Released August 2018

Batgirl #26

Synopsis

ART OF THE CRIME PART 1 - KNOCKDOWN Batgirl rides after Grotesque through Burnside's streets. Previously a snobby thief, Grotesque has taken a liking to steal art treasures and murdering their owners, mutilating them to look like works of art. Her fury fueled at Grotesque treating other people like the Joker treated her,[1] and trying to ruin what few beautiful things are left in Gotham City, Batgirl chases him all the way down to a luxury apartment building on the edge of Gotham River. Batgirl calls the GCPD for backup and enters the building. Grotesque is holding a man hostage but Batgirl kicks him away from the man. Batgirl and Grotesque fall in a fountain while fighting, and Grotesque gets to stab his electric baton in her wet back. The chip in Batgirl's spine is shorted by the blow, and Batgirl starts having troubles focusing and standing upright. Grotesque tries to escape via the elevator. Batgirl hurries after him, but all of sudden she gets dizzy. Several strange images flash before her eyes and all of sudden she is falling off the building. Batgirl uses Batrope to slow down her fall and manages to land in the river. Tired and aching, Batgirl crawls herself out the river, jumps back on her Batcycle and rides back to the building. While riding, Batgirl tries to remember what she saw in Grotesque's apartment, but her usually perfect memory is blurry. She recalls blueprints and enough gear to assault a military base. Her enemy is making preparations for something big. Batgirl makes it to the building and finds it is burning. Grotesque torched the evidence and escaped, and for some reason, the police never came. The next day, Barbara slips in the GCPD Headquarters to gather more information and logs in a computer. She's caught by a newcomer agent but she feeds him an excuse and introduces herself. Commissioner Jim Gordon turns up while they're talking. All of sudden Barbara's head hurts. She suffers a seizure and faints.