''Gotham Underground'' is a nine-issue

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

from

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

, written by Frank Tieri, with art by Jim Califiore. The series looked at the repercussions of ''

Countdown to Final Crisis ''Countdown'', also known as ''Countdown to Final Crisis'' for its last 24 issues based on the cover, was a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series published by DC Comics. It debuted on May 9, 2007, directly following the conclusion of ...

'' and focuses on the Batman Family banding together to prevent a gang war to find out who will occupy the territory that belonged to the recently deceased Black Mask.

Publication history

The series ran from December

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

to August

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

. Some of the issues tie in with ''

Salvation Run ''Salvation Run'' is a seven-issue 2007-2008 DC Comics limited series which was designed to tie into the company's major event series ''Final Crisis'' in 2008. Premise The premise of the series, which is based on a pitch by George R. R. Martin, ...

''. A trade paperback was released on November 19, 2008.

Plot

A group of people hidden in the shadows targets

Man-Bat Man-Bat (Dr. Robert Kirkland "Kirk" Langstrom) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Introduced in ''Detective Comics'' #400 (June 1970) as an enemy of the superhero Batman, the character belongs to t ...

with their hi-tech gadgetry and take him captive. Talking amongst themselves, they discuss what their next target will be. At Gotham City's police headquarters,

Commissioner Gordon James W. "Jim" Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane as an ally of Batman, the character deb ...

lights the Bat-Signal, but only Robin answers the call. Gordon tells him about the recent upsurge in gang-related violence. Dozens of would-be crime lords are trying to fill the vacancy created by the death of Black Mask. Meanwhile,

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

infiltrates the Iceberg Lounge in the guise of henchman Matches Malone. He wants to keep an eye on the

Penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...

's recent activities. He knows that the Penguin is projecting the image of a legitimate businessman, but he suspects that Penguin may also be the ringleader behind an "

underground railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

" for supervillains. As the Penguin conducts his affairs,

Two-Face Two-Face is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character was created by Bob Kane and first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #66 (August 1942). As one of Batman's ...

enters the club and wants in on his underground railroad project. Penguin tells him to meet him later after hours. Elsewhere,

Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character has appeared in various incarnations; the identity was adopted by Dick Grayson when he left his role as Batman's vigilante partner Robin. Although ...

and

Alfred Pennyworth Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Pennyworth is depicted as Bruce Wayne's loyal and tireless butler, ...

investigate another nightclub where wagers are placed on hero/villain battle outcomes. Nightwing raids the gambling den and takes down all of the goons. He is surprised however by the hi-tech weaponry that these low level thugs now have access to. At Giovanni's Ristorante, the leaders of two of Gotham's more powerful criminal gangs, the Galantes and the Odessas, meet to discuss territory. Their meeting is interrupted by

Tobias Whale Tobias Whale is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Black Lightning. Whale appears in the live-action Arrowverse series ''Black Lightning'', portrayed by Marvin "Krondon" Jones II ...

who announces his intention of taking control of Gotham's underworld. Later, the Penguin holds a meeting with several of Gotham's most notorious villains, including

Hugo Strange Hugo Strange is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character is one of Batman's first recurring villains and is also one of the first Batman villains to discover t ...

, Two-Face,

Scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley B ...

and

Mad Hatter The Hatter is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and its 1871 sequel ''Through the Looking-Glass''. He is very often referred to as the Mad Hatter, though this term was never used by Car ...

. Matches Malone spies on the meeting from behind a darkened alcove. Suddenly, the

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

bursts into the room and attacks the assemblage of villains. Bane knocks Matches Malone out with a single punch. It is revealed that Penguin is involved with the Suicide Squad and that he set up the other villains to gain the favor of the Squad. Scarecrow, who has recently reconsidered his decision to abandon his fear toxins, gasses

Bronze Tiger Bronze Tiger is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dennis O'Neil, Leopoldo Dirampma, and Jim Berry, he first appeared in ''Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter'' #1 (May 1975). The character's re ...

and escapes to warn

Ventriloquist Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is v ...

II. However, when the Ventriloquist and her gang accuse Scarecrow of being Suicide Squad's snitch and then lead an assault on the Iceberg Lounge, Scarecrow leads them into a trap by Tobias Whale. Whale then betrays him, leaving him beaten and tied up, though alive (but barely), as a sign to all "masks" that they are not welcome in Whale's new vision of Gotham. Batman, as Matches Malone, is in

Blackgate Penitentiary This page list the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites * the Arrowcave – The former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. * Avernus Cemetery – A burial ground located in Central City fo ...

