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Batman '89 1

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Batman '89 #1 is the first issue of Batman '89. It was released on August 10, 2021.

Synopsis[]

Step back into the Gotham of Tim Burton’s seminal classic Batman movies! Batman ’89 brings in screenwriter Sam Hamm (Batman, Batman Returns) and artist Joe Quinones (Dial H for Hero) to pull on a number of threads left dangling by the prolific director. Gotham becomes torn in two as citizens dressed as Batman and The Joker duke it out in the streets. As D.A. Harvey Dent tries to keep the city together, he targets the one problem tearing it apart: BATMAN! And he’ll get Bruce Wayne’s help in taking down The Dark Knight!

Plot[]

On Halloween night, Harvey Dent and Barbara Gordon are on a date at a restaurant inside of a tower in Gotham City. Harvey attempts to begin to propose to Barbara, but at this very moment Barbara sees Batman from outside the window. Harvey dismisses her sighting as they're 59 stories in the sky.

After three nights of reduced violence in Gotham, the city's Halloween celebration is proceeding as planned. A news reporter is reporting from Gotham Square, where kids are in the crowd despite the Mayor's proclamation that Halloween is no longer safe for kids. Batman is a popular costume of choice, and the reporter interviews someone wearing one such Batman costume. He explains however that he wears the suit every night to scare off criminals due to Gotham's feeble police force. The reporter interviews another man wearing a Joker get-up, who she asks if he believes his look glorifies.

Back at the tower, Harvey gives Barbara an engagement ring, but Barbara is undecided whether she wants to marry Harvey. He gives her his coin to flip, with heads meaning yes and tails no. Meanwhile, Emmett is counting down to detonate an explosive, which collapses the onramp, crashing two armored cars. Slappy tells Emmett they have ten minutes before the traffic clears, and to try to keep the police occupied. The Joker gang begin looting stores. Batman tells Commissioner Gordon to bring out the big guns, as the criminals have artillery in their possession, and notes he already figured out the plan.

The criminals hook the armored cars to the cargo helicopter, and lift it in the air. Batman arrives and attaches himself to the hook's cables, firing a line from his wrist launcher to attach the helicopter to the nearby building. The helicopter crashes into the side of the building and explodes, and both pilots fall to the ground. Batman lands safely, but is fired at relentlessly by the nearby goons. Batman throws an explosive batarang at the base of a giant penny in front of the bank and frees it, using it as a shield as he waits for the Batmobile to arrive and then hops in and drives away.

A police helicopter looms over the scene, and informs the criminals left in the area that it has been secured, and orders them not to leave. As Harvey and Barbara leave the tower, a Joker goon runs by and grabs Barbara's purse, taking it to the alleyway. Another goon in the alleyway holds Harvey at gunpoint, while the goon he was chasing pulls out a knife. Harvey is able to buy himself some time, punching the mugger and knocking him out, allowing himself to pull out his own pistol. The remaining goon pleads with his life, but Harvey flips a coin, with heads meaning the goon dies and tails meaning he lives. The coin lands heads, but Harvey simply fires off two shots in the air, causing the goon to run away. Harvey states to a relieved Barbara that they can't ignore crime anymore, and that there's no room in Gotham anymore for law-abiding citizens.

The next morning at Wayne Manor, Alfred brings Bruce coffee in bed and informs him the suit he wore is past salvaging. Bruce asks where his breakfast is, and Alfred says he'll serve him downstairs, where Bruce has a visitor. Harvey Dent greets Bruce and tells him that he has a way to fix the chaos in Gotham City and that he's going to need Bruce's help going up against Jim Gordon. Bruce asks what Harvey wants from him, and Harvey responds that with his backing they will take down the Batman. Bruce and Harvey watch as a Gotham reporter talks about the incident the previous night. Harvey claims that the all the Batman copycats are operatives of Jim Gordon after Bruce inquires about his claim about a "crew" of vigilantes in Gotham. Bruce says he wants to help Harvey and doesn't disagree with anything he's said, but he can't help because of his close ties with Gordon. As Harvey leaves, Bruce tells Alfred he won't turn on Gordon because of how he was there for him on the night of his parent's murder.

