BatmanÕs strangest case begins as the new creative team of writer Peter J. Tomasi and artist Doug Mahnke take over DETECTIVE COMICS! Commissioner Gordon calls in the Dark Knight Detective when thereÕs a murder at the Gotham City AquariumÑstaged to look exactly like Thomas and Martha WayneÕs crime scene, right down to the Playbill and pearls. How does this bizarre homicide tie into the shadowy monster that attacks Dr. Leslie Thompkins? This creature looks to wage a war on BatmanÑand itÕs using Joker Gas to do it!

Alfred PennyworthÉattacked at the Wayne mansion! WhoÕs hunting those closest to Batman? The monstrous shadow creature plaguing Gotham City gains the upper hand when two of the Dark KnightÕs most ardent allies fall prey to the violent vendetta. Will those tragedies send Batman over the edge? Good thing heÕs on his way to Arkham AsylumÑbut will he investigate a murder, or get incarcerated in a padded cell?

Batman is hot on the trail of a murder suspect, but first heÕll have to get past Two-Face. Even though Harvey Dent seems to be asserting control, how long before he becomes a sociopathic criminal once again? More importantly, what is DentÕs connection to the victim, and what does it all have to do with the terrorist organization of slithering serpents called Kobra?! Whatever it is, itÕs big enough to reunite Jim Gordon and former district attorney Harvey Dent, and that meeting alone is worth the cover price. BatmanÕs newest partnerÉTwo-Face? As Harvey DentÕs persona asserts fragile control over the villainÕs psyche, the Dark Knight, Commissioner Gordon and their ally-turned-enemy-turned-ally must work together to stop KobraÕs terrorist attack against Gotham City.

Damian Wayne has made his move against a familiar threat from Bruce Wayne’s past-so why has the former Boy Wonder targeted none other than Tommy Elliot-a.k.a. Hush? It may have something to do with the Black Casebook that Bruce liberated from The Joker’s territory in the monumental Detective Comics #1027...but how far will Damian go to avenge this grudge from his father’s past?

It’s the landmark, oversize issue Detective Comics #1050, and some of the biggest names in comics are here to celebrate the Dark Knight! First up in “The Tower” part four, the villainous force keeping Arkham Tower’s patients sedated is at last revealed-and this villain’s return is guaranteed to catch you by surprise! It’s the dramatic conclusion to act one of Mariko Tamaki’s Arkham Tower epic, brought to life by the legendary Ivan Reis! Then, in “House of Gotham” part four, Matthew Rosenberg and Fernando Blanco take us into the seedy underbelly of Gotham’s criminal elite through the lens of the original Robin (Dick Grayson), and reveal what it takes for a young man to survive amongst the deadliest killers in the DCU. It’s a tour de force of Gotham’s vilest villains! Last but not least, making his grand return to the DCU, writer Mark Waid teams with Detective Comics uber-artist Dan Mora to bring you the start of a brand-new day for Batman…and Superman? It’s the world’s finest collaboration that you’ll need to read to believe!

This latest Rebirth Deluxe Edition features two of the most critically acclaimed arcs in the Dark Knight's history in hardcover for the first time in Batman: Detective Comics: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 2. Batman's newest allies both have histories they'd rather forget, but when figures from their respective secret origins appear in Gotham, will Cassandra Cain and Azrael be able to keep their pasts from destroying their present lives? When the League of Shadows--led by Cassandra's mother, the deadly Lady Shiva--comes to take down the team and bring Cassandra home, Orphan must weigh the life that was planned for her against the new path she's forging for herself. But what place can society ever have for someone with her violent pedigree? Then, Azrael's former masters, the Order of St. Dumas, send the perfect assassin--an artificial intelligence named Ascalon--to hunt their ex-disciple and all who stand with him. Batman and Zatanna need the power of a mystical artifact called the God Machine to turn the tide, but will the Machine's promise of absolute power corrupt even the World's Greatest Detective? Collecting issues #950-962 in hardcover for the first time, Batman: Detective Comics: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 2 features Batman's new recruits in a trial by fire from an all-star team led by writer James Tynion IV (Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dark Days: The Forge) and artists Alvaro Martinez (Batman Eternal) and Marcio Takara (Nightwing)!

The truth behind the gauntlet Batman has been forced to runÑa violent odyssey that endangered the lives of everyone who made him who he isÑis revealed at last...and the mastermind working to unmake the Batman must be seen to be believed! Is there a goal here beyond destruction? Will Batman emerge stronger...or with a mortal wound at the exact moment that his most dangerous challenge yet is on the horizon in next monthÕs DETECTIVE COMICS #1000?