GC52 News: DC Comics Released 10/05/2021

(Spoilers for DC Comics releases 10/05/2021)

(Word in italics signify actions)

If you missed last week’s report, check it out here.

GC52 News begins at the old faithful time even if the program has been a bit different for the last few weeks. Once again, the news report starts in Gotham City. This time, it begins with lead anchor Dan McMahon on a rooftop. From the drone footage, the audience can see he is squatting down on one knee with his body pressed against the edge of the roof. His bulletproof vest is a bit more worn since the last time the news had been on. Rain trickles down over him as he leans into the wall as if it’s all that is keeping him up. Day in and day out, the team has been doing what they could to help in Gotham.

Dan: Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Good Evening to all our wonderful viewers from the docks of Coast City to the furthest reaches of Oa, you are watching the multiverse’s best news show that brings you the news that you need to know! As always, I’m your host, Dan McMahon, doing my part to keep you updated on what is happening up to the minute in Gotham City as the Fear State continues.

I have been up here for a few hours now, waiting, as I got some intel that this is where Saint was going to make his play at regaining control of Peacekeeper-01, Sean Murphy. From the looks of the Air Base coming in… I think it’s coming any minute now. When you sit on stakeouts, you tend to think about the past a lot. There is a lot of quiet moments where you look into yourself.

He pauses for a moment, taking a sip from his water container.

Dan: I’ve been thinking about something I assisted on with a personal friend, Steve Trevor recently. A documentary on Wonder Woman, the woman he loves and will always love. Steve needed my help getting some archival footage from the GC52 backlogs. We sat in the cutting room for hours just talking. Actually, he did most of the talking and I listened. I listened to a man who has always been a soldier. Someone who has to follow orders and numb himself to some of the collateral damage that comes with it. But the way he talks about her, about his hero… 

I couldn’t convince him that the Wonder Woman we have been reporting on was his Diana. But it’s in my head now because Wonder Woman has dealt with so much in her time. She’s had to make choices for truth. Choices that stick with you. Those traumas and burdens, well, they build up… it’s just been on my mind is all. I really do hope she comes back soon. The world is a little bit darker without Wonder Woman in it.

Dan looks away from the camera and over the roof to see the scene below.

Dan: It’s time. It looks like a new Peacekeeper is confronting Sean now… Sean has now lunged for the other Peacekeeper. The Peacekeeper bots have the situation surrounded. This isn’t going…

Something can be heard on the rooftop near Dan as the drone pulls back to get a glimpse of Batman before he leaps from the roof down into the freshly forming battle. Dan smiles as he grabs a grappling hook from his belt to follow behind to report on the action from as close as he can. The drone zooms behind him as the sides face off. Batman fighting the drones and the Peacekeepers fighting amongst themselves.

Dan: It seems as if Sean has fled the battle but I am in pursuit.

The drone follows Dan for a moment before a bright green beam blasts through the building and straight through the camera’s lens as the feed goes dead. There’s a moment of nothing before the feed comes back, this time on screen is Ethan, transmitting from the remote Batcave the GC52 team has been using during the Fear State. He lets out a quiet swear, types a command into the computer in front of him before turning to camera.

Ethan: I’m sure Dan’s going to be fine folks, there’s another camera drone heading to his location as we speak. While we’re waiting I wanted to fill you in on some digging I’ve been doing into some Arkham patients who vanished after A-Day. It looks like a Doctor who worked there has been helping the GCPD track down these escapees. I don’t have much information on this Doctor, only her name, Jocasta Joy.

Not long before the Fear State started it seems the GCPD brought Ratcatcher to Blackgate. My sources confirm this was one of Joy’s patients. I’m going to try and contact the detective working the case to get some more info about what is being done to both help these patients and protect the people of Gotham, but communication may be a bit difficult right now.

Oh looks like the drone has reached Dan’s location… He’s fine, let me switch the camera feeds.

The new drone hovers above Dan as he is covered in the residue of the block-wide self-destruction of Peacekeeper-X.

Dan: Things have taken a turn for the worst… both Peacekeepers have been killed when Peacekeeper-01 got the upper hand and X was killed. Maybe the explosion was to keep the technology from falling into the wrong or right hands. Batman and I got away from the scene but Scarecrow’s puppet is no more. I think I saw Batman leaving with Miracle Molly. I have to go but I hope I see you next week viewers. Be strong in all your convictions.

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Books covered this week:

• Batman #114 by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles.
• Wonder Woman: In Memorium by Michael W. Conrad, Becky Cloonan, Jim Cheung, Marcelo Maiolo, and Pat Brosseau.
• Arkham City: The Order of the World #1 by Dan Watters, Dani, and Aditya Bidikar.