Batman: Gotham Knights #57
War Games: Act Two Part 4
Writer: A.J. Lieberman
Pencils: Al Barrionuevo
Inks: Francis Portella
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.50

This review contains spoilers.

With Gotham under a city-wide blackout, Batman contacts Tarantula to see if she ready for his assignment. Batman confirms that the Penguin is the one behind the loss of power. He tells her that he wants Cobblepot out of the city once and for all. Then he reminds her of one last thing. ?No killing.?

Tarantula then ignites her flare and makes her way to the Iceberg Lounge. As she drops down to the street entrance, she muses to herself, ?No killing? Where?s the fun in that?? She lands on one of the thugs standing guard over the entrance and starts taking out them one at a time. She dodges one bullet and goes after the punk that fired the shot. As she gets to him, the gangster?s gun jams. She tells him that she rather see him run away then go for his second gun. The heavy instead goes for his back-up piece and she responds by putting her boot into his chin and knocking him out cold. Tarantula then walks through the front door.

On the rooftops, Spoiler is making her way to Orpheus to warn him. As she hurdles over an external ventilation vent, a hail of bullets surrounds her left and right sides. Spoiler then bounds from the roof and into the chasm that?s between the two buildings. Her leap is not enough as she starts to freefall towards the street below. Luckily, she grabs a metal fire escape and says, ?This week cannot get any worse.? As soon as she tries to pulls herself up, a rocket-propelled grenade plummets towards her from the rooftop above and blasts her from the safety of the fire escape and hurtles her to the hard street.

Spoiler recovers and cushions her fall by landing on top of a parked car. Still stunned by the blast, she tries to think of her next move while above her, something is following her down to the ground ? the blazing fire escape. She?s thrown to the sidewalk as the burning mound of molten metal smashes the unfortunate parked sedan. Spoiler picks herself off of the grounds and says to herself, ?Okay, let?s go. Keep moving, Steph.?

Oracle tells Batman, who is looking over the Gotham skyline, that she cannot get Tarantula via page. Batman tells her that Tarantula is delivering a message for him. Oracle responds that it seems that everything is going according to plan. Batman starts to answer by saying that nothing these last few days has gone to plan. Then, he recognizes that the lights have been restored to the citizens of Gotham. Batman starts to realize that he knew that there was going to be a blackout and he knew that someone would kill the power to the city. Oracle asks him how he knew. Batman responds, ?I knew?because…because I planned it???

Tarantula discovers that the Iceberg is empty and makes her way to its basement. As she walks down the metal steps, she sees the Penguin?s warehouse of stolen booty and says, ?Crime doesn?t pay, my butt.? From the shadows, a familiar scaled figure appears and tries to take a swipe at the perplexed vigilante but misses as Tarantula jumps to the floor. She tries to engage Killer Croc with some repartee but turns around to see Anarky tell her that she came at a really bad time.

Oracle is confused by Batman?s admission and asks for clarification. Batman says that he?s been chasing himself the whole time and he states that he now knows what he has to do. Batman then asks Oracle if the highway is clear. Oracle verifies that it has been clear since the police enacted the night curfew. After Batman acknowledges her response, Oracle asks him, ?Where are you going?? Batman coldly replies, ?Don?t worry about it.?

In the secret lair deep in the bowels of the Iceberg Lounge, the Penguin is watching the fight between his hired super-villains and Tarantula through on his multiple TV console. A voice in the background asks Cobblepot if he wants the shadowy person to take care of her. Penguin replies negatively and says, ?Let?s see how good she is. Who knows, I might be able to use her.? Tarantula is surrounded by Croc, Anakry and Trickster. But she makes quick work of them by using a combo of her martial arts skills and her blow darts. And when Croc is the last to fall, a voice come from the darkness and says, ?Let me ask you —- Why do the good lookin? broads always show up late?? Tarantula looks up to see the forearm of Deadshot with his imbedded rifle barrel pointed at her temple.

Batman is making his way through Gotham and calls Alfred to ask him to access a file on the main computer. Alfred antagonizes Batman by asking if this type of request should be directed to Oracle. Batman tersely responds by telling Alfred to just do it and gives him the folder name to access. Alfred sarcastically asks, ?Very good, sir. Shall I give you a dramatic reading?? Batman ignores the sarcasm and tells Alfred to send the data to his PDA. Alfred then asks if Batman wants the user records. While accessing the data, Batman says that he only wants to know who last accessed the folder in question and when they were accessed. Batman verifies something and contacts Oracle to get everyone online. Oracle complies with Batman?s request and relays it with a confirmation. Alfred then tells Batman that the last person to access the file was Spoiler. Batman states matter-of-factly, ?I wish I could say that I was surprised.?

