Gotham City very recently fell prey to a deadly virus called the Clench which almost took Robin’s life (during CONTAGION). With the Clench dealt with, Jim Gordon was restored as Commissioner of the GCPD.
Someone has been capturing criminals before they can be taken to Arkham Asylum, starting with Caraxes (the mutated Killer Moth who gained new powers during UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED). But while Batman focuses on apprehending the brutal Lock-Up, the threat of the Clench looms once more on the horizon.
Meanwhile, Catwoman goes on an adventure in Sudan that’ll lead us straight into LEGACY…
And yes, the eagle-eyed Batman: The Animated Series fans among you will be right in thinking Lock-Up made his debut in that show. He made a few cameo appearances before making his full comics appearance in this story.
Crossover: The Detective and Robin issues cross over directly and lead into the ‘Legacy’ event.
Related Events: Catwoman’s story also leads into ‘Legacy’ but is otherwise unconnected to Batman and Robin’s stories.
Must-Reads: Issues marked with a ✔are essential to the story.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED (1995-1996) – Killer Moth makes a deal with Neron; Lock-Up cameo
- CONTAGION (1996) – A deadly plague spreads through Gotham City
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- Catwoman #33
- ✔ Detective Comics #697-699
- Catwoman #34-35
- ✔ Robin #31
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| Must Reads | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Catwoman #33 A Boston software company hires Catwoman to take back a silicon chip stolen by a rival company in Rheelasia. But a ninja clan led by her old nemesis Kai, aka Hellhound, take her prisoner aboard a ship. Kai tells her the Armless Master who trained them both is dead (killed during KNIGHTSEND). Kai’s employer, the Collector, wants to hire her. Instead, she jumps in one of the cars in the cargo bay, only for it to be snatched by a mechanical claw and hurled into the sea… | |
| Catwoman #34 (pp.1-11) Catwoman escapes the car and she’s brought back aboard. The Collector wants Catwoman to head to an ancient tomb in the Sudan, and get through a series of traps in order to reach an ancient wheel that offers untold power. And she’ll do it whether she wants to or not… | |
| ✔ | Detective Comics #697 The armoured car transporting Two-Face to Arkham Asylum is run off the road and he’s taken by Lock-Up, who’s already captured Allergent, Charaxes and Maxwell Veezy. Batman, Robin and Nightwing capture one of the False Face Society to turn evidence, and use him to set a trap. Lock-Up takes the bait. Renee Montoya and Harvey Bullock take Lock-Up in, but he refuses to tell them where his prisoners are… 1st appearance: Lock-Up/Lyle Bolton (full appearance) |
| ✔ | Detective Comics #698 Lock-Up escapes GCPD custody. Batman, Robin and Nightwing follow three of Lock-Up’s possible targets. Nightwing catches a child-killer. As ‘Matches Malone’, Batman is held at gunpoint by a racketeer’s gang. As ‘Alvin Draper’, Tim Drake directly approaches gangbanger Young El. Lock-Up goes for Young El who escapes, so he takes ‘Alvin’ as a consolation prize… |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Detective Comics #699 ‘Matches Malone’ escapes the gang. Nightwing tracks Robin’s GPS signal to an old gun battery in Gotham Harbour, takes down Lock-Up and frees Tim Drake. Two-Face sees Tim’s face. Batman shows up in time to save Tim and Nightwing from the other prisoners. Lock-Up escapes. Former Gotham Mayor Armand Krol is found dead in his home. It appears his Clench infection returned and killed him within hours. |
| Catwoman #34 (pp.11-22) The Collector’s ship lands on the East Coast of Africa. Catwoman meets her guide, Brother Umberto, formerly of the Order of St Dumas. Umberto explains the history of the Order and their immortal enemy who remains a mystery. Kai and his clan remain on the surface where they’re shot at by gunmen. Catwoman and Umberto go underground and fall prey to the first of the ten traps… | |
| Catwoman #35 Catwoman and Umberto escape the traps and make it to the Great Wheel. Kai escapes the assassins and catch up and attacks Catwoman. They’re all knocked out by a foe in a horned mask. Catwoman wakes in a cell and sees the familiar face of her captor… | |
| ✔ | Robin #31 Both Tim Drake and Ted Grant attend the same car show, and return later as Robin and Wildcat to stop a group of notorious car thieves called the Speedboyz. Jim Gordon calls Batman to let him know about Krol. When Robin returns to the Batcave, Batman prepares to tell him the retrovirus might get another chance to kill him… |
| Must Reads | Issue & Fallout | Event/ Crossover |
| ✔ | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #53 (1996) The Clench returns in a more aggressive, mutated form; Azrael directs Batman, Robin and Nightwing to the Sudan to find a cure. Detective Comics #700 (1996) Ra’s al Ghul is revealed to have created Ebola Gulf A (the Clench) using the Wheel of Plagues; Catwoman’s familiar captor is revealed to be Bane. | LEGACY |
| Catwoman #36 (1996) Catwoman frees herself from the cell beneath the Sudanese desert; Catwoman ensures Hellhound and the Collector have their comeuppance. | LEGACY | |
| ✔ | Detective Comics #702 (1996) With the Bat-Famiy having located the cure, the citizens of Gotham City are given vaccinations to prevent the spread of the Clench. | LEGACY |
| ✔ | Nightwing #35-37 (1999) An earthquake in Gotham City leads to a breakout at Blackgate Penitentiary; Lock-Up takes over the prison; Nightwing risks his life to restore order to Blackgate. | NO MAN’S LAND |
| Birds of Prey #51-52 (2003) Danko Twagg emerges, claiming to be the real Killer Moth; Charaxes appears to die when he’s disintegrated in a cell. | ||
| Infinite Crisis #7 (2006) Having somehow survived disintegration, Charaxes is ripped in half by Superboy-Prime. | INFINITE CRISIS | |
| ✔ | Gotham Underground #2-4 (2008) Lock-Up allies with Killer Moth and other Gotham criminals as a member of the Ventriloquist‘s new gang. |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Batman: Legacy vol.1 | Batman #533 Batman: Shadow of the Bat #53 Catwoman #33-35 Detective Comics #697-700 Robin #31 |
Reading Order © Omniverse Comics Guide 2024
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