he climbed the forbidden mountain and while the gods slept, he whispered lies and conspiracies into their ears such that they became suspicious of each other, and war followed when they woke. Their battling saw Uxas' sister wounded, but he cared not. When one god fell to the ground, it saw Uxas, and begged him to believe in him, revealing that the gods fed on faith. Rather than do so and reap the rewards, Uxas decided instead to take his power by killing him. He became the first to kill a god, and he did not stop there. He killed all of them, and took their power. The result was a transformation from the lowly but hateful Uxas to the mighty Darkseid.
Horrified by Uxas' actions, Izaya and his wife ran for their lives, but stopped at the wounded body of the lord of the sky. As they were devout, they placed their faith in him and begged him to save Avia. Unfortunately, the god was too far gone, and so was Avia. Even as the sky god died, taking Avia with him, he bestowed upon Izaya the last vestiges of his power.
Izaya faced his brother in law, who reacted with disdain at the idea that Izaya would steal power from the old gods as well. Izaya responded that his powers were gifts - that they are the New Gods. He pleaded with Darkseid to join him in doing good, but this only filled Darkseid's heart with more contempt and waged a war against Izaya that destroyed the world. [1]
From there, Darkseid created Apokolips and enslaved its people, breeding laughter out of the species. As mechanical as Apokolips had become, it still fostered room for a challenge. That challenge came in the form of Kaiyo, the Chaos Bringer. She could still laugh, and her ability to teleport was a great annoyance to Darkseid. As he chased her down, he was surprised to discover an entirely other universe, where a champion existed to rival his own power.
Kaiyo sought to annoy Darkseid greatly, and so she would lead him from universe to universe, showing him rival after rival, knowing that he would not stand to see someone with such power other than himself. So, he would kill the champions, and destroy their worlds, one after the other.
One universe, though, had champions who managed to repel him, and though this angered him, he was merciful toward Kaiyo, eager to continue the cycle, and kill every Superman in every universe.
Appearing in "Apotheosis"
Featured Characters:
- Darkseid (Uxas) (Flashback and main story) (Origin)
Supporting Characters:
- Highfather (Izaya) (Flashback only) (Origin)
- Avia (Dies in flashback)
Villains:
Other Characters:
- Parademons
- Brutaal (Cameo)
- Ultra-Humanite (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Justice League
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Reverse-Flash: Rebirth"
This story is reprinted from The Flash (Volume 3) #8.
Freed from Iron Heights, the Reverse-Flash vows to change "everything", and speeds through time, looking for a specific story...
In the 25th century, life is lived at a fast pace. And into this world is born Eobard Thawne. A bright imaginative boy, Eobard is too much for his parents, so they decide to have a second child and get Eobard to look after him, forcing the boy to grow up. Unable to concentrate on his studies, Eobard ends up getting caught hacking into the Flash Museum mainframe - by his brother Robern, who has become a policeman. Eobard is filled with rage at what his young life has become, when a mysterious man appears and grabs Robern. There is a flash of bizarre red lightning...
An only child, Eobard is able to graduate with flying colors. He applies for the post of professor at the Central City Flash Museum. However, the occupant of the position, the eminent Professor Drake, tells him he is not wanted. Eobard is about to leave in anger, but there is another flash...
Gaining the position of Professor, Eobard impresses everyone with his knowledge of the subject matter, gaining the nickname "Professor Zoom". He puts all the time he can spare into researching the mythical Speed Force, up until the day when his concerned parents convinced a local counsellor to temporarily shut down his research.
He puts all the time he can spare into researching the mythical Speed Force, even on the day his parents and a local counsellor are killed in a freak weather incident. He assumed he would never find love, until the day he met Rose, a reporter for Central City Science Today. However, she was engaged.
He assumed he would never find love, until the day he met Rose, a reporter for Central City Science Today. However, her fiancé had vanished several weeks ago, and she was worried about him.
He assumed he would never find love, until the day he met Rose, a reporter for Central City Science Today. However, she had never had a boyfriend for longer than a month, in a spate of fatal accidents. In addition to which, she did not reciprocate his feelings.
He assumed he would never find love. And he was right. Rose died in a hospital, after something happened to her at age 5 which left her dazed and nonresponsive.
