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Outsiders Vol 5 3

"Dreaming of Bats": A series of numbers supposedly come to Drummer while she is on a drug trip. The Carrier identifies them as the multiversal co-ordinates of a "narrative singularity" and is able to open a portal to it. Batwoman and Batwing go through the portal to see what is on the other side

Outsiders (Volume 5) #3 is an issue of the series Outsiders (Volume 5) with a cover date of March, 2024. It was published on January 9, 2024.

Synopsis for "Dreaming of Bats"

A series of numbers supposedly come to Drummer while she is on a drug trip. The Carrier identifies them as the multiversal co-ordinates of a "narrative singularity" and is able to open a portal to it. Batwoman and Batwing go through the portal to see what is on the other side, despite Kate pointing out it is a bad idea. They emerge in what appears to be Wayne Manor, in front of a portrait of the Waynes; but Batwing notices a set of infinite staircases nearby and they realise that they are in some version of Batman's mindscape. The portal disappears and Batwing says that the answer to what is going on must be in the numbers that Drummer dreamed up, which are all somehow derived from 9 and 21, corresponding to September 21, the day Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered. Kate says they cannot engage with anything or get separated, but suddenly they hear Bruce's voice and are swarmed by a flock of bats. When the bats pass by, they each see that the other has disappeared.

Luke finds himself in a maze of hallways, staircases and rooms with different versions of Batman. At first it appears that none of the Batmen can see him, but then a heavily armoured man carrying an axe walks by and "shushes" him. A Batman appears behind Luke and tells him that he doesn't belong there. Meanwhile, Batwoman walks down a hallway lined with portraits of different versions of the Wayne Family which gradually shift into pictures of the Kanes. She reaches a door and goes through it to find a room full of alternate versions of herself. The other Batwomen tell Kate that she is in "Dimension Batman", a pocket reality created in the multiversal collective unconsciousness by the dreams of every Batman across every alternate reality. They tell her that eventually every Kate Kane ends up visiting Dimension Batman in her dreams, because like Batman they also draw strength from their personal pain. They ask her how she got there and she tells them she and Luke Fox went through a portal. The other Batwomen tell her that she can't just break in, she has to come naturally when she's ready; and Luke Fox can never be in Dimension Batman.

At a representation of the Batcave, the assorted Batmen debate what to do with Luke, saying that his presence threatens their shared dream. Suddenly the man with the axe, a being from the Dark Multiverse known as the Final Knight, leaps down and attacks them. He gruesomely murders multiple Batmen, screaming that Batman will inevitably become a monster. During the fight his helmet is knocked off, revealing that he is Duke Thomas. Luke tries to get him to stop, but Duke says Batman has to die, as he infects and chokes out every other story until no others can be told.

Kate leaps in and punches him out, and the Batmen and Batwomen square off against the Final Knight. One of them gives Luke and Kate his grappling hook and tells them to rappel up to the roof of the cave, where they will pass through the "Bleed Barrier" and return to their own reality. As they rise up, Duke swears he will destroy Dimension Batman and end Batman forever.

Luke and Kate emerge back in the Carrier and he tells Drummer to delete the co-ordinates, saying that they don't belong there. That night, Drummer records the events of Luke and Kate's adventure in the Planetary Guide. She writes that she hopes that after this experience Luke will help her stop a "narrative virus", but also that Kate is too far gone and has "already begun to dream of bats". Meanwhile Kate sleeps fitfully, her dreams drawing her closer back to Dimension Batman.

Appearing in "Dreaming of Bats"

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Notes

  • This story introduces a collective place for the Batmen of the Multiverse– within the Collective Unconscious. According to the alternate Batwomen, it hosts the "idea" of Batman.
    • The Carrier describes it as a "narrative singularity".
  • The Final Knight implies that, after journeying through the Dark Multiverse,[1] he found his way into the positive Multiverse, where he is trying to eradicate every Batman by attacking them in their collective place.

Trivia

See Also

Links and References

  1. ↑ From the epilogue of Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Dark Nights Metal #1

Superboy Vol 4 69
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