What happened to the boy who wanted to be Bruce Wayne? The young criminal mastermind orchestrate his own parentsÕ deaths to emulate his hero and was carted off to Arkham when Batman exposed his crimes, but that is not the end of the story. Tom King reteams with NIGHTWING artist Travis Moore to create a sequel to their masterpiece of dark horror from BATMAN #38.

“THE WAR OF JOKES AND RIDDLES” part four! War is hell. Unless it’s in Gotham City, where it’s so much worse. The clash between The Joker and the Riddler continues to escalate, with the rest of the city’s villains picking sides and joining in. In the midst of the battle, Batman must try to save whoever he can while knowing he will forever be haunted by those he can’t.

Superstar artist David Finch (WONDER WOMAN) completes his run on the Dark Knight in BATMAN VOL. 3: I AM BANE, the stunning new chapter in writer Tom KingÕs (THE SHERIFF OF BABYLON) wildly acclaimed Batman saga. He is not a joke. He is not a riddle. He is not a bird or a cat or a penguin, not a scarecrow or a plant or a puppet. He is not a fairy tale or a circus act, a broken friend or a regretful mentor. He is no rich boy pretending to be a knight. He is Bane. The Batman invaded his home, scarred his mind and broke his back. Now Bane has returned to Gotham City for a single purpose: break the Batman once and for all. But first, heÕll destroy everyone the Dark Knight has ever lovedÉor loathed. The young heroes whoÕve worn the mantle of Robin. The cops, crime-fighters and vigilantes who make up BatmanÕs army of allies. Even the madmen and monsters that haunt the halls of Arkham Asylum. Batman will need all of their helpÑand moreÑto fend off this unstoppable challenger. Because both Bane and Batman know one thing: only one of them will walk away from their final confrontation unbrokenÉ Collects stories from BATMAN #16-20, 23-24 and BATMAN ANNUAL #1.

“I AM SUICIDE” part four! As Bane decimates Batman’s team, the Dark Knight must decide how far he’s willing to go-and who he’s willing to sacrifice-for those he left in Gotham City.

“City of Bane” begins! Bane’s minions have moved into Gotham City, taken control and are ruling with an iron fist—including rounding up any villain who refuses to sign onto Bane’s program—and Batman is nowhere to be found. At least not the Batman anyone knows. It’s like someone has replaced the real Gotham City with a twisted funhouse-mirror version of it.

The Eisner-winning creative team behind MISTER MIRACLE is back together as artist Mitch Gerads rejoins the Bat team for a special issue! Professor Pyg is loose in Gotham, and you know that means things are going to get weirdÉand bloody!

“I AM SUICIDE” conclusion! Batman and the remains of his team come face to face with Bane and the Psycho-Pirate in a final battle at Santa Prisca-and learn whether this was truly a suicide mission!