It was at this point that Eobard found a time capsule, unearthed by a lightning strike. And inside it was a costume worn by the Flash. Eobard, feeling the hand of destiny in his otherwise unremarkable life, used his research into the Speed Force to replicate the Flash's powers in himself. He decided to become the Flash of the 25th century, saving a woman who fell off a building when she felt a sudden gust of wind. He is beloved by the people...
...all of which is old news to the Reverse-Flash, who knows how the story of Eobard Thawne ends. Having seen the story, the Reverse-Flash decides to strike out at Barry Allen by "stealing his future", claiming it as revenge for "destroying" Eobard's own, in willful ignorance of his own actions.
Appearing in "Reverse-Flash: Rebirth"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Mr & Mrs Thawne (Single appearance; dies)
- Robern Thawne (Single appearance; dies)
- Professor Drake (Single appearance; dies)
- Rose
Antagonists:
- The Reverse-Flash (Behind the scenes)
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items
Synopsis for "Green Savior"
This story is reprinted from Secret Origins (Volume 3) #10.
Dr. Pamela Isley learns of a big company called Descanto moving in next to an unfortunate corn farmer, and planting their own genetically modified crops. They took the farmer's business and then sued her, claiming she had stolen their strain of crop. Pamela promises to get justice, though she is no lawyer. She marches into the Descanto field, encountering a man spraying pesticide on a patch of poison ivy next to a stand of corn. He warns her that it's private property - and of the danger of poison ivy. She promises that the ivy cannot hurt her, instructing the ivy to grow long vines that choke and drag him to the ground.
Later, she pays a visit directly to the head of Descanto, who has agreed to meet with her as a prospective employee on the recommendatio nof his vice president. He notes, though, that it appears she was let go from her last position at Wayne Enterprises. Pamela explains that she felt Bruce Wayne was too limited in his vision. She had produced a formula to influence the pheromone responses of his clients, and he'd rejected it, despite its brilliance. As she explains this, she removes her blazer and lets her hair down, clearly attempting to seduce Mr. Descanto. He is wise to the ploy, but unable to resist it, thanks to his own response to the pheromones she can now produce with a thought. Under her influence, he drops the lawsuit against the farmer, and offers her a five million dollar reparation to her. Completely entranced by her seduction, Mr. Descato begs to know more about her, and Pamela obliges.
Her father had been a violent man who beat her mother - and her mother had made excuses for him, rather than stand up for herself. She had used the garden in their back yard as an escape. Eventually, though, Pamela discovered her mother's corpse buried in that garden after her father had murdered her. Years later, she visited him in prison and ensured that a poisoned kiss would make his death appear natural. At university, she perfected her pheromone research by experimenting on the other students - which resulted in threats of jail. She used her pheromones, though, to influence the Dean of the university to help her, seeing to it that she graduated with honours and received an internship at Wayne Enterprises. When Bruce Wayne tried to throw her out of the company after rejecting her research, she returned to her lab to take her work with her. In her struggle to collect it before security could take her away, she became drenched in the plant serum she'd developed. In that moment, she was connected to The Green, gaining immunity to poisons and viruses, as well as innate control of pheromones. The plants would also heed her calls. After a time of being exposed to that green world, Pamela emerged from it with the powerful instinct to protect what remained of it from humanity.
Ivy forces Mr. Descato to open his mouth as she dumps a packet of seeds down his throat, explaining that his company's crops work against the natural order, and his pesticides and genetic modifications only serve to aggravate the tension. She encourages the seeds inside him to sprout into healthy corn stalks, shooting out of his mouth until he is no more. With him dead, she declares herself Poison Ivy - guardian of the Green.
Appearing in "Green Savior"
Featured Characters:
- Poison Ivy (Dr. Pamela Isley) (Flashback and main story) (Origin)
Supporting Characters:
- Mr. Isley (Dies in flashback)
- Mrs. Isley (Dies in flashback)
- Sarah Fleming (Single appearance)
Villains:
- Mr. Descanto (Single appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Wayne Enterprises
- Bruce Wayne (Flashback only)
Concepts:
Locations:
- Gotham City (Flashback only)