Batman: The Imposter is an American comic book published by DC Comics under its Black Label imprint. The three-issue limited series, written by Mattson Tomlin and illustrated and lettered by Andrea Sorrentino, began publication on October 12 and concluded on December 14, 2021. The limited series was released to critical acclaim, with critics praising the mature story, action, and Sorrentino's art.
Plot summary
Leslie Thompkins awakens to find Batman bleeding on the floor, and uncovers his mask, realizing that Bruce Wayne is Batman. She decides to not call the cops on Batman and nurses him back to health. When Bruce wakes up, Leslie forces him to recount on how he had to stop 3 armed robbers in a shop, but was heavily injured. Bruce explains he became Batman to control his rage in order to make Gotham City a better place. Leslie tells Bruce that he can leave her place, but on the condition that every morning at dawn Bruce must meet up with Leslie to talk about his methods.
Meanwhile, a man named Mr. Wesker is not happy about Batman being in Gotham City and wants Detective Wong to arrest him. Detective Wong learns that someone dressed as Batman has been killing innocent people and Gotham City Police Department decides to arrest the Batman killer. Bruce Wayne meets up with Leslie Thompkins and tells her that he isn't the killer, and confronted The Loman Family and Penguin about it, but they also denied hiring someone to be the killer. Bruce Wayne and Detective Wong deduce that the imposter is targeting criminals in the upper class and may have a personal vendetta against the victims. Detective Wong meets up with Bruce Wayne to talk about the Batman.
Detective Wong asks Bruce Wayne if he's selling motorcycles to Batman, but Bruce successfully convinces Detective Wong to leave. As Leslie waits for Batman, she recalls Bruce Wayne being in fights at a young age, and Alfred Pennyworth quitting his job due to Bruce's behavior after Bruce is sent to military school in Russia and disappeared. Batman arrives and tells Leslie he was late because he went to Mr. Wesker's company to get technology to find the imposter. Batman gets in a fight with a couple of guards and escapes after successfully managing to hack Wesker's network and meeting Arnold Wesker who wants Batman to kill his father.
Bruce recounts what happened with Detective Wong to Leslie Thompkins, and realizes that the Batman imposter is targeting criminals. Bruce also realizes that Detective Wong can help him catch the imposter because she has a similar backstory to him, which he can take advantage of. The next day, Bruce and Detective Wong bond and have sex. Bruce dresses up as Batman, and realizes that the majority of the victims were sentenced by the same judge name Alex McCard. Batman confronts Alex McCard, but Alex tells Batman that the victims were free after Batman and Jim Gordon exposed that three criminal families had 5 judges on their payroll, and the imposter is killing the victims to clean up Batman and Gordon's mistake.
Detective Wong asks Mr. Wesker to let her access the surveillance network while Batman tries to find Otis Flannegan, an accomplice of the Batman killer. Batman attacks Detective Wong, Otis and her partner Hatcher and abducts Otis to a secret location and asks Hatcher who the imposter is, but Otis says he doesn't know. Detective Wong and Hatcher gather more guns to take down Batman.