DC vs Vampires – 3

Synopsis

The Justice League finds The Flash‘s mangled corpse on the beach. As they mourn, Wonder Woman vows to find whoever killed him, while Batman refuses to share his theories. The Green Lantern Hal Jordan orders Wonder Woman, Plastic Man, and Superman to find Barry’s rogues, Aquaman to search the nearby ocean for clues, and Martian Manhunter to coordinate with the authorities. Before Hal can give him orders, Batman declares he knows what to do, and stays behind on the beach with Jayna.

In Gotham City, the Ratcatcher struggles with a man until Batgirl intervenes, thinking Ratcatcher is assaulting someone. However, the man reveals himself to be a vampire and attacks. The vampire says that although the vampires have been ordered not to touch the Batman Family, he will simply lie that he acted in self-defense. Before the vampire can kill Batgirl, Nightwing stakes and destroys him. The two briefly flirt before the Ratcatcher interrupts them to reveal that a gang of vampires is hunting criminals all over Gotham.

Batman encounters a crying Jayna while investigating the sewers underneath the Hall of Justice. Jayna deduces that Batman is searching for her brother Zan, who disappeared when Andrew Bennett came to the Hall of Justice looking for help. Batman reveals that he found traces of Zan and Andrew’s DNA in the hall infirmary, and that whoever killed them tried to clean up, but was sloppy.

Back in Gotham, the Penguin runs from a group of vampires before tripping and falling. He runs into Zatanna, whom he begs for help. The vampires stop when they see Zatanna and explain they think Lex Luthor may have spoken to the Penguin, which he angrily denies. Zatanna remarks that it is sad for the Penguin to think that the vampires want to turn him into one of “us”, and reveals her fangs to his horror.

At the beach, Wonder Woman looks to the horizon. Hal arrives and asks if she is okay, which Diana finds strange since Barry just died. She notes that Hal quickly became used to referring to Barry in the past tense, which she finds odd since they were best friends. Hal attempts to change the subject by revealing his feelings for Diana, but Diana realizes Hal was the one who killed Barry and whips out her Lasso of Truth. Hal reveals he is now a vampire and killed Barry reluctantly, having wanted him to join their crusade. As Diana begins to cry – realizing she has lost not one, but two friends – Hal uses hypnosis to convince Diana to join him. She draws closer, and he sinks his teeth into her neck.

Black Canary and Robin simultaneously discover the Penguin’s corpse in a Gotham alley. The two, suspicious of each other, engage in a one-on-one, hand-to-hand battle, which ends when Dinah extracts a sample of Damian’s blood. Dinah runs off to test if Damian is still human and says she will find him if he is. She also warns him not to follow her.

Batman dives into the Hall of Justice sewers, where Jayna says she senses Zan strongest. The only part of Zan that Batman is able to find is a piece of his finger, confirming once and for all he is dead. Jayna breaks down before her sadness turns to anger, demanding to know who is responsible. Batman notes that the blade that killed Zan left no bone fragments and determines it was not made of metal; it was made of light.

Dinah arrives at the hideout she has set up with Arsenal and Green Arrow, carrying a bundle of blood samples. Dinah tells Oliver that she encountered Damian and is unsure if he is a vampire. Oliver remarks that Batman is so smart that it’s impossible to trust any members of his Family regardless of what they find.

At the Hall of Justice, the Justice League gathers for a meeting. Diana tells the rest of the League that Batman was not invited to the meeting before lying that she and Hal found evidence that he killed Barry.