Description
💥 Batman: Gotham Knights #56: “War Games: Act 1, Part 4: Rules of Engagement”
- Writer: A.J. Lieberman
- Artist: Al Barrionuevo
- Inker: Francis Portela
- Publication Date: August 2004
This issue is set during the initial chaos of “War Games,” where a disastrous attempt to unite Gotham’s gangs under a single leader has backfired spectacularly, causing every faction in the city’s organized crime world to engage in a vicious, bloody war.
Batman and his allies, particularly Batgirl, are scrambling to contain the spiraling violence and protect the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. Batman is forced to enact extreme contingency measures to try and turn the tides of the gang war before the city collapses entirely.
The narrative splits to focus on the key players in the escalating conflict:
- Batgirl’s Mission: Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) is dispatched to reach out to the volatile vigilante Tarantula to try and get her to cooperate with Batman’s plans, leading to a tense confrontation between the two highly skilled fighters.
- The Villains’ Agenda: Meanwhile, the criminal underworld is in a frenzy of consolidation and betrayal. The Penguin holds a high-stakes auction for stolen weapons and meta-human muscle, while the mysterious and dangerous Hush continues to pursue his own vendetta against the Dark Knight, refusing to be drawn into the gang war.
The issue ramps up the violence and political maneuvering, highlighting that the Bat-Family’s attempt to control the criminal element is proving far more difficult and costly than they ever anticipated.
