Knightfall Recall: Detective Comics #661

 Detective Comics #661: "City On Fire"

Written by Chuck Dixon, Penciled by Graham Nolan, Inked by Scott Hanna, Colored by Adrienne Roy, Lettered by John Costanza

Art by Kelley Jones

Gotham City continues to go to hell in a handbasket. The Joker and Scarecrow hold the mayor captive at his mansion, terrifying him and forcing him to make phone calls to the governor, media, and even the fire chief. He demands the governor call back the National Guard leaving the city defenseless. He calls the newspapers to blame Commissioner Gordon for the slow reaction to the Arkham Breakout. And then Mayor Krol calls the GCFD chief to slash the pay of firefighters resulting in a strike which is inconvenient considering one of the Arkham escapees is Firefly.

Firefly (Garfield Lynns) is attacking a pier complete with flaming roller coaster, Gotham's take on Coney Island. Batman and Robin arrive on the scene and argue about Batman wanting to go it alone against Firefly. Batman fails in capturing the pyromaniac and ultimately admits his weakness to Robin and turns over the case to him.

Meanwhile, The Ventriloquist continues to hold his lawyer hostage in his own home. The lawyer suggests looking at the Gotham Police Department's evidence room to find Scarface. Robin researches Firefly's history. Lynns was raised in an orphanage. He would be promised the world by potential adoptive parents only for them to be repulsed by Garfield's pyromania. Robin visits the orphanage and encounters a blind nun who fills in the gaps there are and sets him on the trail of Firefly's sister. 

Then we hit some problematic material especially since the creative team of Dixon and Nolan have worked with alt-right bigots within the recent past. (It's gross and I'll let you follow the breadcrumbs if you wish.) A stand in for noted bigot, racist, and all around blowhard Rush Limbaugh, "Link Rambeau" hosts a psychiatrist who plays the stereotype of a hippy dippy limp wristed scientist blaming society for the Arkham escapees' actions. Rambeau winks at the camera as the psychiatrist drones on.

The Riddler is in the process of mailing an anonymous letter to the GCPD but no one will bother to read it as the city dips deeper into the chaos. Montoya visits Firefly's sister after a helpful anonymous tip and realizes that Lynns is targeting the places he was promised to visit all those years ago. Batman takes down another escapee, The Cavalier, and then stumbles upon Firefly targeting a theater.

Next Time: Batman #495