?Please let him be alive. That?s all I ask.? Spoiler tells herself as she hitches a ride on a police paddy wagon. Spoiler sees a street lamp and throws herself towards it. She grabs the overhanging light pole and somersaults up to the nearby rooftop. As soon as she lands, she is interrupted by some of the Hill?s gang members. Spoiler tries to diffuse the impending conflict by telling them to agree that they?re all super-tough and go their separate ways. The head punk doesn?t bite and approaches Spoiler aggressively. Spoiler responds by laying out the toughie with a series of punches, kicks and flying elbows. After the leader of the small gang is defeated, Spoiler tells them to get to the East End Clinic and that she never wants to see them again. As Spoiler prepares to continue her quest, she says under her breath, ?He was wrong. He shoulda never fired me.?

Using her quick reflexes, Tarantula snaps her head back in time to narrowly avoid Deadshot?s bullet. She then grabs his firing arm, kicks him in the stomach and knock him down with a kick to the chin while simultaneously ripping his right gun mount. Deadshot returns in kind by dropping her with a leg sweep which causes her to drop the arm band. As she falls, she says, ?Let see how good you are without backup, Ese.?

While she?s struggling to get up, Deadshot runs up to her and kick her in the jaw. Tarantula fights back with a kick to the ribs which drops him to his knees. She gets up and finishes up the fight by viciously putting an elbow to the intersection of Deadshot?s head and spine. She picks up the loose arm band, lords over the unconscious villain and laughs, ?Yeah, that?s what I figured.?

The Bat-team has been briefed about Batman?s ?War Game? scenario and are all caught up in disbelief. Batman does not answer their questions and asks Oracle to locate Orpheus. Oracle says that she can?t track him down which worries Batman and tells her that they need to find him before they do anything.

Robin asks Batman why he would even plan for these circumstances. Batman tells him that it was a precaution that was planned to anticipate any number of variables that might disrupt the city and that he never intended to implement it, Nightwing chimes in by asking, ?Well, if you didn?t do it, who did?? Batman avoids blaming Spoiler by saying that the person who did was not important but keeping Orpheus alive is. Batgirl asks why Orpheus and Batman plainly states that Orpheus is the center of the plan.

Penguin sees that his hired men are defeated and that Tarantula is coming after him. He patiently waits for the inevitable. Tarantula blows out the lair?s door with Deaadshot?s gun and tells Penguin that she has a message for him. Penguin tries to bribe her by offering three times what the Batman is paying her. Tarantula scoffs at the offer. Penguin says, ?Or five. See? And everyone says I?m cheap.? She ignores the counter-offer and tells him that Batman wants him gone. Penguin wonders innocently, ?Me? Why??

Tarantula explains to Cobblepot that he?s the only person who didn?t have a direct stake in the crime family meeting and that even though he didn?t set up the meeting; every armed felon thinks that he did. Penguin asks why everyone would think that fallacy and she responds by saying that she put word on the street to that fact. Tarantula goes on to say that if it was his money that she want, she would just take it. But both she and Batman want him out of the picture. Penguin pleads, ?But?this is my home.? Tarantula smiles and responds, ?Not anymore.?

Batman is now racing towards the North End in his motorcycle to get to Orpheus. As he talks to his team, he starts to beat himself up about not detecting his own plan to begin with. One of the team asks why Orpheus is so important. Batman replies that in his plan, Orpheus would lead a unified crime syndicate that the Bat-team could control. Batman closes by saying, ?I didn?t ask for this war. But at least we know how to end it.?

Meanwhile, Spoiler has made her way to the Orpheus? compound in the North End. Once she races inside, she sees Orpheus out of costume and in a trench coat then thanks God that he?s alive. Orpheus is perplexed by her announcement. Spoiler tries to explain her position by asking if Batman has contacted him. He replies that he has heard from him because he had to remove the helmet as it was too stifling. Spoiler interrupts him by telling him that he?s the key and that everything revolves around him. Orpheus says, ?What are you talking?key to what?? Spoiler says that he?s the key to the plan. Just as she begins to tell him the War Games plan, a gloved white hand reaches around and pulls Orpheus? head back and the other hand brings a shiv-like knife to Orpheus? Adam?s Apple. Spoiler stands in shock as blood spurts towards her and a voice says, ?Plan, little girl? What plan??

Looks like the Batman and his team are a little late to preventing the possible execution of Orpheus. But now that they know the plan, can they stop the white gloved psychopath before he takes out Spoiler? We?ll see as next week there?ll be three issues coming out. Don?t miss out on the big reveal. Stay tuned 4CR denizens.

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