Scans_Daily

Its inspirations are obvious and it's inspired enough to be more than derivative.

The giant monsters are the extradimensional Tetza, the giant mechs are the made-on-Earth Iron Kings, and the protagonist's one of the pilots of the latter.

Issue #1's her getting a new mech to drive - and a self-constituted rival accosting her over it.

( He's archetypical. )

Issue #1078'd been the plan to do so, carried out by the crew she'd recruited.

It'd climaxed in the Orghams being threatened to call off the public hanging of Batman - and their going ahead with it anyway.

#1079 had Batman swinging from a noose in the wind, the Orghams' forces pushing back against Selina's crew, and Catwoman with Prince Arzen and Queen Dariah Orgham.

( There were still events to play out. )

In issue #1076, she'd started gathering help.

Issue #1077 opened on the day of what she was trying to save him from - his public execution.

Batman was led to the gallows by the Orgham retainer Shavhod, who taunted him.

( She poured her words into his ears, his azmer-wracked body. )

In issue #1067, representatives of that family'd made their next move in Gotham City - the purchase of land rights in the city's Narrows, the burning of buildings thereon, and the taking of people therein.

Bruce Wayne, hearing about the last two as they were happening, drove off towards the Narrows.

Batman, above the fray of the Narrows, leapt into it. He grappled with the Orgham agents in issue #1068, fought an even enough fight until he was poisoned.

The situation was in the Orghams' favor, then - until Harvey Dent (forcibly pulled into the Orghams' orbit back in issue #1063) gave himself over to Two-Face.

( Two-Face made away with Batman. )

That issue's main story had ended on Batman, having fallen into Gotham's harbor after interfering in the League of Assassins' assassination attempt against a visiting delegation of the royal Orghams of Svatrstal, being pulled out by Jim Gordon and his friend.

Batman awoke in the private detective agency that Jim shared with Harvey Bullock now, unmasked and bandaged up: " Your face is unhurt.. I bandaged it in the dark.. [b]ecause I.. uh.. I didn't want to know. "

He gathered himself together.

( Jim went to pour drinks. )

It opens in the past - her training Damian on desert sands.

In the course of their swordplay, she told an old story - of Farhad I Parethes, " grim soldier ".

Of a man who served his gods so well that they grew jealous of his consequent reputation, and set him a " last task " meant to hurt.

( He took it on. )

It's the first issue of " Gotham Nocturne ", an arc title underlining the use of " gothic " and " operatic " as descriptors of the story to come.

It has a narrative scope that doesn't make the reader think " Detective Comics is a satellite to Batman, the book, telling stories for the story's sake " - the wringer it's putting Bruce Wayne through is something that would be at home in that other book as well.

It opens with Batman dealing with smugglers in the Gotham docks handily - and then finding a much hardier challenge in " Bruno Maroni.. Sal's nephew.. ", turned into something inhuman and strong.

The fight was interrupted by the transformed Maroni being shot in the head by Talia al Ghul, who then turned and fled Batman's regard.

Batman pursued - but the only thing he caught was Talia's warning: " They're coming and you are not prepared. "

( The warning pushed an already-lodged barb deeper into Batman. )

The dinner's between Dr. Joy, former doctor of Arkham Asylum, and Dr. Phosphorous and Nocturna - former patients there.

They're having it after the end of issue #4, where the former'd learned something about the " ghost of Amadeus Arkham " that she'd seen for herself in Gotham City.

In Dr. Phosphorous and Nocturna's kitchen, Dr. Joy elaborated on the identity of that ghost.

( Her hosts made food and coffee. )

Issue #2'd featured the Ten-Eyed Man being guided by his own map, and Azrael following divine leads.

Issue #3 had Dr. Joy, formerly of Arkham, following the Ten-Eyed Man's lead again.

Azrael, meanwhile, was following her as a lead.

( He broke into her apartment. )

The mapper is the Ten-Eyed Man, whose way of seeing the world was established in issue #1.

The hunter's Azrael, who's been following God's leads to the demons of Arkham.

The Ten-Eyed Man was in the care of Dr. Joy, from the Asylum the Joker'd gassed - she was thinking that " if I [help] just one of my patients.. it'[ll] all be worth it. "

On a rooftop she'd climbed up to, he told her that his ritual to ward off the " ghost of Arkham " had failed.

" Ten-Eyed Man. Amadeus Arkham is long dead.

" He's not coming to get any of you. That's just a myth.

" The city and the Asylum are distinct things. They aren't the same. "

( The Ten-Eyed Man looked at her. )