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Detective Comics 2022 Annual Vol 1 1

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"Gotham Nocturne: Motif": Shavhod and Gael Tenclaw traverse a hidden underground to the remains of Arkham Asylum. Gael reveals that the Asylum was built upon the foundations of an old church long ago when Gotham was still a settlement in the 18th century, stating that he was there in that time p

Quote1 It is time to correct the mistakes of our past. Quote2
— Gael Tenclaw

Detective Comics 2022 Annual #1 is an issue of the series Detective Comics 2022 Annual (Volume 1) with a cover date of January, 2023. It was published on November 29, 2022.

Synopsis for "Gotham Nocturne: Motif"

Shavhod and Gael Tenclaw traverse a hidden underground to the remains of Arkham Asylum. Gael reveals that the Asylum was built upon the foundations of an old church long ago when Gotham was still a settlement in the 18th century, stating that he was there in that time period and buried a precious artifact upon the ground they stand. Gael removes a circular stone from the floor to reveal a glowing yellow dodecahedron encapsulated in a large glass vial. Gael states the importance of Gotham's past and how it is crucial for it to be remembered before proceeding to explain Gotham's history.

The story flashes back to the Gathome settlement in 1776. The bodies of Tim and Moira Wainwright lay upon the ground and are being investigated by a city official and town sheriff named Garrett Jardin. Nearby, the boy of the dead couple is being consoled by drifter and revolutionary war veteran Aldridge Pearce, a trusted man whom the city folk have personally vouched for. Jardin questions the nearby Barrowman who found the bodies as to how he came upon them. The Barrowman states that he had been awoken by a nightmare and stepped out onto his porch to find a giant werewolf over the Wainwright's bodies.

Nearby, crazed pastor Ichabod Kraine tells a sermon of the evils of the faithless and unfavored devils who have not found God, and scorns Jardin for allowing a witch to live amongst them who resides by Miller's Creek, a small area just outside of town. Jardin lashes out at Kraine defending Aiyanna the Medicine Woman, who has healed countless townsfolk of various illnesses. Kraine retorts that the town is changing faster than both of them can imagine which brings fear, and that only God can free them from their fears. Kraine explains that his employer will be arriving to finance a massive church to help restore natural order to the corrupt law and false peace in the settlement. Shortly after, Ethaniel Orgham and young Gael Tenclaw arrive by carriage.

Later, Kraine and a group of fanatical religious protestors stand outside Aiyanna's home with various weapons yelling insults and threatening to burn her house down with her inside. Aiyanna quips back, and the large group of men advance towards her. Aldridge Pearce arrives and stands between them, telling the group to leave Aiyanna alone. The men attack, and Pearce with exceptional fighting skills breaks one of the men's arms and takes the rest of them down. Kraine flees, stating that a reckoning is coming in retaliation. Aiyanna tells Pearce to come inside to address his broken hand, a result of the fight.

Aiyanna treats his hand while Pearce acknowledges a sickly man in another room in a bed. Pearce recognizes the man as a Raider, a member of an infamous band of thieves. He questions Aiyanna as to why she would help him, to which she states she turns no sick or ill man away from her services out of kindness. The Raider tells Pearce that Darcy Hunt, the leader of the Raiders, plans to attack and pillage the village at dawn. Outside of town, Hunt rallies his many men stating Gathome is young and ripe for the taking, loading their rifles and preparing for invasion.

Meanwhile in a nearby tavern, town store owner Pebblecroft meets at a table with Orgham and Gael. Orgham admits that the death of the Wainwrights were of his doing in order to cause a chaos trigger that would cause total fear throughout Gathome and allow him and his church total control over the town in the name of “Deliverance”. Gael opens a box on the table and takes out a glowing yellow dodecahedron within a glass vial which is revealed to be an artifact called the Reality Engine. Orgham states that the townsfolk will turn to the church for protection from life's provocations. His plan consists of Gale re-rallying a group of the religious fanaticals to once again attack Aiyanna, whom he knows is harboring a Raider. He says by telling the town, this will justify an attack on her home once and for all and lure the majority of the town's defending forces away from the city, whilst Darcy Hunt and his group attack the city's center. When the attack is over and the city is destroyed, the pastor will offer shelter to the townsfolk and order Jardin to be beheaded. Once total control has been established by Orgham, Gael is instructed to bury the Reality Engine beneath the church in order to lock Gotham's destiny in a state of control within a perpetual loop that remains indefinite throughout time. In other words, the continuity of similar repeated events throughout generations continues as long as the Reality Engine is active, in this case, two prominent people would be murdered, Gotham would fall to corruption, and the Orghams would remain in control. Left in Gotham's foundations, the device would be responsible for causing a repeat of events in different time periods.

