It’s time to return to The Quest, as Bruce travels to the UK
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #21
Written by Alan Grant
Art by Bret Blevens
Colors by Adrienne Roy
Lettering by Todd Klein
Bruce is in London, as we open on London Bridge. However, we don’t open on Bruce, but on Hood, a London costumed vigilante, who takes down some cigarette smugglers, before berating them because they act like smuggling to get around taxes is a victimless crime. As he sends up the Hood-Signal to alert the Met, the Batsignal goes up in response.
The Hood goes to meet Batman, who is literally propping himself up to a post in order to stay upright. Batman needs intel from MI5, and pays for it with intel on an incoming cocaine shipment. Alfred helps Bruce to clear out before the Hood doubles back.
Elsewhere, Asp meets with a couple KGB (or ex-KGB) agents, who he takes down to the dungeon to see Shonda & Jack. We get the reveal of Asp’s interest in Shonda – he’s known her since childhood, and he knows she is a metahuman, with powers mapping to those of the healing machine from Babylon 5, which he can has the ability to heighten.
Bruce & Alfred return to their hotel room, and as Hood breaks into MI5, Bruce does his physical therapy, and goes over what we already learned earlier in this issue – with the added detail of MI5 showing up on a lot of dead ends related to Kinsolving – MI5 and Benedict Asp.
Bruce takes a nap and dreams of the women in his life before Alfred wakes him for the meeting with Hood.
We then see a demonstration of Shondra’s healing powers, making explicit what has previously been stated – and that Asp has a device that lets him store the harmful energies and release them on a target.
Hood delivers the Intel to Alfred, who is disguised as Alfred, as Bruce’s back wouldn’t let them pull that trick again.
Alfred sends Bruce the file as he continues his physical therapy, as Alfred brings up that Asp has purchased a lordship, and will be holding the annual Hunt Ball at the manour – so Bruce Wayne will be there, incognito.
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