Batman: Dark Age #5: Ra’s’ Endgame and the Coming Crisis

Batman: Dark Age #5 is the next to last issue of this series telling the story of Batman outside of the regular continuity. The issue begins with the aged Bruce working on his memory board and recalling that while he got his love for Gotham from his father, he got his love for people from his mother. Martha, in on this Earth is a troubled soul much like the in-continuity one, who spent some time in Arkham when he was young.

Russell uses this memory to reveal the outcome of last issue when Ra’s Al Ghul confronted him in Wayne Manor, showing him that he had set the Asylum on fire, an event that led to the death of Bruce’s love interest Dr. Chase Meridian, despite Bruce and Dick’s best efforts. This sequence of events lead Bruce to address the Justice League, who deny his request, informing him that they have met Brainiac and learned that the Anti-Monitor is on the way to destroy their universe. Russell and the Allreds give readers some interesting moments such as Wonder Woman joking with him, The Flash’s indifference as he works on a ship in a bottle as Batman speaks, and the full-page reveal of Brainiac and The Anti-Monitor.

It is also revealed that Ra’s Al Ghul has partnered with and eventually takes over as the leader of the False Face Society and Wayne Enterprises in his ongoing chess match with Bruce. Russell captures Ra’s perfectly as the guy who can manipulate and influence events on a global scale to achieve his endgame. Bruce, looking to take on Ra’s turns to those rouges who were causing trouble in Gotham, like Catwoman, Riddler, and Penguin, to allies to save Gotham. Batman also rescues Barbara from Mad Hatter, though it looks as though some deprogramming is sure to happen.

Russell uses the chess metaphor throughout the issue as Bruce and Ra’s battle for Gotham results in a fiery end for Ra’s. Pariah appears in the issue but easily takes a backseat once Ra’s step in, but hopefully with the coming of the Anti-Monitor he will return to play a more prominent role in the final issue.

The issue also starts to answer questions raised in earlier issues such as confirming that Bruce’s psychiatrist is the daughter of Dick and Barbara, whose relationship started with an 8-Track tape. The reveal of the final page shows that the story isn’t over yet and the worst is yet to come.

One mystery remains is that if in 1976, the coming of the universes demise was foretold, then what happened and how are the events in 2030 taking place after the universe was supposed to be destroyed?