Broken Frontier

We’re catching up with the last couple of weeks worth of DC releases this time around and first up it’s a look at the Batman line of titles that saw a number of key releases and developments over the Christmas period. So let’s strap ourselves into the Batmobile and take a wild ride through the winding streets of Gotham City. But first take heed of our Spoiler Warning: Read no further if you’ve not had your DC fix this week and don’t want to read about key story elements.

Batman Family

Let’s begin with Cassandra Cain, whose life takes a brief turn for the better in Batgirl #6. This is an issue that takes place prior to the turbulent recent events in the main Bat-books. Cass’s mission to end the threat of her assassin father once and for all reaches a climax when she realises that, despite everything he has done to her, she cannot take his life. In recognition to how far she has come Batman instigates adoption proceedings to ensure Batgirl will always have a family. His choice of words here though - "As long as I’m around..." - are obviously laced with ominous foreshadowing.

Nightwing has been Cassandra’s harshest critic of late and his subconscious resentment of her adoption spills over into Batman and the Outsiders #14 where her story post-Batman R.I.P. has been continuing. To fill the void left by the Dark Knight’s disappearance Batgirl has been putting together a network of operatives in Gotham including such diverse characters as the Riddler and Vigilante. It takes a scolding from Alfred to force the two heroes to put aside their differences at last. Those looking for early appearances of the mysterious new Azrael are also advised to pick this one up.

Somewhere in the midst of all this Nightwing, Robin and Captain Boomerang Jnr. have time to bond over a Christmas showing of It’s a Wonderful Life as all three characters come to terms to life without their father figures. Tim also squeezes in a Yuletide celebration with the Teen Titans. Both these adventures can be seen courtesy of the DC Universe Holiday Special #1.

Legends of the Dark Knight

Given the revelations in Robin #181, Tim’s Christmas adventures must take place somewhere shortly after Batman R.I.P. and before the Gotham gang war that erupted after Batman’s disappearance. This is underlined when we discover the after effects of the explosion Tim Drake was caught in last month have proven to be more serious than we would have ever imagined. A horribly burnt Robin is forced to adopt the Red Robin identity to cover his disfigurement and take the war to the General - who has been posing as Anarky in a complex scheme to gain control of Gotham. Those who remember how Spoiler’s manipulations of the Gotham underworld led to tragedy in the War Games crossover a few years back will be horrified to discover she hasn’t learnt her lesson from that debacle. In order to keep her promise to Batman that she would look after the Boy Wonder, Stephanie has been actively involved in fomenting the chaos to make Tim into a "better" Robin. You never learn do you Steph...?

Batman #683 is both part of the Last Rites event and a Final Crisis crossover. Perhaps most importantly here we see the sequence that links the concluding part of Batman R.I.P. to the first issue of Final Crisis. After surviving the crash over the Gotham River that sent Dr. Hurt to a supposedly watery grave Bruce returned to the Batcave and was immediately summoned by the JLA to investigate Orion’s murder. This issue sees Batman foiling Simyan and Mokkari’s plans to use him to create a clone army as referenced in Final Crisis #5. Next stop Final Crisis #6 for the finale to Batman’s last case!

Elsewhere in the world of the Batman Family Birds of Prey #125 sees the team begin taking down the individual members of the Silicon Syndicate who have so plagued them over the last few months. This month the Birds foil the operations of the obsessive collector who calls himself the Caretaker as Barbara struggles to come to terms with her failure to capture the Joker last issue. There are indications here (and from comments elsewhere) that a miracle cure for Barbara’s paralysis may be on the cards. Let’s hope DC think long and hard before making that particular decision...

Fans of the BoP can also catch up with Oracle in the DC Universe Holiday Special #1 when her father, Gotham’s Commissioner Gordon, enjoys a Christmas without sirens or crime. Teammate the Huntress also features when she makes a more down to earth, but no less valuable, contribution to two of her pupils’ festive seasons.

Shadow of the Bat

And speaking of the holidays Batman: Gotham After Midnight #8 takes us to the realms of the Ghost of Christmas Past as Steve Niles continues to tease us with the unrevealed identity of the killer called Midnight and tragedy appears to strike for a member of the supporting cast.

On the peripheries of the Batman Family an ongoing series debuts this week for the violent anti-hero who debuted in an as yet unresolved arc in Nightwing last year before making significant appearances in Gotham Underground and Batman and the Outsiders over the last few months. Vigilante #1 follows our unknown protagonist as he investigates mob links to the recent election bombings in the DCU (presumably those seen in the DC Universe: Decisions miniseries although that is never explicitly clarified). Fans of the aforementioned Gotham Underground may be intrigued to note gang boss Tobias Whale moving front and center once more.

Finally, the idea of a world without a Batman isn’t just restricted to Batman R.I.P. and its associated storylines. Trinity #s 29-30 mark the next chapters in Kurt Busiek’s examination of a DCU without its three main icons. Morgaine Le Fey and Enigma’s attempts to rebuild the universe around three primal forces was scuppered by Kanjar Ro’s impersonation of Despero a few issues back. Now they’re teaming with a number of super-villains to order reality around the major arcana of the tarot – something that Carter Hall realises he, too, has subconsciously, and with a more heroic slant, been moving towards.

The Trinity’s nearest and dearest learn that the missing heroes, in godlike form, visited Krona’s pocket universe after his escape and brought enlightenment to after Krona’s brutal rule. (And as an aside does this "Earth-Krona", added to the Antimatter Earth-II, now make the 52 into the 54...?).

Join us tomorrow as we round up the rest of the DC releases including battlefront reports from the conflict in Hell, the end of the Rann-Thanagar Holy War and chilling developments on Earth-Tangent.