Batman Incorporated #4

Who's playing the part of Wingman? That grimace makes me think it's one of Liefeld's characters.

Since I know next to nothing about Batman Incorporated and barely remember Issue Zero even though I just reread my commentary on it, I don't know if Wingman is an actual member of Batman, Inc. or he's an alias of another hero the way Redbird is an alias of Robin. I suppose I'll find out as Redbird tries to save Matches Malone from the dreaded Goatboy and Jack Ketch!

What am I saying? Matches Malone is The Batman! The Batman doesn't need anybody to save him! At the end of the last regular issue, Matches was being suffocated when he lit a single match. I figured that was all he needed to rescue himself because, well, you know! He's The Goddamned Batman! Malone drops the match and it ignites a trail of gunpowder he left on his way in. And then he escapes as all hell breaks loose in the fucking odd House of Assassin's Red Courtroom.

Any super power in the DCnU that allows a person to disguise their look is the dumbest super power ever since a simple pair of glasses and a mustache are just as effective as magic and shape-shifting.

The gunpowder ignites a bomb which blows the doors off the front of the building. It's then that I get to see Batman Incorporated in action for the first time in this series! El Gaucho and the Crusader Guy whose name I've forgotten charge in battling a bunch of goofy looking League of Assassin villains.

Guarding the front door are The Flaming Nomad, Business Casual, and I'm With Stupid.

The guards at the front door, stunned by the explosion, are easily dispatched by El Gaucho and his Crusader Buddy as they rush through the entrance and into the second line of defense.

Samurai Warlock, Sniper Punk, The Mime, Left Hook, and The Scratch.

This group of Assassins also get dropped efficiently. But they're followed up by yet another round led by a Mini-Boss, Dr. Archery.

First Panel from Left to Right: The Ninja's Ninja, Bro Staff, Anna Katana, Nunch-X, and The Studded Codpiece.

Meanwhile, Redbird is climbing up the side of the House of Assassins.

Oops! I spoiled the secret of the special effect!

Wingman shows up on the second floor to beat up a couple of guys possibly named Shirtless Mace and Outta This League while strutting directly toward Dr. Archery.

Aha! It's Tommy Merlyn! I knew he was going to be somebody important when Oliver Queen left him to die after the oil rig explosion six years ago!

The arrow came from Redbird who must have climbed through a window on the second story. Wingman flips to the other balcony where he realizes that Redbird is Damian and tells him he's not supposed to be there. Damian thinks he knows this guy when a bunch of thugs run out of the Red Courtroom partially maimed and bleeding. That's because The Goddamned Batman is in there!

Wingman and Redbird enter the Red Courtroom to find Matches Malone with his disguise fucked up. That means half of his mustache fell off and one of the lenses in his shades came loose. Damian wants to know who Wingman is since he recognizes his fighting style but can't quite place why. But Batman ignores the question because it's time to reprimand his child.

Was Damian actually concerned or was he just using this as an excuse to get out of the house? Obviously if Damian knew it was a trap, so did Batman!

Apparently there are another fifteen or so Assassins left in the House of Assassins (Batman indicates there are 30 so I'm counting the ones already shown down for the count), so he begins Phase Two. Phase Two is when Nightwing, Knight, and Red Robin break through the dining room window to attack some of the Assassins over their dinner.

Meanwhile Batwing is on the roof waiting for Leviathan's Man-Bats to fly in as reinforcements. And sure enough, fifteen of them flit in. Batwing knocks them out with an ultrasonic gun and then takes a sample of their blood. They're probably going to develop a Man-Bat Cure.

Meanwhile, Damian continues to ponder the identity of Wingman.

Remember Damian! He has a Liefeld grimace! So he must be Hawk or Deathstroke!

All the assassins end up beaten and trussed up, the lounge singer is saved, and Goatboy (upset that Batman had him hand over a fake photo of Robin dead for less money than Leviathan was offering for a real dead Robin) ended up dead, killed from a fork to the neck by the lounge singer. The operation was a success! Yay for Batman Incorporated!

Oops! One last thing: Batman needs to step on Nunch-X's face for good measure. Also, what the fuck is Batwing doing?! Ewww!

Batman is still getting Talia to call of her war and talk with him. But she's determined to punish him because Damian fell in love with his father and chose Batman's way. But she has one last card to play in this battle. She knows who Wingman is and tells Batman to reveal his identity to Damian.

I hope someone informed Scott Lobdell that Jason Todd and Bruce Wayne are getting along again!

Damian's reaction is perfect. I think this is the first time we're really seeing him as an eleven year old kid. He talks tough and acts like he knows how the world works because he's been trained as an expert in so many ways. But he just can't comprehend this. He doesn't like being left out and he's on the verge of tears. Damian already has a problem with rejection and here's his father sharing secrets with and working closely with the other Robins. And then Batman drops a huge bomb on Damian. He tells Damian that he has to go back to his mother, Talia, before Gotham is completely destroyed by this war she's brought to the city. And that's how Issue Four ends.

Batman Incorporated #4 Rating: +1 Ranking. Fucking terrific comic book. I enjoyed seeing the Batman Incorporated team work together against a bunch of Assassins that looked goofy but the underlying understanding that they're deadly remains since they are members of the League. As for Batman telling Damian he needs to go back to Talia, I can't imagine why. It has to be a plot to lure Talia into the open. But I don't think Damian is a part of it. So even if it's successful and Talia is stopped, will Damian be able to forgive Batman for using him like this and lying to him? And what's going to happen to the Batman and Robin title? Will it change to Talia and Robin?