voicemail recording:Hello, Bruce? It’s Ollie. Say, I just got my hands on this month’s Sword in Stone… You’re not going to be pleased. That Parker kid they have writing for them, either he’s a lot sharper than I gave him credit for, or this was just a bad coincidence. I’ve talked to Col. Jameson, and he assured me that these were two different assignments, not any kind of cohesive story. Still…
SHADOW – CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE.
In stark contrast to the omnipresent glow Bruce Wayne casts upon the entire EXCAL organization, there is a lesser known and talked about figure, typically shielded by shadow, whose actions have more directly propelled EXCAL’s special missions teams to become the most feared combatants in the world. That shadowy figure, the man actually responsible for the term “Shadow Knight” becoming an actual designation within EXCAL’s Paladin Knight Program, is none other than the Bat Man. Bat Man (or Batman, as some have written) was thought to be something of a myth or legend, in his days (nights, really) of fighting crime on the dingy streets of the Gotham that is New York City. But his presence, and his success were all too real. Earning the moniker of The Dark Knight, Bat Man’s vigilante dealings were viewed with a blind eye by the city, and for the first time in decades, New York began to reclaim itself from the criminal underworld which had been running rampant and unchecked for far too long.
After several years of fighting – and winning – this battle for the city streets, and with his apparent mission nearly complete, Bat Man seemed destined to go the way of all such myths and legends, and become a distant memory. Then all hell broke loose. War, actually, but then war is hell, is it not? It was a global war to be precise. First, the free world suffered defeat in the Cobra Wars, then shortly thereafter the unified terror network now known as MEDUSA was born. With the revelations that this war was being brought to the world by something barely more than a union of criminals, the justice-seeking Dark Knight viewed there to be little choice but to join the fight for world freedom. Bat Man essentially founded EXCAL’s Paladin Knight Program, along with a fellow vigilante then known as the Green Arrow. These two men became the first ever to be “knighted” under EXCAL’s international treaties, which entitle any Paladin Knight license to operate legally, and in full capacity, across the globe. In appreciation of being so knighted, the Green Arrow dedicated his life’s mission to the program, and during the ceremony revealed his true identity as Oliver Queen to the world. Today, Queen is the director of the PKP, but Bat Man remains its star. Given the enemies created by Bat Man during his “Gotham” days, Bat Man had no choice but to maintain the secrecy of his identity, a choice that has only added to his mystique, and also quickly garnered the Shadow Knight designation. Since Bat Man’s choice was made, several other Paladin Knights have similarly chosen the masked, shadow knight designation, though most now operate in the open, given that very few have Bat Man’s jaded history, which would require such continued prudence.
Bat Man continues to take his fight to the worst the world has to offer. He typically continues to operate alone, though he has been assigned various helpers, who may or may not rise to the ranks of Paladin Knight. Bat Man has personally selected and trained many of the Knights now operating within the program, so his influence is strong in both direct and indirect manners. The PKP has been formed in many ways around Bat Man’s ideals, and around his quest for justice. Queen’s presence as an investor, as well as director of the Knights might be greater on paper, but it is the Bat Man who truly leads this band of freedom-fighting brothers. However, there is no doubt that together Bat Man and Oliver Queen have combined to shape a league of justice the likes of which the world has never known.
Full pics below
