SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Detective Comics #986, by Bryan Hill, Philippe Briones, Adriano Lucas and Sal Cipriano, on sale now.
Currently, in the pages of Detective Comics, we’re in a transition period with Bryan Hill and Philippe Briones’ “On the Outside” story arc, which is bridging the gap between the end of writer James Tynion IV’s two-year tenure on the title and the start of Peter J. Tomasi and Doug Mahnke’s run. After just four issues, though, Hill and Briones have already made it clear that this isn’t just a fill-in story; not only has the pair introduced a deadly new villain at the start of the arc, but in Detective Comics #986, they also reveal a reimagining of one of the most iconic pieces of Batman lore: The Bat-Signal.
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In Issue #985, Karma kidnapped a bus full of children and gave the Dark Knight a diabolical ultimatum: In exchange for the children, all Batman has to do is kill the Bat-family.
As Issue #986 begins, only two hours remain until Batman reaches Karma’s deadline, and with Gotham in a state of panic, the Caped Crusader makes it a point to reassure the city that he’s doing everything in his power to save the missing children.
“Alfred,” Batman says as he pulls on his cowl. “Put the signal-breaker online. Those parents need to know where I am. Show them.”
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Then, with the press of a button, Alfred projects an image of the Bat Symbol on every electronic device in Gotham, from jumbotrons to television monitors to smartphones.
Much like the Bat-Signal is used to alert Batman to trouble in Gotham, this newly dubbed signal-breaker allows the Dark Knight to let the people of the city instantly know that he’s on the case. If nothing else, it can help provide some reassurance, but whether this was just a one-time tactic or a full-fledged addition to Batman’s arsenal remains to be seen.
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