Good! Good! Slaughter yourselves! You killed me! Now kill one another! 
- — Grotesk
Batman #661 is an issue of the series Batman (Volume 1) with a cover date of February, 2007. It was published on December 28, 2006.
Synopsis for "Grotesk, Part 3"
The Batman leaps through the smoky Saint Elgius emergency room at Perun the Russian mobster. The mobster's thugs try shooting "everywhere" to get the Bat, with Perun tossing a grenade near bystanders as a last resort, though Batman catches it and throws it at them while they flee. Before he leaves, Batman tells Amina Franklin that the police know that her brother Wayne is Grotesk and that he believes she knows more than she is telling, ordering her to "tell it" to keep her Hippocratic Oath, to stop people innocent from being hurt.
In his car, Perun is speaking to Grotesk on a cellular phone unaware he's being trailed by Batman. Grotesk instructs Perun to go to the Opera House near the dock, where he'll have the I-Gore device waiting on stage. They arrive expecting a trap and planning to kill Grotesk, kidnap his sister, and burn down the clinic no matter what as a message to others.
Inside, Johnny Karaoke is singing on stage. Perun's men spread out, one of them taking a Geisha Grrl hostage thinking she's Karoke's girlfriend, finding out she's a bodyguard when she cuts his hand off. Just as a stand-off it beginning to take shape, Grotesk makes his presence known on a cat-walk above. Lowering the I-Gore device between them, he mentions that it's the only one and they'll have to "decide" who takes it, prompting a battle to break out.
While Grotesk laughs at the "slaughter", Batman drops onto the catwalk saying he can't allow it to continue. Batman clutches Grotesk by the wrist, attempting to get him to tell him who died in his place and is buried in Franklin Wayne's grave, only to have his entire forearm disconnect. Telling Batman if he sides with his enemy, he is his enemy, Grotesk fires his flame cannon at him, missing. Batman attacks back, knocking Grotesk down, who compares the fight they just had with the one going on below. After he compares Batman's vigilante justice to his, Batman explains to Grotesk that he isn't Judge, Jury and Executioner, and that's what makes them different. Grotesk tells him that that's why his enemies return as often as they do, but he has promised not to face his more than once and none of them will walk away from the Opera House tonight. Just then, one of Perun's men recovers the Mimic, which explodes in a huge fireball.
Grotesk laughs while Batman saves one of the Geisha Grrls, then makes his exit. During the save, Perun appears through the flame holding a gun on Batman. Before he can shoot, Johnny Karaoke flies at him, stabbing him through the chest with his sword-cane. Perun and Karaoke kill each other with Batman having only saved one of the Grrls. On his way to the Batcave he calls Alfred and says Amina knows more than she's telling, but won't ever tell Batman so he's going to have to try something else.
Appearing in "Grotesk, Part 3"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Grotesk
- Perun (Final appearance; dies)
- Johnny Karaoke (Final appearance; dies)
- Geisha Grrls (Single appearance) (Final appearance; dies)
- Beyonce (Single appearance)
- Brittany (Single appearance)
- J. Lo (Single appearance)
- Mariah (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Yuri (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Saint Eligius Medical Center
- Gotham Opera House
Vehicles:
Notes
- Batman becomes a bi-weekly series beginning with this issue.
- Includes DC Nation editorial #41 by Dan DiDio.
Trivia
- Johnny Karaoke is singing "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" when the Russian mobsters first encounter him and sings "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" as he kills Perun.
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)