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War Games (comics)
Encyclopedia
"War Games" is a comics
story arc
published by DC Comics
between October 2004 and January 2005. It appeared in all the DC titles set in and around Gotham City
: Detective Comics
, Legends of the Dark Knight
, Nightwing
, Batman: Gotham Knights
, Robin
, Batgirl
, Catwoman, Batman
, and Gotham Central
. In addition, the prelude was published separately as Batman: The 12 Cent Adventure
.
's most ambitious contingency plans involving one of his aliases, Matches Malone. In preparation for a possible outbreak of uncontrollable gang violence, Batman developed an elaborate scenario that would unite all of Gotham's underworld under a single crime boss: Matches Malone.
Unfortunately, this plan was discovered by Stephanie Brown, who was serving as Robin at the time and who was unaware that Malone and her boss were one and the same; she simply believed that Malone was an "employee" of Batman. When Brown was fired from the Robin position, she attempted to regain Batman's trust and confidence by implementing the contingency plan without Batman's knowledge or participation. Thus, Matches Malone was not present when Spoiler assembled the leaders of all of the gangs into one place. The meeting ended disastrously, with all of the gangs in Gotham going to war with one another.
In the chaos of the city-wide gang war, The Black Mask
prepared to seize control of all the gangs. To do this, he kidnapped Stephanie and tortured her for the information she possessed. With that knowledge, his plans succeeded, making him the ultimate crime lord of Gotham City. Stephanie would seemingly die from her torture at Black Mask's hands, a tragedy that Batman held himself responsible for.
, was turning Doctor Leslie Thompkins
against Batman, when she allows Stephanie Brown to die from her wounds as Batman's "punishment" for including children in his war on crime. Jason Todd
, a former Boy Wonder
, revealed to be alive on Batman: Under The Hood as a violent vigilantee the Red Hood who waged a one-man war against Black Mask and successfully crippling his criminal operation in the city. Finally, the citizens of Gotham City no longer consider Batman to be an urban legend
(which has been in place since Zero Hour
), as he was caught on camera trying to save the life of a wounded student at the end of Act One. Additionally, Barbara Gordon
lost the clock tower that served as her home and headquarters and left Gotham City, eventually moving to Metropolis
. She would later re-establish her ties to Batman.
Stephanie's death at the hands of the Black Mask and Dr. Thompkins would also lead to a mystery of her later appearances in the pages of Gotham Underground and Robin, as a mysterious female vigilante wearing the Spoiler costume later unmasked to be Stephanie herself. In Robin #174, Stephanie's death has been retconned by writer Chuck Dixon as Dr. Thompkins switched her body with a deceased victim who has a similar body type, as Dr. Thompkins actually did treat her in secret.
Act Two - Tides:
Act Three - Endgame:
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
between October 2004 and January 2005. It appeared in all the DC titles set in and around Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
: Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
, Legends of the Dark Knight
Legends of the Dark Knight
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, commonly referred to as simply Legends of the Dark Knight is a DC comic book featuring Batman. It was launched in 1989 with the popularity of the Batman movie, following on from Frank Miller's Batman: Year One...
, Nightwing
Nightwing
Nightwing is a name that has been used by several fictional characters in the DC Comics Universe. It was conceived as a Kryptonian analogue to the character of Batman, with Nightwing's frequent partner Flamebird based on Robin...
, Batman: Gotham Knights
Batman: Gotham Knights
Batman: Gotham Knights was a monthly, fictional comic book series published by DC Comics. The original intent of this book was to feature the exploits of Batman and his extended family - Alfred Pennyworth, Batgirl, Nightwing, Robin, Oracle, Catwoman, etc...
, Robin
Robin (comics)
Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
, Batgirl
Batgirl
Batgirl is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, frequently depicted as female counterparts to the superhero Batman...
, Catwoman, Batman
Batman (comic book)
Batman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27, published in May 1939. Batman proved to be so popular that a self-titled ongoing comic book series began publication in the spring of 1940...
, and Gotham Central
Gotham Central
Gotham Central is a police procedural comic book series that was published by DC Comics. It was written by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, with pencils initially by Michael Lark....
. In addition, the prelude was published separately as Batman: The 12 Cent Adventure
Batman: The 12 Cent Adventure
Batman: The 12¢ Adventure is a one-shot comic written by Devin Grayson and illustrated by Ramon Bachs with a cover date of October, 2004. It is a prelude to the Batman: War Games storyline that ran in 2004 and 2005.-Synopsis:...
.
Synopsis
The plot revolves around a gang war involving all the major criminal groups in Gotham. It starts with one of BatmanBatman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
's most ambitious contingency plans involving one of his aliases, Matches Malone. In preparation for a possible outbreak of uncontrollable gang violence, Batman developed an elaborate scenario that would unite all of Gotham's underworld under a single crime boss: Matches Malone.
