Last month’s issue of Batman — now in the final arc of Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jiménez’s run — ended with a pretty solid double cliffhanger. Gotham Mayor Nakano was fatally shot by a mysterious assassin while Bruce learned he may have a long-lost brother (yes, another one). In this week’s Batman #154, the mystery deepens as someone gives credence to the possibility of a secret Wayne sibling and the identity of Nakano’s killer is seemingly revealed. .

Spoilers for Batman #154

The problem picks up the day after the murder. Harvey Bullock is investigating when Batman and Jim Gordon arrive to conduct their own assessments. Nakano’s assistant suggests some potential suspects. Unsurprisingly, the apparently reformed Edward Nygma tops the list, as does Commissioner Vandal Savage. Then there’s the mysterious (and ominously named) Leonid Kull. Batman interrupts a dinner between Nygma and Kull and confirms a suspicion: the latter is the new leader of the Court of Owls, which Kull doesn’t exactly deny.

Later, Bruce has a meeting regarding the claims of his apparent brother, here named William Pureford. Zdarsky’s storyline highlights the fact that this is a storyline we’ve seen before, with Bruce joking, “My ‘long lost brother.’ People have already claimed to be Wayne’s secret heirs. » Indeed, Lincoln March in the original storyline for 2012’s The Court of Owls pretending to be Thomas Wayne Jr., something that was never quite resolved. This line from Bruce seems to suggest that he considers March an imposter, although it should be noted that The Court of Owls was part of the New 52 continuity and its ties to the current era of DC are… flexible.

Regardless, Pureford has some serious legal backing and it turns out that his mother Tara, a nurse at Gotham General, did I know Bruce’s father, according to Dr. Leslie Thompkins. It seems that Thomas and Martha Wayne went through a difficult time a few years ago and “something brief” happened between Bruce’s surgeon father and the nurse. Thomas eventually told Martha about his indiscretion and the couple got over it. Thompkins, a good friend of the Waynes, knew all of this but still believes Pureford’s claims are false because there is no chance the Waynes would have abandoned a child. Still, Bruce can’t shake the possibility that he actually has a lost sibling.

Later, Batman and Gordon reunite again. This is an issue primarily built around their relationship and showing how the World’s Greatest Detective and the Grizzled Detective work together. This only makes the final pages of the issue a little more shocking… As they re-investigate the scene of Nakano’s murder, Gordon surprises Batman and pulls a gun on him, muttering “I was defending myself.” Batman responds furiously by punching him in the face and disarming him. “I didn’t mean to… You have to believe me…” Gordon sobs and the two collapse to the ground. And that’s your cliffhanger…

It’s strange, and at first you don’t know exactly what’s going on. The obvious implication is that Gordon murdered Nakano (in self-defense, assuming he’s telling the truth). Yet both act a little out of character in these last two pages and everything happens so suddenly that you wonder if there’s anything else going on here. It’s certainly enough to keep us eagerly waiting to find out the truth next month, as it builds into a gripping final act for Zdarsky and Jiménez’s run.