Batman: False Faces #[nn]

In "Close Before Striking Chapter One," Batman operates under the alias Matches Malone to dismantle the Ventriloquist's gun-running network, but when a hit is placed on Malone himself, the Batcave becomes a tense refuge. Oracle's unexpected call—shocked to find Batman there after Malone was just shot in a Gotham bar—sets the stage for a high-stakes game of deception and identity. Written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Scott McDaniel, with inks by Karl Story, colors by Roberta Tewes, and letters by John Costanza, the issue’s cover by Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens captures the shadowed intensity of a Gotham where no face is truly what it seems.