. Bane, aware that Malone is in fact Batman, arranges for him to be constantly attacked by other inmates to wear him down. Meanwhile, the

Riddler The Riddler (Edward Nigma, later Edward Nygma or Edward Nashton) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, and debuted in ''Detective Comics'' #140 in Oc ...

investigates Penguin's underground railroad. Matches Malone ends up being ambushed by

Victor Zsasz Victor Zsasz ( or or , the last being the original Hungarian pronunciation), also known as Mr. Zsasz or simply Zsasz, is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.'' Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' #1. The character first appea ...

while sleeping in his cell. Malone manages to defeat Zsasz, but is badly injured in the process. While Penguin tries to negotiate with Tobias Whale, Robin and

Oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word '' ...

try to figure out what is going on in the criminal underground when they are suddenly attacked by

Spoiler Spoiler is a security vulnerability on modern computer central processing units that use speculative execution. It exploits side-effects of speculative execution to improve the efficiency of Rowhammer and other related memory and cache attacks. Ac ...

. Batman as Matches Malone escapes from the Penitentiary's infirmary and runs into

Great White Shark The great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major oceans. It is nota ...

while Scarecrow (still injured) takes revenge on those that have wronged him. Tobias Whale sends a message to Gotham City Police telling them not to interfere. It is discovered that Johnny Denetto is the one who drove Tobias Whale out of Metropolis and into Gotham City. Bruce/Matches then finds out who is orchestrating his death. Bruce/Matches learns how Great White Shark got from

Arkham Asylum The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane (), commonly referred to as Arkham Asylum, is a fictional psychiatric hospital/prison, named after the city of Arkham which appeared first in the stories of H. P. Lovecraft, and later appear ...

to Blackgate Penitentiary. Tobias Whale and Penguin are both assembling armies. Spoiler is seemingly working with the Penguin to take care of Johnny "Stitches" Denetto of

Intergang Intergang is a fictional organized crime syndicate appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Armed with technology supplied by the villainous New Gods of the planet Apokolips, they consistently appear as enemies of various DC super ...

. Penguin and Spoiler have assembled gangs like the Bat Killers, the Dead End Boys, the Femme Fatales, the Five Points Gang, the L.O.D. and the New Rogues. As Bruce/Matches escapes Blackgate Penitentiary, Nightwing as "Freddie Dinardo" has a run-in with

Vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...

. When he gets wounded, Nightwing sees a vision of

Leslie Thompkins Leslie Maurin Thompkins (sometimes spelled Tompkins) is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, usually as a supporting character in stories featuring Batman, of whom she is an ally. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil a ...

. Upon waking up in an infirmary, Nightwing discovers that who he saw as Leslie was actually Riddler. Penguin's gangs and Tobias Whale's 100 are currently fighting each other as Robin, Huntress,

Batgirl Batgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies to the superhero Batman. Although the character Betty Kane was introduced into publication in ...

, and

Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

get involved. When Riddler visits Penguin, he is thrown into a room where the Femme Fatales are. Even though Penguin gets the upper hand, Tobias Whale reluctantly calls a truce with him in order to stop Johnny "Stitches" Denetto and Intergang. After Vigilante shows up and shoots two members of the Five Points Gang, Batman arrives just in time to save Nightwing from Vigilante. As Batman continues his fight with Vigilante, Johnny "Stitches" Denetto sends Penguin a package containing Mr. Jessup's cut-up body and glasses. When Penguin has a talk with Johnny, he mentions that Tobias Whale is not on "Penguin's side" anymore. Johnny also mentions that he has threatened the families of those fighting on Penguin's side and tells Penguin that he is giving him a day to get out of town. When Penguin and Riddler are talking in the Iceberg Lounge, members of Intergang attack. Things were not looking good for the Penguin until Batman arrives and comes to his rescue. However, Batman is not here just to save his life. He lets Penguin know that he owns him now and that he will report everything to Batman concerning Intergang and what is going on in Gotham, to which Penguin was actually quite happy to agree.''Gotham Underground'' #9. DC Comics.

