Sir, as loath as you might be to hear this, I do not intend to spend the rest of my life playing nurse. 
Batman #440 is an issue of the series Batman (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 1989. It was published on August 31, 1989.
Synopsis for "A Lonely Place of Dying, Chapter One: Suspects"
Batman fights the Ravager on a dam outside of Gotham City. He recalls that Ravager had killed two policemen in the last two weeks with no apparent motive. Despite taking a beating, Batman knocks Ravager into the water below, and he disappears, defeated for now. Nearby, an unidentified watcher has been snapping photos of the fight, seeming to know both the identities Batman and Dick Grayson.
Elsewhere, a man in shadows listens to the radio, when a voice from it begins talking directly to him. The voice reveals that it is only in his mind, and tries to convince him to kill Batman. The man complains that he had already sent Ravager to kill Batman, but that it had failed. The voice outlines a plan to ensnare their foe.
Back at Wayne Manor, Batman returns from his fight with Ravager and collapses with a fever. Alfred Pennyworth tends to his wounds, noting that since the death of Jason Todd, Bruce has been more reckless and less calculative. When Bruce awakes, Alfred shares his feelings, commenting that he does not want to spend the rest of his life playing nurse. Bruce is nonplussed, and soon dons his uniform to do his rounds.
At the opera, mob boss Gerry Skye is approached by a dark figure who arranges for two of Skye's thugs to rob the Zwei Brothers' warehouse at 2AM. The mysterious man returns to his home to tell the voice in his radio that Batman will die tomorrow.
At the Titans Tower, the voyeur watches the Teen Titans leave, hoping to see Dick Grayson. Dick, however, is apparently absent. Seeing Starfire leaving without Dick, the unidentified individual resolves to speak with her, to see if she knows where he is.
As Skye's thugs rob the warehouse, Batman soon arrives, having followed a lead. The thugs let slip that there is a connection between the Ravager's attacks and the robbery. As he fights, he recalls Alfred's words, and tries to reason out the case, rather than simply pummelling the thugs. He soon notices a theme of twos in the crimes, with Ravager's two police killed in two weeks, Zwei being German for 'two,' and the 2AM time of the robbery. The evidence points to the fact that Two-Face has returned to Gotham. Batman visits Commissioner Gordon to give him the news.
The unidentified voyeur follows Starfire home, and asks her about Dick Grayson, but she reveals that he had quit the Teen Titans weeks ago. Determined, he finds his way into Dick's old apartment, looking for evidence of his location. He soon finds a newspaper clipping stating that Haly's Circus is closing down. He sets out on his way there.
Appearing in "A Lonely Place of Dying, Chapter One: Suspects"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Alfred Pennyworth
- Commissioner Gordon
- Tim Drake (Identity Undisclosed)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Teen Titans (Cameo)
- Changeling (Cameo)
- Cyborg (Cameo)
- Jericho (Cameo)
- Starfire
- Troia (Cameo)
- Joker (Behind the scenes)
- Flying Graysons (In a photograph only)
- John Grayson (In a photograph only)
- Mary Grayson (In a photograph only)
- Dick Grayson (In a photograph only)
- Jack Drake (In a photograph only)
- Janet Drake (In a photograph only)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- The story is continued in New Titans #60.
- This story is reprinted in Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying and in Batman: A Death in the Family New Edition.
- Two-Face last appeared in Batman Annual #13 and those events are referenced in this issue.
- Alfred Pennyworth mentions the death of Jason Todd. This happened during the A Death in the Family storyline.
Trivia
- On page 8, first panel; there's a photo of Batman, which is taken directly from the splash page of Batman #436 and on that same page, the last panel features the picture of the Flying Graysons featured in that same issue, which is part of the Batman: Year Three storyline.
- The "Bat-Signals" letter page includes a letter from Christopher Scott, which contained a massive spoiler for the entire storyline and the ending regarding Tim Drake becoming the new Robin. In the letter page of Batman #442, letter editor KC Carlson admits the inclusion of such letter was a mistake on their part.
- There is a reference to George H. W. Bush.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Batman Recommended Reading
- Batman (Volume 1)
- Batman (Volume 2)
- Batman (Volume 3)
- Batman and Robin (Volume 1)
- Batman and Robin (Volume 2)
- Batman and Robin (Volume 3)
- Batman Confidential (Volume 1)
- Batman: Gotham Knights (Volume 1)
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (Volume 1)
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat (Volume 1)
- Batman: Streets of Gotham (Volume 1)
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 1)
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 2)
- Batman/Superman (Volume 1)
- Batman/Superman (Volume 2)
- Batman/Superman: World's Finest (Volume 1)
- Batman: The Dark Knight (Volume 1)
- Batman: The Dark Knight (Volume 2)
- The Brave and the Bold (Volume 1)
- Detective Comics (Volume 1)
- Detective Comics (Volume 2)
- Superman/Batman (Volume 1)
- World's Finest (Volume 1)
Links and References
| A Lonely Place of Dying | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1: Batman #440 | Part 2: New Titans #60 | Part 3: Batman #441 | Part 4: New Titans #61 | Part 5: Batman #442 |