Detective Comics Issue 654

God of War
While Batman continues his relentless war against gang violence in the streets of Gotham City, psychotic military cadet Ulysses H. Armstrong observes him from afar to begin his own war so that he can gain control of Gotham City. Armstrong at first is convinced that Batman was merely an urban legend, but soon realized his existence was very much real. Sometimes, he has allies, bit much of the time, Batman fights alone. He is always outnumbered, unarmed, and victorious. Armstrong, of an expert tactical mind, views Batman as the ultimate opponent. Cemented in the belief that a man may be judged by the strength of his enemies, Ulysses becomes convinced that Batman is a fearsome enemy by any measure, but is also convinced he can destroy him. Armstrong's final goal is to rule crime in Gotham City, organize and unite the local gangs into a disciplined military force to combat any opposition, and let chaos rule in the streets.

Armstrong reflects on his forgotten past as a young cadet at Valley Pines Military Academy, far away from Gotham City. He was often bullied due to his small size, but many underestimated or overlooked his keen mind. His father and mother cared little for him, sending him to boarding school away from them because he is often viewed as an inconvenience. Studious and reserved, Armstrong finds his only asylum in the academy's massive library, filled with books on military history. Here, he studies the exploits of ancient, medieval, and modern battles and warfare, including the tactics of Charlemagne, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon Bonaparte.

Finally consumed by boredom, frustration, and lack of acceptance at the academy, Armstrong fakes his death and overs his escape by packing his only belongings into a burlap sack and pouring a can of gasoline into the library at night before setting it on fire. Numerous cadets and staff, including the bullies who had tormented him so much, perish in the blaze. Having already decided to run away to Gotham City, Armstrong sneaks on board an open freight car on a train and gets out in Gotham City's shipyards after dark. Here, he enters a warehouse occupied by the Bengal Street Raiders, a group of drunken crooks who invest most of their time in pilfering liquor from ships in the Gotham Bay. They terrorize any who enter a two-block turf they claim for their own simply because it is too low for even the other gangs or the homeless to inhabit it. The Bengal Raiders originally intend to kill Armstrong with their knives, but he stops them with how much information he knows of them. The former cadet observes that they are the weakest of all Gotham street gangs, paying tribute to the Eight Avenue Oh Gees and the Bad Boy Runners, two other Gotham City street gangs.

Ulysses makes the Bengal Raiders an offer: They kill him, they lose the opportunity of their lives. They spare him, and he will arrange a raid on the National Guard Armory #23, located in Gotham City. Later that night, Armstrong and the Bengal Street Raiders go into their first 'battle'. Armstrong uses a classical strategy, a variation of the Trojan Horse tactic used by the ancient Greeks thousands of years earlier: The gang crash a car directly into the street in front of the armory, prompting two guards to come and investigate. One guard suggests calling an ambulance, but the other plays into the General's hands and goes to get the injured out of the car. After opening the door, however, the two guards are confronted by the barrels of several Colt. revolvers and automatic pistols before they can reach for their own sidearms. Armstrong waves a gun into the guards' faces, and forces them to lead the Bengal Raiders into the armory. The guards are disarmed, and the gang forces one of them to unlock the weapons hanger for Armstrong.

Prying open the crates of automatic weapons, Armstrong tries to order the gang leader, Chango, to carry out his orders, but the man stubbornly refuses. Drawing a machine pistol from a nearby locker, Armstrong asks if the Bengal Raiders have prospered under his leadership. He then says it is time that Chango resigned for the good of his men. Armstrong fires six shots through Chango, killing him instantly, before assuming complete leadership of the Raiders. While one gang member watches the street, the others load the crates of National Guard weapons into an armored truck. As the police arrive on the scene to investigate, Armstrong shoots the remaining National Guardsmen in the armory before escaping in the armored truck out a back entrance. He tells himself he has enjoyed his first taste at combat.

Individuals

 * Batman
 * Alfred Pennyworth
 * The General
 * James Gordon
 * Harvey Bullock
 * Renee Montoya
 * Shades
 * Donny T.
 * Black Mask (Cameo on a potrait only)
 * Chango
 * Butchie
 * Officer Jack
 * Young El

Vehicles

 * Batmobile
 * Armored Truck
 * Unmarked Police Car

Locations

 * Valley Pines Military Academy
 * Gotham City
 * Batcave
 * Gotham City National Guard Armory
 * GCPD Headquarters

Items

 * Bat-Signal

Behind the scenes

 * Shades, the gang leader of the "Oh Gees" who submits to the General, reappears in the massive "Bloodlines" crossover event in Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #1.
 * The General references "Detective Comics Issue 623", which was published in Gotham City as a portrayal of Batman as a headhunting demon which possessed an ordinary man to help him fight evil. Armstrong dismissed the comic book as 'children's stuff' which depicted Batman as a 'bogeyman', not a warrior.