Cast of characters

* Robin *

* Commissioner James Gordon * Huntress *

Question A question is an utterance which serves as a request for information. Questions are sometimes distinguished from interrogatives, which are the grammar, grammatical forms typically used to express them. Rhetorical questions, for instance, are inte ...

* The

Villains

* The 100 *

Amygdala The amygdala (; plural: amygdalae or amygdalas; also '; Latin from Greek, , ', 'almond', 'tonsil') is one of two almond-shaped clusters of nuclei located deep and medially within the temporal lobes of the brain's cerebrum in complex verteb ...

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

* The Galantes * Gotham Organized Crime ** All-Americans ** Irish Wound Ravens ** Italian East-Siders ** Jewish Sons of David ** Free Men Gang *

** Johnny "Stitches" Denetto * Joker *

Killer Moth Killer Moth (Drury Walker) is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, usually as an adversary and dedicated original foil personality of Batman (prior to the creations of Wrath, Prometheus, and Hush). Like Batman, he has ...

* Lock-Up *

* Mr. Jessup * The Odessas *

Ra's al Ghul Ra's al Ghul, commonly pronounced correctly as ''Re'sh'', hence or ; "The Head of the Demon" or, in a rougher translation, "The Chief Demon". is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary o ...

Penguin's Army

All members of Penguin's army were provided with weapons based on those of established villains. They formed small groups inspired by the affiliations of the originals. Their individual codenames were not revealed except for a few of them, although the New Rogues' were given their codenames shortly before their deaths in '' Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge'' #2. * The Bat Killers - A gang that was first seen in ''Gotham Underground'' #6. They are based on the Batman villains and have members that are based on Joker, Catman,

Mr. Freeze Mr. Freeze is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Dave Wood, Sheldon Moldoff and Bob Kane, and first appeared in ''Batman'' #121 in February 1959 as the ice-based criminal Mr. Ze ...

Clayface Clayface is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Most incarnations of the character possess clay-like bodies and shapeshifting abilities, and all of them have been depicted as List of Bat ...

, and a female version of

Bane Bane may refer to: Fictional characters * Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman * Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series * Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy * Bane the Druid, a Gu ...

. ** Miss HGH - A female who is based on

. * The Dead End Boys - A gang that was first seen in ''Gotham Underground'' #6. They are based on the

and have members that are based on Chemo,

Deadshot Deadshot (Floyd Lawton) is a supervillain and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by David Vern Reed, Lew Schwartz and Bob Kane, the character made his first appearance in ''Batman'' #59 (June–July 1950). ...

, Bolt,

Killer Frost Killer Frost is a name used by several female supervillains and superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics: Crystal Frost, Louise Lincoln, and Caitlin Snow. Each different individual in the DC Universe assuming the Killer Frost p ...

, Jewelee, and

Shrapnel Shrapnel may refer to: Military * Shrapnel shell, explosive artillery munitions, generally for anti-personnel use * Shrapnel (fragment), a hard loose material Popular culture * ''Shrapnel'' (Radical Comics) * ''Shrapnel'', a game by Adam C ...

. * The Femme Fatales - A female gang that was first seen in ''Gotham Underground'' #6. They are based on the female villains and have members that are based on

Catwoman Catwoman is a fictional character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Debuting as "the Cat" in ''Batman'' #1 (spring 1940), she ...

, the female

Hyena Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the clas ...

Magenta Magenta () is a color that is variously defined as pinkish- purplish-red, reddish-purplish-pink or mauvish-crimson. On color wheels of the RGB (additive) and CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located exactly midway between red and blue. I ...

, Silver Swan, and a female version of Prankster. * The Five Points Gang - A gang that was first seen in ''Gotham Underground'' #6. They are based on the

Fearsome Five The Fearsome Five is a group of supervillains from DC Comics who serve as enemies of the Teen Titans. Publication history They were created by George Pérez and Marv Wolfman, and first appeared in '' The New Teen Titans'' #3 (January 1981), going ...

and have members that resemble Doctor Light,

Jinx A jinx (also jynx), in popular superstition and folklore, is a curse or the attribute of attracting bad or negative luck. The word ''"jynx"'' meaning the bird wryneck and sometimes a charm or spell has been in use in English since the seventeent ...

Mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, ...

Neutron The neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol or , which has a neutral (not positive or negative) charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. Protons and neutrons constitute the nuclei of atoms. Since protons and neutrons beh ...

