Batman: Family #7 is an issue of the series Batman: Family (Volume 1) with a cover date of February, 2003. It was published on December 11, 2002.
Synopsis for "Precipice"
When the Technician comes to, he realizes that he is being held in a hermetically sealed room at the condemned Gotham Center for Disease Control. Cassandra Cain stands watch over the Technician. The Batman confronts the Technician about his connection to the Network but Oracle interrupts when she learns that Denholm Sinclair is still alive and being held in Blackgate. Denholm is serving a life sentence for murder under is actual name Archibald Bellweather. Batman calls Nightwing to be Cassandra's backup and warns the Technician not to provoke Cassandra because she may very well cripple him if he tries to escape. Batman then heads to Blackgate to get Denholm's version of Celia's life in Gotham and find out why her friendship with Martha Wayne deteriorated.
Freeway interrupts Celia while she lights a candle for her son's passing. Freeway says that Bugg has pinpointed Danny's location because Dr. Excess had implanted a tracker inside Danny's arm. Freeway pleads with Celia to allow him to recover Danny but her decision was final. Both Bugg and Freeway feel a sense of grief for what is about to transpire but Freeway ultimately makes a call to Mr. Fun. Mr. Fun was disposing of a body at the ACE Chemical Plant by dropping it in a vat of acid when he gets the call.
Batman interrogates Denholm at the prison's infirmary. Denholm's lung cancer is killing him slowly. Denholm remembers how he turned the Chat Noir Club from a dump and into the best jazz club in Gotham for Cesare Rossetti. Denholm dated Martha Wayne until the relationship got too serious for him and she eventually married Thomas Wayne. Denholm made passes at Celia while he was still dating Martha. Celia succumbed to Denholm's advances but only so she could get access to his office and his accounting books. At one point, Celia threatened to tell Cesare Rossetti that Denholm was skimming from the Chat Noir's profits. Denholm offered Celia ten thousand dollars for her silence. When Celia left Gotham for Europe, she had the Chat Noir Club torched. It was her way of saying goodbye to Denholm.
Denholm saw the burning of his club as a blessing in disguise because Cesare Rossetti would never be able to get a look at the accounting books. Eventually, Cesare Rossetti ordered Denholm, Franco Bertinelli and Charlie "The Iceman" Zamboni to go to Greece and find Cesare's son Enzo. Enzo and Celia had stolen over a half million dollars in heroin profits from the Cassamento family. The three of them found Enzo and Celia laying low on the island Mykonos. Denholm was uneasy about what needed to be carried out so he left before Zamboni eliminated Enzo. Denholm chose to leave Gotham behind and tried to start a new club in South Beach Florida.
Denholm receives a letter from a possible investor for his proposed club. Denholm goes to a hotel to meet his mysterious investor but he is gagged and bagged from behind. When Denholm comes to, he realizes that he is in a room within the hotel. Denholm sees Celia with a much younger Mr. Fun by her side. Celia tells Denholm that Franco Bertinelli is lucky that he was killed 6 months ago or he too would have been at her mercy. Celia points to Mr. Zamboni who is tied to a chair. Celia remembers what Zamboni did to Enzo five years ago. Celia introduces Mr. Fun to Denholm. Celia exclaims that she found Mr. Fun at a violent, psychiatric ward/ hospital in Berlin. At the age of eleven, Mr. Fun killed three soldiers and crippled seven during his stay at the ward. Denholm watched as the collegiate psychopath Mr. Fun beat Zamboni to death with his bare hands.
Celia chose to spare Denholm so long as he shared with her everything that he knew about Cesare Rossetti. She handed Rossetti's off shore accounts to the proper authorities and the Feds froze all of Cesare's accounts. With Cesare tied up in court, his organization began to crumble. Denholm finally explains the reason behind his life sentence. He had killed a Russian in self-defense and the witnesses who could coroberat his story had disappeared.
Back at the Gotham Center for Disease Control. Nightwing arrives to relieve Cassandra but an outside sensor is tripped. Nightwing goes to check it out but Mr. Fun takes Grayson by surprise. Mr. Fun uses his 9 Iron golf club to beat Nightwing to death but Cassandra comes to Dick's rescue. Mr. Fun immobilizes Cassandra when he uses Nightwing's dart gauntlet and fires a paralyzing dart. Cassandra falls off a rooftop and onto a dumpster down below. With both crime fighters out of commission, Mr. Fun makes his way to the Technician's holding cell where Danny is being kept. Danny is shocked that Mr. Fun has come rather than Freeway. Danny realizes that with Mr, Fun's presence at the center, Celia has ultimately chosen to sign Danny's death warrant. Cassandra gets to her feet and resistates Dick with CPR. The two of them head inside and find the Technician has been beaten to death by Mr. Fun. Mr. Fun reports his mission was a success and Celia exclaims that tomorrow will be the start of their endgame. Tomorrow, the Rossettis will pay for their sins and Wayne Enterprises will lose billions.
Appearing in "Precipice"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Network
- Athena (Flashback and main story)
- Bugg
- Doctor Excess
- Freeway
- Mister Fun (Flashback and main story)
- Suicide King
- Technician (Dies)
Other Characters:
- Charlie Zamboni (Dies in flashback)
- Denholm Sinclair (Flashback and main story)
- Franco Bertinelli (Flashback only)
- Martha Wayne (Flashback only)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
See Also