Unfortunately, this plan was discovered by Stephanie Brown, who was serving as Robin at the time and who was unaware that Malone and her boss were one and the same; she simply believed that Malone was an "employee" of Batman. When Brown was fired from the Robin position, she attempted to regain Batman's trust and confidence by implementing the contingency plan without Batman's knowledge or participation. Thus, Matches Malone was not present when Spoiler assembled the leaders of all of the gangs into one place. The meeting ended disastrously, with all of the gangs in Gotham going to war with one another.
In the chaos of the city-wide gang war, The Black Mask
Black Mask (comics)
Black Mask is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. An enemy of Batman, he first appeared in Batman #386 . Black Mask was created by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake.-Dark beginning:...
prepared to seize control of all the gangs. To do this, he kidnapped Stephanie and tortured her for the information she possessed. With that knowledge, his plans succeeded, making him the ultimate crime lord of Gotham City. Stephanie would seemingly die from her torture at Black Mask's hands, a tragedy that Batman held himself responsible for.
Aftermath
Besides the aforementioned death of Stephanie Brown, many other side effects came about from this event. The biggest of these included Black Mask becoming the single crime boss in Gotham, something that would remain until his death at the hands of Catwoman. Another would be Commissioner Akins effectively making all vigilantes criminals, a move that would stay in place for over a year until the return of Commissioner Gordon to the Gotham City Police Department. The more controversial effect, not seen until the follow-up story War CrimesWar Crimes (comics)
"War Crimes" is a story arc in the Batman comic book series, and is the sequel to another Batman story arc; "War Games".In the wake of Gotham's recent, and brutal, gang war, Batman is blamed by the city for the recent chaos, and heavily criticized for endangering children...
, was turning Doctor Leslie Thompkins
Leslie Thompkins
Dr. Leslie Thompkins is a fictional character from the Batman mythos. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Dick Giordano, she first appeared in Detective Comics #457...
against Batman, when she allows Stephanie Brown to die from her wounds as Batman's "punishment" for including children in his war on crime. Jason Todd
Jason Todd
Jason Peter Todd is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Jason first appeared in Batman #357 and became the second Robin, sidekick to the superhero Batman, when the previous Robin went on to star in The New Teen Titans under the moniker of Nightwing.Though...
, a former Boy Wonder
Robin (comics)
Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
, revealed to be alive on Batman: Under The Hood as a violent vigilantee the Red Hood who waged a one-man war against Black Mask and successfully crippling his criminal operation in the city. Finally, the citizens of Gotham City no longer consider Batman to be an urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
(which has been in place since Zero Hour
Zero Hour (comics)
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is a five-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994. In it, the former hero Hal Jordan, who had until then been a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps, mad with grief after the destruction of...
), as he was caught on camera trying to save the life of a wounded student at the end of Act One. Additionally, Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media, created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino...
lost the clock tower that served as her home and headquarters and left Gotham City, eventually moving to Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
. She would later re-establish her ties to Batman.
Stephanie's death at the hands of the Black Mask and Dr. Thompkins would also lead to a mystery of her later appearances in the pages of Gotham Underground and Robin, as a mysterious female vigilante wearing the Spoiler costume later unmasked to be Stephanie herself. In Robin #174, Stephanie's death has been retconned by writer Chuck Dixon as Dr. Thompkins switched her body with a deceased victim who has a similar body type, as Dr. Thompkins actually did treat her in secret.
Planned death of Stephanie
At the 2011 Auckland Writers and Readers Festival, former Batgirl writer Dylan Horrocks said that the writers were told by editorial that the crossover would be “involve some kind of Gang War in Gotham” and involve Stephanie's death. Her debut as Robin was "purely as a trick to play on the readers, that we would fool them into thinking that the big event [War Games] was that Stephanie Brown would become Robin but we knew all along it was a temporary thing, and she was then going to die at the end of this crossover story". Both Horrocks and Nightwing writer Devin Grayson opposed the move during planning, to the extent that Horrocks deliberately kept Batgirl out of several key events in the story.Reading order
Act One - Outbreak:- Prelude: Batman: The 12 Cent Adventure #1
- Part 1: Detective Comics #797
- Part 2: Legends of the Dark Knight #182
- Part 3: Nightwing #96
- Part 4: Gotham Knights #56
- Part 5: Robin (vol. 2) #129
- Part 6: Batgirl (vol. 1) #55
- Part 7: Catwoman (vol. 3) #34
- Part 8: Batman #631
Act Two - Tides:
- Part 1: Detective Comics #798
- Part 2: Legends of the Dark Knight #183
- Part 3: Nightwing #97
- Part 4: Gotham Knights #57
- Part 5: Robin (vol. 2) #130
- Part 6: Batgirl (vol. 1) #56
- Part 7: Catwoman (vol. 3) #35
- Part 8: Batman #632
Act Three - Endgame:
- Part 1: Detective Comics #799
- Part 2: Legends of the Dark Knight #184
- Part 3: Nightwing #98
- Part 4: Robin (vol. 2) #131
- Part 5: Gotham Knights #58
- Part 6: Batgirl (vol. 1) #57
- Part 7: Catwoman (vol. 3) #36
- Part 8: Batman #633
- Epilogue: Detective Comics #800
- Epilogue: Batman #634