, and

Psimon Psimon (Simon Jones) is a fictional supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Publication history He first appeared in '' The New Teen Titans'' #3 (January 1981) and was created by George Pérez and Marv Wolfman. Fictional ...

. The ones based on Jinx and Psimon were killed by Vigilante. * The L.O.D. - A gang that was first seen in "Gotham Underground" #6. They are based on the

Legion of Doom The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in ''Challenge of the Super Friends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univers ...

and have members that are based on

Lex Luthor Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: Apr ...

(complete with a copy of one of his warsuits),

Cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

Gorilla Grodd Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain character appearing in American comic books and other media published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. The character was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, and first appeared in ''Th ...

Metallo Metallo () is a name used by multiple supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of Superman. Metallo is usually depicted as a cyborg with a kryptonite power source in his heart, which he ...

Sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigation, navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect o ...

, and a male version of

Giganta Giganta is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman, and an occasional foil of the superhero the Atom. She debuted as a brutish strongwoman in 194 ...

. * The

New Rogues The Rogues is a group of supervillains from the comic book superhero the Flash, currently led by Captain Cold and including the Mirror Master, Heat Wave, the Golden Glider, the Weather Wizard, the Trickster, the Pied Piper, the Top, and Captai ...

- A gang that was first seen in ''Gotham Underground'' #3. They are based on the

Rogues A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior. Rogue or rogues may also refer to: Companies * Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon * Rogue Arts, a film production company * Rogue Entertainment, a software comp ...

. The New Rogues were later used by

Libra Libra generally refers to: * Libra (constellation), a constellation * Libra (astrology), an astrological sign based on the star constellation Libra may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Libra'' (novel), a 1988 novel by Don DeLillo Musi ...

to get the Rogues back when they withdraw from Libra's

Secret Society of Super Villains Secret Society of Super Villains (SSoSV) is a DC Comics title that debuted in May–June 1976. The series presented a group of DC's supervillains, mostly foes of the Justice League of America. The series was cancelled with issue #15 in July 1978, ...

. ** Burn - Based on

Heat Wave A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the ...

who uses one of Heat Wave's flame guns. This one was actually Nightwing's "Freddy Dinardo" alias in disguise. Another Burn appeared in ''Gotham Underground'' #6 and later joined the New Rogues in attacking the Rogues in ''Final Crisis''. ** Chill - Based on

Captain Cold Captain Cold (Leonard Snart) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the leader of the Rogues, a loose criminal association, as well as the older brother of Golden Glider. An adversary of the various su ...

who uses one of Captain Cold's freeze guns. ** Mirror Man - Based on

Mirror Master Mirror Master is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a recurring foe of the Flash with considerable technical expertise and skills involving the use of mirrors. Three individuals hav ...

who wields one of Mirror Master's special mirrors. He is not to be confused with the Batman villain of the same name. ** Mr. Magic - Based on Abra Kadabra who wields one of Abra Kadabra's wands. **

Weather Witch Amanda Waller Warlock's Daughter Warlord Warhawk Warhawk (Rex Stewart) is a fictional character created for the DC Animated Universe, voiced by Peter Onorati. In the ''Batman Beyond'' two-part episode "The Call", Warhawk is a member of Jus ...

- Based on

Weather Wizard Weather Wizard (Mark Mardon) is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Weather Wizard made his first live appearance in the television series ''The Flash'', played by actor Liam McIntyre, who played Mark Mardon. He appeare ...

who wields one of Weather Wizard's weather-controlling wands.

Collected editions

The series has been collected into a trade paperback: * ''Gotham Underground'' (224 pages,

Titan Books Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and co ...

, January 2009, , DC Comics, November 2008, )

References

External links

Delving Into The Gotham Underground With Frank Tieri

Newsarama Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website GamesRadar+, also owned by FutureUS. History N ...

, September 24, 2007
Frank Tieri - Gotham Underground...Deep in The Thick of It

, February 13, 2008
Gotham Underground

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

Review of ''Gotham Underground'' #1

an

,

Comics Bulletin Comics Bulletin was a daily website covering the American comic-book industry. History Silver Bullet Comicbooks The site was founded in January 2000 as Silver Bullet Comicbooks by its New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice. During this ...

* * {{Batman publications 2007 comics debuts Gotham City