BATMAN #588

COVER TAGLINE: None TITLE: Close Before Striking (Act 1) STORY ARC: None RELEASE DATE: February, 2001 COVER DATE: April, 2001 WRITER: Brian K. Vaughan ARTIST: Scott McDaniel INKER: Karl Story COLORS: Roberta Tewes LETTERS: John Costanza EDITORS: Bob Schreck COVER: Scott McDaniel PRICE: $2.25 U.S./$3.00 Canada CHARACTERS: Batman (Bruce Wayne); Nightwing (Dick Grayson); Oracle (Barbara Gordon); Scarface; Ventriloquist COVER ART: PLOT: Nightwing dresses like Batman and interrogates Matches Malone (who is, of course, Bruce Wayne) in a bar to get him credibility with the Ventriloquist and Scarface. Once Matches lands info about an operation from Scarface himself, Batman himself later arrives to bust it. Since Matches has always been associated with Batman busting the joint, Scarface assumes he's a rat and wants him dead. Late, in the Batcave, Batman and Nightwing learn that Matches Malone has just been shot. But Matches is Bruce, isn't he?

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SUGGESTED ADDITIONAL READING: War Games