The Knightmares begin for Batman. Despite being marked as part 2 of the new Knightmares arc, this is the first issue in which we see what is going on inside Batman’s head after his encounter with his father in the Batcave. From the beginning, it is clear that not everything is as it seems this time for the Dark Knight. And as the issue moves forward, it is evident that something is off in Batman’s head. The dialogue of the issue is mostly Batman’s thoughts as he goes through his apparent capture by one of his villains, which provides a good insight into exactly what goes through his brain during any given mission.
(Spoilers Incoming)
Batman awakens to find himself tied up and hung upside-down. His immediate thought is to open his eyes and assess the situation. He discovers that it was Professor Pyg that captured him in a slaughter house. As Pyg begins to talk about his plan, Batman is more focused on working the rope to escape. Pyg doesn’t take kindly to this, however, and drops Batman face-first into a vat of blood. This gives us a real look at how Batman internalizes something and deals with it on mission. “Blood. (Why are you screaming?) Blood in your nose, in your mouth, gathering thick in your throat. Stop screaming. Swallow the blood. Breathe the blood. Copper and warm. Forget the blood. Remember the rope.” After calming himself, the Dark Knight is able to break free of the rope and attack Pyg.
Unfortunately for the hero, he rushes to continue his assault and ends up with a knife in his side. “There’s a knife in you now. Fine, it’s all fine. Be calm, controlled. You’ve been stabbed before. You survived. You’ll survive again…Grab the hilt of the knife, pull, not quickly, don’t let it break off. Feel it come, each inch of metal slipping through your flesh. The cold cleave. Feel it. If you feel it, you’re alive.” As he removes the knife, Pyg begins to once again talk at the hero. Batman allows this for a moment before throwing the knife at Pyg. But this is Batman, so when he throws the knife, he makes sure that the only thing hitting Pyg is the hilt. When Pyg drops to the floor, Batman wastes no time in planting his boot on the villain’s chest. “Put your boot on his chest, apply pressure, break a rib, threaten to break his heart. Find his plans. Find his helpers. Solve the mystery.” However, Pyg is able to quickly roll and move from Batman’s grasp. As the two face off, Batman begins thinking about how he got in this situation, considering the last thing he remembers is being attacked in the Batcave. He then throws two Batarangs at Pyg, who proceeds to catch them. The two of them brawl for a moment before coming face-to-face. When Batman questions how he got there and how to get out, Pyg becomes blurry. Before Batman’s eyes, to his horror, Pyg transforms into Robin. All a shocked and stunned Batman can say is, “Evaluate. Reassess. A metaphor. A myth. A story. A dream.”
I think we can safely say that upon his encounter with his father in the Batcave, Batman was drugged with something. The art style used made Pyg seem out of focus for the entire issue, lending to the idea that all of this is in Bruce’s mind. Now, with Robin being used in this as well, we can only fathom what Bane has in store for Batman next. I enjoyed this issue because for once, we got to see the exact process that goes on in Batman’s head when he’s in a tight spot. Seeing how hard he is on himself and how cold he has to be to get the job done puts things in perspective for the reader. It’s a reminder that despite all the theatrics and fear tactics, Bruce Wayne is nothing but a man in a suit. And I think that in the end, that’s what Bane wants everyone to see. He broke Batman’s heart by costing him his marriage to Catwoman, then he sent him into a fit of rage after Nightwing was shot. That rage led to a fight inside Arkham Asylum that may have permanently damaged the relationship between Batman and Jim Gordon. Then before we know it, Bane orders for Alfred to be killed, and Flashpoint Batman arrives in the Batcave and begins tearing through the place. Now, we’re left with a Batman seemingly trapped inside his own mind with no way out. It seems as if each time it seems like Bane’s plan can’t go any deeper, things just get worse for the Dark Knight, and I have a feeling that soon, it’s going to get even worse. However, I’m still waiting for Bruce to come to blows with Thomas and finally figure out why his father is working with the man trying to destroy his life.