We start off with a quick trip down memory lane at Croc’s Gym. Bruce Wayne drops in on a card game, looking worn out and carrying a heavy heart. He apologizes for his recent mistakes. Bruce admits he let his own fear push him to lash out at the wrong people while trying to shield Selina and his friends.
As he is about to leave, they tell him to ante up and play.
Grimm Manor: Ultimatums
After his fight with Scarecrow in the issue #24, Batman is full of rage, headed for Grimm Manor. In this issue, he smashes his way into Grimm Manor with a battle axe, hacking through doors and screaming for Grimm to face him.
He kicks open the parlor door expecting a showdown with Grimm and finds his friends sitting in the room: Waylon Jones (Croc), Oz Cobblepot (Penguin), Eddie Nygma (Riddler), and Harvey Dent (Two-Face)
They tell Batman that Grimm approached all of them weeks ago, posing a sympathetic person who cares about Bruce’s past trauma. Why? Because Grimm sponsored the contest Bruce won as a child that caused them to be at the zoo when Bruce’s father was killed. Grimm promised to protect Batman from the police and shield the Robins from law enforcement crackdowns. On top of that, Grimm knows Batman’s identity, but claims he wants to help Bruce legally rather than hand him over to the law.
So yes, he admitted to them that Grimm controls the city.
Because he’s so caring, Grimm made offers to them. Harvey gets his law license back to fight street crime. Penguin gets official city permits to set up legit trade routes. The Riddler gets funding for high-level neural research. Grimm also approached Waylon. After hearing Grimm out, Waylon found there is no evidence of wrongdoing. Grimm gave Eddie full access to financial records. He found nothing. Grimm, publicly, is anti-Ark M.
The group gives Bruce an ultimatum. They warn Bruce that he is public enemy number one right now with a murder charge hanging over his head. Grimm is willing to keep quiet about Bruce’s identity, but only if Bruce checks into an upscale psychiatric facility upstate to get help. The best one in the country.
Bruce sees straight through the setup. He screams at his friends that Grimm has a doppelgänger packed with his DNA ready to swap him out, meaning a trip to that hospital will land him in Ark M forever.
It’s important to note: his friends had already met with Grimm when they were watching the news and talking about Bruce’s options in issue #24. Matter of fact, it is possible they had already met with Grimm in issue #23 when Batman fought Clayface and Tim Drake died.
It makes sense. Grimm was pushing Batman’s limits, making him look mentally unstable. His friends saw him get physical with his mother. An interesting plot to make Batman’s friends turn against him.
The Great Escape
With police sirens wailing and searchlights shining through the windows, Bruce refuses to sign away his freedom. Waylon warns him that walking out the door breaks their alliance for good. Batman leaps straight through the glass into the night sky, dodging heavy gunfire from a police helicopter overhead.
While Batman runs through the dense woods below with armed officers on his tail, Alfred makes an urgent phone call to Harley Quinn. Alfred admits he should have prepped Bruce better and begs Harley to keep an eye on him.
Running through the forest, Batman jumps into a subterranean cavern. He finds himself in an 1940s-era chamber filled with dinosaur fossils and a gigantic coin stamped “LIBERTY.”
Batman follows the voice calling out to him. It’s Jack Grimm, covered in the pulsating flesh and organs of children. Jack tells Batman to make himself at home and asks if he likes kids.
The Devil in the Cave
Knowing this was leading to a fight, Jack sheds the children and morphs into a giant, horned demonic creature with mini-bones on his face and sharp fangs. Jack Grimm reveals his true form as The Joker.
Grimm starts taunting Batman, saying he has been alive for centuries. He loves to laugh but after living for so long, it takes a special person to bring it out in him. One comes along every century or two. He thinks Batman might just be the funniest clown he’s ever encountered.
Grimm and Batman start fighting as Grimm kicks Batman across the room. It is clear early on Grimm is stronger and more powerful. Batman swings his axe into Grimm. Instead of flinching, Grimm just laughs wildly, soaking in the pain and demanding that Bruce “tell his version of the joke.”
Grimm pins Batman down, battering him and demanding a punchline. He offers Bruce one last choice: embrace the joke or die in the cave.
Batman tells him to go to hell.
Harley’s Save and a Shocking Reunion
Just as Grimm prepares to put Bruce down, The Bat (Barbara Gordon) bursts into the cavern with her heavy shotgun. She blasts Grimm in the face at point-blank range, giving her enough time to haul a heavily wounded Bruce toward an underground river. How was she able to do this, because Batman is huge? They’ve shown Barbara has been working out, preparing to become The Bat. Batman and The Bat leap into the rushing water and escape, while Grimm watches from a high ledge, chuckling and telling them he will see them next time.
Batman later wakes up in a safehouse with Harley patching him up. He realizes the humbling fact Grimm let them slip away on purpose because he is playing a much bigger, older game. He’s right to question why.
Batman confirms to Harley that Grimm is tied to his father’s death, even if he cannot prove it yet. Remember: Batman doesn’t know that Grimm is Harley’s father. He pushed her away when she tried to tell him.
Before Bruce can figure out his next move, the issue ends with Selina Kyle walking into the room, noticeably pregnant.
Unanswered Questions
Well… we have the unanswered questions from the previous issue:
- In the previous issue, we saw what is supposed to be Bruce’s father in a dungeon, undressed, but allegedly very much alive. Martha told Bruce, and was adamant, he was dead. In this issue, Scarecrow mentions Bruce’s father again. Who is the man in the dungeon and where is he being held captive?
- Clayface appeared and disappeared after Tim’s death. In my issue #23 breakdown, I theorized that we saw Clayface when Batman dug up his father’s grave, making the grave seem empty. Where is Clayface?
- When Scarecrow is found, how will this help Batman? There is no proof of the crimes Scarecrow committed. Would Grimm dare to add Scarecrow being unjustly assaulted to the list of “crimes” Batman committed? While it probably helped Bruce mentally to deal with Scarecrow, it does not help his situation of being framed for two murders (Gordon and Drake).
It seems Scarecrow and Clayface are going to reappear in the next story arc. Because this issue brought up an interesting plot twist: The Bat has seen Joker’s true form and knows Grimm is Joker.
- Will Joker come after The Bat?
- Selina will believe what Batman has been going through because of Harley and Barbara. Will that be enough to present their evidence to convince Waylon, Oz, Eddie and Harvey? Will they tell Barbara she didn’t shoot Joker? If they do convince the guys, will they give up the sweet benefits Grimm gave them?
- Why is Alfred leaving and where is he going? Is he going to find Julia?
- I’m hoping they don’t make Damian’s mother Selina. I hope it’s a completely different child. Who is the child?
- Is the Absolute Catwoman series before the events happening here or after? Her story: Selina is rich and was getting ready to leave the country before she got pulled into a mess from her old colleagues. Was she leaving because she lost the baby and things didn’t work out with Bruce? Or was it before the pregnancy? It is highly unlikely she was pregnant during those fight scenes.
- At the beginning of the issue, there was a flashback of Bruce apologizing and his friends moving past it. Did Grimm already visit them? Bruce might think that’s one hell of a betrayal.
- The biggest question: how are any of them going to protect themselves from Grimm?
Where do we go from here? Issue #26 is set to release January 13, 2027 featuring guest art work. There’s also a one shot due to release November 11, 2026 called Absolute Batman: Beyond Ark-M #1 exploring the origins of Professor Pyg and Joker’s wider network.