Harvey drives away from the Manor and asks Barbara at the GCPD headquarters what she's found in the Batman evidence locker. Barbara tells him that Andy in evidence gave her a full inventory, and that Harvey has to submit a formal request for an independent forensic analysis to play with the "toys". Barbara tells Harvey of the Super-Batarang, and then Harvey ends the call as he pulls up to Royal Auto in Burnside. Harvey meets Mr. Otis, who asks him why he's in Burnside, and Harvey responds that he's there for routine maintenance. A child tells Harvey he likes his car, and Harvey asks him if he wants to take it out for a ride, but the child responds he's only nine. Mr. Otis jokingly tells Harvey to be careful to not get grease on his clothing, but Harvey says he's there to represent and be a good role model for the kids. Mr. Otis laughs and says the kids don't see him at all, because Harvey had been part of a different crowd. Harvey says he remembers where he came from, but to try to roll with the crowd he'd have to hide himself. Mr. Otis asks who Harvey is trying to be, and Harvey responds that he's trying to be a "big man", just as he always was told he would be when Harvey always got heads playing heads or tails with him as a child.

Later that night, Reverend Cecil Culp of the Gotham Congregational Church delivers a speech at Gotham City Hall where he accuses James Gordon of embracing Batman, who he thinks is a one-man judge and jury hiding behind a mask and accountable to no one, outlining that despite the city telling its citizens to respect the law, they nonetheless enlist a criminal to fight crime. He asks the Gotham City Council for a vote of no confidence in Commissioner James Gordon. Bruce is watching from Wayne Manor, and Alfred tells him to look outside, as the Bat-Signal has been lit, with a line striking out the bat symbol. Alfred deduces it wasn't Gordon, and Bruce goes to investigate. On the roof of the GCPD, Harvey Bullock sits with Harvey Dent. He tells Harvey Batman isn't coming, and that the Bat-Signal hasn't been used in six months due to Gordon having an electronic back channel with him. Batman sees Bullock and Dent and informs Gordon of this and that there are snipers in the nearby buildings. Gordon tells Batman he's probably going to be out of his job soon and that their channel might be compromised and gives him the advice to stay off the streets, as the National Guard has orders to bring Batman in alive or otherwise. He then destroys his communication device.

The National Guard inform the citizens of Gotham that the strictly enforced curfew begins in ten minutes, and tells them to go to their homes. One of the guards takes note of Batman flying, and several gunshots go off. A store owner is chasing after a robber, and Batman watches overhead as the National Guard tell him to drop his weapon. Batman pursues the robber to a nearby building, who he listens to as he tells a child, Nyesha, that he's gotten her food. Batman confronts the boy and asks him where the money is he took, but he says he only took diapers and baby food. Batman asks the boy how old he is and where his mother is, and the boy says she's outside. The individual asks Batman to help them as they're scared of heights, and Batman tells them to stay where they are. As Batman tells them to not move, he gets kicked in the face by some kind of male vigilante, who tells Batman the house isn't his and to knock next time. Batman falls down off the fire escape, but fires a cable that suspends him in place. The vigilante gives the boy with the baby eight dollars, saying it's all he's got when the boy asks. The National Guard find Batman hanging on the cable and says that if he moves a muscle, they'll let him have it.

Appearances[]

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Variant covers[]

Behind the scenes[]

  • The issue was originally supposed to be released Digital First on July 27, 2021, but the decision was made to release it in print and on digital simultaneously on August 10.
  • The Halloween banners in Gotham City use font in the style of Tim Burton's 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Additionally, there are children wearing costumes that look like the characters Lock and Barrel, and a girl wearing a costume that looks like Sally. One of the jack-o-lanterns appears to be the face of Jack Skellington.
  • One of the Gotham citizens attending the Halloween celebrations in Gotham Square looks like Prince as he appears in the Batdance music video, except being fully the Joker rather than a mix of Batman and Joker.

References[]

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