Batman Confidential #38

Price history & market evidence

Price observations belong to this edition. Guide estimates, catalog references and completed sales are separate kinds of evidence.

Reading this edition’s market

Compare the same cover, printing and grade before setting a bid. A raw guide or a higher-grade price does not establish a slab’s value. Include selling fees, shipping and the depth of completed-sale evidence when assessing an exit price.

The table includes 1 guide observations and 0 catalog references. These are reference values, not guaranteed sale proceeds.

Graded population

No unambiguous year-and-edition population match is attached to this record.

Blackhawk Down, Part Three

Batman tells Janos that he is aware of Blackhawk Industries shifting a sizeable percentage of its R&D expenditures into their departments of gerontology, orthotics and prosthetics. The engineer from each department worked together in developing an exo-skeleton to enhance geriatric mobility. Janos was impressed that Batman was able to piece together on how Janos was still alive. Janos cracks a joke that Batman discovered he was still alive after finding credit card receipt for Thai food take-out.

Janos shows Batman the Blackhawk Flight Suit which cost the company 5 billion just so Janos could walk again. Batman scoffs by saying Janos doesn't want to walk again, he wants to fly. Meanwhile, Gaynor berates Zinda for having respect or affections towards Janos Prohaska whom Ted considered to be arrogant in thinking that one man could change the world. Zinda mocks Gaynor by saying he is depraved freak who enjoys murdering women and children.

Gaynor responds by saying that Zinda is no different from the other V-Girl floozies that Janos used to flirt with back in the day. Zinda defended Janos by saying she was never disposable like those others but Gaynor laughs by saying how could Janos allow Zinda to walk into a trap on Blackhawk Island. Zinda doesn't understand Gaynor because Janos is dead. Gaynor breaks into laughter and surprise that Zinda doesn't know that Janos is still alive. Zinda's face showed shock and disbelief while Gaynor prepared his array of torture methods to inflict pain on Zinda.

Janos asked Batman if he has a theory on where Gaynor is or where he intends to strike. Batman uses Janos' database and cross referenced Nazi technology designed by Dr. Merson. When Batman was on Blackhawk Island he made a visual inventory of the artifacts in the compound and noticed what might have been stolen. The only artifact missing was the Sky-Skull, an aerial base capable of creating artificial atmospheric events like thunderstorms and other anomalous weather patterns.

Batman accesses satellite feeds and notices a thunderstorm moving against the wind in Gotham City. Batman asks Janos to accompany him as the Blackhawk on this mission but Janos turns Batman down because even with the flight suit, Janos feels he would slow the Dark Knight down. On the Sky Skull, Gaynor brainwashes Zinda by convincing her that they are both products of an earlier age that were hurled into a modern existence that is cold, distant and unfeeling.

Gaynor has seen how people bury themselves in social media and allow themselves to be controlled by devices rather than interacting one another. Gaynor has decided that if people like him or Zinda aren't wanted or needed in this new world then one can either lose themselves in the past or create their own future. Gaynor remembers when serving one's country was an honor and a privilege where soldiers as well as America had respect. Gaynor believes America can be a country with purpose again by embracing his destiny.

Gaynor informs Zinda that the pain from her mental conditioning will stop when she accepts his vision. Zinda tells Gaynor to go to hell. Gaynor chuckles at Zinda's resiliency despite her affirmant that Blackhawk will save her. Gaynor scoffs that these days, Janos can barely wipe himself. As Batman prepared to head out to confront Gaynor, Cheng convinces Janos that he still has some fight left in him especially after reciting some wise words that Wu Cheng once spoke.

Both Batman and Janos board a jet fighter on the Cheng Estate and take flight toward the thunderstorm anomaly. Gaynor takes Zinda to meet with Haifisch who was skulking around in the watery bilge of the Sky Skull. Haifisch is disturbed by Zinda's lack of talking and fears Gaynor was too harsh with brain washing. Gaynor assures Haifisch that the conditioning went well and her identity has been completely stripped away. Gaynor remarks Haifisch's notes on brain washing by stating that a true test of blind allegiance is forcing the subject to commit an act of moral repugnance.

Haifisch is bewildered by Gaynor's statement and Gaynor mocks Haifisch by saying that he doesn't intend to have Zinda sleep with the monster that Haifisch has become. Suddenly, Zinda goes into a blood frenzy by gutting Haifisch repeatedly until Haifisch is nothing more than a bloody mess. Gaynor exclaims that there will be no room for fascists in his new America.

Janos asks if Batman has a plan in stopping the Sky Skull. Batman points out the electro-magnetic pulse generator in the the jet fighter should be sufficient in bringing down the airbase if they can get close enough. Janos says that the plan is feasible since he has installed cutting edge scrambling technology into the jet's fuselage which will make the plane seem as small as a hummingbird on the Sky Skull's radar.

Unfortunately, Gaynor was counting on Janos' countermeasure and shot a wing on the fighter jet. Batman tells Janos to go higher into the cloud cover of the Sky Skull which will interfere with the air base's targeting systems. Gaynor activates a wave of Dr. Merson's Waltzing Matildas which were like flying tanks. Janos remembers his teammate Hendrickson had worked out the physics of how a tank can maintain stability while airborne but the bombardment of Matildas forces Janos to activate the EMP generator.

The Matildas and the jet fighter begin to lose altitude. Batman explains that Janos should have powered down the jet's propulsion systems before launching the EMP. Fortunately, the jet's systems came back online and Janos flew straight into the Skull as its bomb bay door opened. The jet fighter crashes into the Skull. As Janos and Batman exit the jet, they are ambushed by a brainwashed Zinda.

| Appearing1 = **Featured Characters:** * Batman) **Supporting Characters:** * Blackhawk Industries ** Janos Prohaska) ** Lee Cheng) * Zinda Blake (Lady Blackhawk/Queen Killer Shark)) **Antagonists:** * Ted Gaynor) ** Haifisch) **Other Characters:** * Adolf Hitler) * Blackhawk Squadron) ** Andre) ** Chuck Wilson) ** Hans Hendrickson) ** Olaf Bjornson) ** Stanislaus) **Locations:** * United States of America ** New Jersey *** Gotham City ** New York *** Upstate New York **** Cheng Estate **Items:** * **Vehicles:** * Sky Skull

| Notes = | Trivia = | Recommended = | Links =

Creative credits

Writers: Royal McGraw

Interior art: Marcos Marz

Color: David Baron

Source records & attribution

Panel Profits keeps each source identity attached to its edition record.

COMICBASE: comicbase:122817

GCD: 681442

PANEL PROFITS: 3381373