Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's run on Batman has been one twist after another, with the two bringing huge changes to the world of Gotham and Bruce Wayne. For starters, Bruce doesn't remember being Batman, Jim Gordon pilots a mech with bunny ears and is calling himself Batman, and a super creepy new villain named Bloom is terrorizing Gotham.
Last issue left off with Gordon fighting not only Bloom, but a hacked version of his robotic suit. This issue picks up immediately where #46 left off, and it doesn't let go. We get not one, but two massive reveals here, and one of them will put a smile on the face of Batman fans everywhere.
Spoilers ahead!
Seriously, don't continue if you want the issue's events to be surprise.
We mean it. Still here? Read on.
Though Gordon is definitely fighting a losing battle, he uses his extensive knowledge of the batsuit and his detective skills to overcome the mechanical foe. After dispatching his "partner", he moves on to Bloom. Gordon sabotages Blooms plan to plant his "seeds" throughout Gotham, and with a little help from his still functioning robot, manage to take Bloom out.
Except not really. Bloom may be captured but he's not finished. As Gordon attempts to unmask the villain, it's revealed that there is not one Bloom, but dozens. Thing immediately go south for Gordon, but we'll have to wait until next issue to see what happens.
Meanwhile, Bruce has a run-in with one of the young boys calling himself Robin. This particular boy, Duke, once met Batman, and seems to know that Bruce Wayne is none other than The Dark Knight. Duke finds himself in trouble with the Penguin and barely escapes thanks to Bruce's help.
Not that Duke is grateful. Instead, it makes him frustrated. Duke remembers Bruce as Batman, but Bruce can't remember himself. Duke stands in front of a train and tells Bruce to put the pieces together. As Bruce has a vision of a giant bat before pushing Duke out of the way on the on-coming train, Bruce's repressed memories about his Batman identity seem to be coming together.
He sits on a park bench afterwards, on the verge of a major "eureka!" moment. Just as he's about to say the words "I am Batman", a stranger appears and asks if he can take a seat next to him. The stranger says he's seen Bruce sitting there for a long time, with Bruce replying that he was in an accident nearby once.
That gets a laugh out of the stranger. "Ha, that's funny," he says. "So was I." The stranger is then revealed to be none other than what appears to be a "cured" Joker. Just as Bruce Wayne has no memory of his past as Batman, it seems like the Joker, too, has forgotten his alter ego.
It's a huge revelation, but it's not terribly surprising that the Joker is back. This is the comic book industry, after all, and there is no way one of DC's most iconic villains would have stayed gone for long. However, the way he has returned is something we've never seen before. Without the decades of shared history as Batman and Joker to divide them, these two men look like they may become friends.
Their relationship has always been complex, mirror images of one another, almost like two-sides of the same coin. It makes perfect sense that the two would be able to relate to one another without their alter ego's to divide them. This blossoming friendship, of course, will make matters all the more interesting when Batman and the Joker return to their "normal" selves, something Snyder and Capullo are no doubt planning on.
