Jean-Paul Valley’s deadly reputation as Azrael no longer strikes fear in Gotham’s criminals in Batman: Urban Legends – and he just found out why.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the story “Dark Knight of the Soul” Part 1 from Batman: Urban Legends #8, on sale now from DC Comics.
If the effects of Scarecrow’s Fear State weren’t enough for Gotham to handle right now, there’s another terrifying plot spilling into the streets of Gotham. Whilst the Magistrate has made its presence known to the people of Gotham, another threat has been quietly lurking throughout Gotham in the lead up to something new. Of course, nothing can be kept secret forever and the rumors aren’t just reaching Batman, they’re reaching the city’s criminals too.
That’s what one infamous Gotham hero discovers first hand in the story “Dark Knight of the Soul” Part 1 from Batman: Urban Legends #8 by Dan Waters, Nikola Čižmešija, Ivan Plascencia and Ariana Maher. Batman’s infamous Knightfall replacement, Azrael, is back in town and he’s dealing out his own self-righteous judgment. Though he still resists the urge to punish criminals through more murderous means, his prey didn’t get the memo. Having tracked down someone named Bullet-Tooth, Azrael’s lethal reputation doesn’t deter him in any way. As the villain declares that “death has no jurisdiction in Gotham anymore” he shockingly blows up the building he’s in, resulting in his own death.
Though a part of Azrael is secretly pleased that Bullet-Tooth is dead, he doesn’t understand his actions. Even stranger, the vigilante hears the criminal’s chilling declaration reiterated at his hospice job as Jean-Paul Valley. The former Batman has no time to think about these mysterious words, however, as the real Batman pays him a visit. The Dark Knight questions Jean-Paul about his most recent activities, believing that Azrael may have killed Bullet-Tooth in cold blood. Though he explains what really happened, the Caped Crusader reiterates to him his no-kill policy to all of Gotham’s heroes.
Whether it was Batman’s words or the words he heard from Bullet-Tooth and in the hospice, Azrael investigates one of Gotham’s morgues. As he prepares himself not to see the dead walking, he is shocked when the dead Bullet-Tooth emerges from the building. As the corpse walks out into the streets of Gotham, Jean-Paul Valley falls to his knees and prays for, what he believes to be, the coming apocalypse.
Azrael isn’t the first Gotham hero to look into the rumors about the city’s morgues. He isn’t even the one who got closest to uncovering the conspiracy. It’s almost surprising that Batman didn’t immediately believe Bullet-Tooth took his own life since he’s very aware of what’s going on himself. He even advised others, including the Red Hood, to stay well away from the situation. Of course, this hasn’t stopped the most rebellious Robin from doing his own thing in the Detective Comics backup story “What the #!$% is Task Force Z.”
Jason Todd, famous for his own resurrection, dragged reporter Deb Donovan into his investigation into the latest horrifying resurrections in Gotham City. By taking advantage of her skills as a journalist, the Red Hood caught up to those responsible. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what they wanted. Now in the custody of the U.S. Government, Jason is no longer investigating this Gotham-based conspiracy – he’s a part of it.
This is all leading up to the launch of the new Task Force Z series from Matthew Rosenberg, Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira. This new title will see Red Hood leading a Suicide Squad-esque team of zombified villains as they try to earn their way back to the land of the living. Though the team’s existence hasn’t been the best-kept secret so far, the fact that some of its recruits can simply wander the streets doesn’t bode well for anyone who gets caught in the crossfire.
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