In the wake of the battle with Metalhead, Batman is beaten, battered, and exhausted. But can he handle a new threat against Commissioner Gordon?

Batman #487

Written by Doug Moench
Art & Letters by Jim Aparo
Colors by Adrienne Roy
Edited by Scott Peterson and Denny O’Neil

In the Batcave, Alfred and Tim try to help Bruce upstairs, but he shrugs them off.

Meanwhile, in Blackgate Prison, a gangster named Vincent Morelli asks his lawyer to put a contract on whoever put him in jail (the person is not named but both know who they are).

Back in Gotham, Wayne goes to see a doctor, and gets a referral to Dr. Kinsolving, as the doctor can’t find anything physically wrong with him otherwise.

On top of a Gotham parking garage, two of Morelli’s men go to meet the hitman they’re hiring, a man of mystery known only as Headhunter… and his character design doesn’t fit the description at all.

At Wayne Corp, Lucius has managed to stop the financial bleeding in the real estate business, which is good, as Bruce is going to be taking something of a step back from daily operations. 

And at the Gordon residence, Sarah pleads with Jim (who she’s apparently married between issues?) not to go out.

Back at Stately Wayne Manor, Robin is eating a sandwich that Alfred made, while discussing Bruce having taken a week off while not actually having seems to have particularly rested, and it is in this state that Bruce is now going back out on patrol, and the Bat-Signal is up.

Batman sees the signal go up, and heads to the GCPD, and there he finds not Jim Gordon, but Sarah Gordon instead. After venting a little at the toll Gotham’s particular variety of super-criminal puts on their relationship, she explains that Headhunter was hired to kill Commissioner Gordon. Batman heads after him.

Batman finds him right when Headhunter does. Headhunter’s first shot misses as Jim goes for his radio to respond to Sarah. However, Headhunter is able to disarm Gordon with his second shot before Batman is able to intervene. Batman is able to take Headhunter down, and Gordon brings him in to the station, though he tells Sara that Batman did the heavy lifting.

Later, Sarah puts up the Bat-Signal one more time, to thank Batman, before telling him to get out of their life.

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