When we last left Batman, he was now facing an alliance of gangs lead by a murderous pre-pubescent, who has been dubbed The General by his followers.
Detective Comics #655
Written by Chuck Dixon
Pencilled by Michael Netzer
Inked by Scott Hanna
Colors by Adrienne Roy
Lettering by John Costanza
Edited by Scott Peterson and Denny O’Neil
Batman is keeping watch on the Raymond Rudolph Projects as he suspects that this will be the next front in the war. He’s not wrong, as the War Dogs hit the place next, with Batman jumping in the middle.
During the fray, the leader of the Runners, the gang that controls the Projects, manages to capture The General. Batman saves him from certain death when he plummets from the building, while The War Dogs gun down Bojack. Batman, not knowing who he’s rescued, turns his back on The General, who immediately clobbers him over the head with a steel pipe with some concrete on the end, knocking him from a fire escape to the ground several stories below.
The General taunts Batman as he leaves him for dead – allowing Batman to get back to the Batmobile and return to the Batcave without his knowledge.
That night, The General rallies his troops in a scene that would almost be evocative of Cyrus’ speech from The Warriors, if it wasn’t for the increasingly fascist trappings of The General’s costume, including his M.Bison/Lord Vega/Dictator-esque hat.
With the other gangs consolidated and Batman down, Black Mask’s gang is next. Or, rather, it would be next if the two members of the False Face Society that The War Dogs had captured didn’t spill that Black Mask is missing after faking his death after his confrontation with Batman. So, with that off the list, it’s time for the next target – the GCPD.
That day, Bruce goes undercover as a homeless guy, and through eavesdropping, and beating up two gangers who try to roll him for his empties, he gets the street name of The General and the location of their base. That night, Batman comes in on the Batmobile, like the wrath of God. Except nobody’s home, and all they’ve left are the two dead False Faces, and a tactical map of the area around the 43rd Precinct Police Station.
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