Pearce prepares to leave the settlement via carriage with the Wainwright boy. Jardin agrees that this course of action will keep the boy safe, and the two leave town. After Traveling into the night, the carriage driver reveals himself to be an immortal traveler called Mordecai, who states that it was destiny that placed Pearce into his carriage. Mordecai tells Pearce that he may be the only one capable of stopping the attacks on Gotham. Pearce expresses his fear that if he fails, the mob may come after the Wainwright boy that has been in his care in retaliation. Mordecai hands Pearce a cowl and hat with pieces that come up like ears resembling that of a bat, stating that he must hide who he is and become a demon in order to have the advantage over the attackers in order to save the city.

Later, a wooden carriage engulfed in flames is sent careening directly at Aiyanna's home while a man holds a knife to her throat and a fanatical mob has formed once again outside her home. Pearce, now dressed in a colonial style black bat suit, destroys the flaming wagon and quickly subdues the entire mob attacking. Aiyanna in her true form with green skin, beautiful red hair and resembling a modern day Poison Ivy, thanks Pearce and tells him to ward off the Hunt attack by lighting; nearby, devils snare trees on fire that harbor roosting bats. She explains that the bats will take refuge on the western edge of town, flying en masse directly through Gathome's town center, completing the demonic illusion that Pearce was looking for in order to restore order and place fear into the oncoming attackers. Nearby, Hunt holds a sword to Jardin's neck but is quickly taken down by Pearce in his demonic bat suit. Hunt asks what the point of an iron fool dressed as a bat is, to which Pearce replies, “To resist”. Meanwhile, Gael entombs the Reality Engine beneath the church.

Back in the present, Gael explains to Shavhod that Pearce's caped crusader and dark knight anomaly was an unintended part of the plan, and inadvertently became entwined within the Reality Engine's generational time loop, preventing the Orghams from taking total control throughout Gotham's existence. Gael explains the only way to repair the damage is to remove the Reality Engine's spell and to correct the mistake for good by permanently removing Batman.

Appearing in "Gotham Nocturne: Motif"

Featured Characters:

  • The Dark Knight (Aldridge Pearce) (Single appearance) (Flashback only)

Supporting Characters:

  • Aiyanna (Single appearance) (Flashback only)
  • Garret Jardin (Single appearance) (Flashback only)
  • Mordecai (Flashback only)
  • Wainwright Boy (First appearance; unnamed) (Flashback and main story)

Antagonists:

  • Orgham Family (Flashback and main story)
    • Prince Arzen Orgham (Cameo)
      • Gael Tenclaw (Flashback and main story)
      • Shavhod
    • Queen Dariah Orgham (Cameo)
    • Ethaniel Orgham (Single appearance) (Flashback only)
      • Darcey Hunt (Single appearance) (Flashback only)
        • Hunt's Raiders (Single appearance) (Flashback only)
      • Pastor Ichabod Kraine (Single appearance) (Flashback only)
      • Joe Proctor (Single appearance) (Flashback only)
      • Pebblecroft (Single appearance) (Flashback only)

Other Characters:

  • Barrowman (Single appearance) (Flashback and main story)
  • Batman (Bruce Wayne) (Flashback only) (Cameo)
  • Creen (Single appearance) (Flashback only)
  • Moira Wainwright (Single appearance) (Appears only as a corpse) (Flashback and main story)
  • Scarecrow (Flashback only) (Cameo)
  • Tim Wainwright (Single appearance) (Appears only as a corpse) (Flashback and main story)
  • Arkham Family (Mentioned only)
  • Demons (Mentioned only)
  • The Devil (Mentioned only)
  • God (Mentioned only)
  • Neang (Mentioned only)

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

  • Mordecai's Wain (Flashback only)

Concepts:

Notes

Trivia

  • Many characters from 1776 are analogues or ancestors of modern day characters, including:


See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References
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