Interesting fact about Lt. Joe Higgins, a.k.a. the Shield: he does not consider himself a hero, let alone a super one. For Lt. Higgins, the experimental warsuit he wears saved his life and enables him to continue doing his duty. It's his honor to serve his country and uphold its ideals, and even if the style of his uniform has changed, his commitment to it has never wavered.

Stephanie Brown – you might recognize her from such “hits” as:

1. Becoming Spoiler to literally rebel against her father (Cluemaster).

Batman wearing that mask can't be good, can it? And what is the Penguin up to? No more clues here, folks. But enjoy the lovely work of Mr. Daniel.

Pandemonium breaks out at the inaugural ceremony of the new Arkham Asylum. Will the combined forces of Oracle, Huntress and Catwoman be enough help for Batman? Plus, the debuts of both the Gotham Shield Committee and Black Mask's Ministry of Death in writer/artist Tony Daniel's second issue. What more do you want? How about some pages? We can accommodate that, sure.

This is it. Doc Savage makes his return to DC Comics, and crashes right into Gotham's protector, The Batman. Noir mastermind Brian Azzarello teams with artist Phil Noto to present a gritty and shadowy version of the DCU, where thugs are at every corner, corruption runs deep and even the heroes reside in a gray area of morality.