Rating: ****

Another amazing issue that will have everyone’s jaw drop by the time people reach the end. Sometimes the conclusion to a comic book story does not live up to the way it started - that is not the case here. Grant Morrison hits a big home run with the conclusion to his Red Hood story arc. The only drawback for me once again is Philip Tan’s artwork. Some of the artwork in the panels seemed rushed and murky, but Morrison saves the day for me with this amazing story. I read the preview that was released and I couldn’t wait to read this issue. After reading this issue, I’m now salivating for more.

Eduardo Flamingo proves to be a very dangerous character. When we last left off in the story, Flamingo had taken a shot at the Red Hood. The shot doesn’t kill him, which causes Flamingo to try harder to finish the job by shooting the side of Jason’s face off. He also tries to pull the mask off of Scarlet’s face (if you’ve been reading the title you know her face is attached to the mask).

Batman and Robin escape from the trap that the Red Hood put them in and they try to assist Hood and Scarlet in taking down Flamingo. Morrison writes a great line for Robin when they confront Flamingo, “I was expecting scary, not gay.” Very funny. The character appears to die at the hands of the Red Hood, but this is the comic book world, and we know that he probably isn’t dead.

The Red Hood is captured and and taken into custody by the Gotham PD, which I found interesting because of the fight he gets into with Batman in front of the police. Jason is yelling about how there will be worse villains than Flamingo arriving in Gotham and that his way of fighting crime is better. He talks about if “he” - meaning Bruce Wayne - were here, these type of criminals wouldn’t be coming here. He further states that Dick will always be in Bruce’s shadow. Now Jason doesn’t mention Bruce or Dick’s name, but he’s basically admitting to anyone listening that the current person under the cowl is not the same old Batman. Dick has to be held back by Gordon’s men so it’s obvious to them that Jason hit a nerve and there is some truth to the statement. Gordon asks Dick to ride back to the city with him. Will he confront Dick about suspicions that he is not the original Batman? Also, if Jason Todd is arrested wouldn’t the police be able to track him back to Bruce? Wasn’t Jason Todd registered as Bruce Wayne’s ward?

The real jaw dropping moments happen in the final pages as the suspicious Oberon Sexton is contacted by Simon Hurt the villain from Batman: RIP. He blackmails Sexton into working for him in exchange for not telling the world Oberon’s secrets. Hurt is somewhere in a room with his shirt off and a “W” is carved into his back. We then flash to Dick Grayson at the Wayne Foundation building and he makes his way to a sealed vault. He speaks the password, “Zur en arrh.” Inside stands another Batman holding a blade and we end there.

If you’ve been reading Batman for over the past few years, you know this phrase was used to trigger a separate Batman personality in Bruce Wayne during the Batman: RIP storyline. Simon Hurt was the creator of the phrase. Could he be plotting to do the same thing to Dick Grayson that he did to Bruce Wayne? Or does Dick agree with Jason and believes that Bruce’s methods are antiquated and need to go further in the direction that Jason has taken? I tend to lead to towards the former than the latter here on this one.

So I’m very pumped up to see where Morrison takes this story with the reintroduction of Simon Hurt and Zur en arrh. I hated Batman: RIP, but I love what Morrison has been doing with this title so maybe he can take these elements of that storyline and make them appealing to me. Pick this one up Bat-fans. You won’t be disappointed.