Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes! #1, released by DC Comics on December 21, 2011 (with a cover date of February 2012), is a giant-sized, 80-page one-shot.
Masterfully written by Grant Morrison and split between artists Cameron Stewart and Chris Burnham, this issue served as the explosive finale to the first volume of Batman Incorporated. It was originally meant to be published as issues #9 and #10 before the DC universe underwent its New 52 reboot, making this issue the bridge that directly sets up the second volume of the global war on crime.
This response includes a look at the original publication artwork:
Plot Breakdown: The Two-Part Siege
- Chapter 1: "The School of Night" (Art by Cameron Stewart): The first half plays out like a spy thriller focusing on Stephanie Brown (Batgirl). She goes undercover at Saint Hadrian’s Finishing School—a bizarre, sinister boarding school for girls. She discovers the academy is actually a front for training elite Leviathan assassins, complete with mind-control technology.
- Chapter 2: "The Leviathan Labyrinth" (Art by Chris Burnham): The perspective shifts to Batman (Bruce Wayne), Robin (Damian Wayne), Nightwing, and Red Robin. They infiltrate a massive, labyrinthine oil tanker out at sea to confront Doctor Dedalus. Dedalus has rigged a web of global nuclear bombs set to trigger, while pumping a psychedelic "Alzheimer's gas" into the ship that forces Batman to fight a battle he keeps forgetting.
- The Shocking Mastermind Reveal: During the chaotic battle, Damian Wayne is forced to make a lethal choice, executing Doctor Dedalus to save Batman. After Batman deactivates the global threat, he discovers the body of his former lover, Jezebel Jet. The issue culminates in a massive, earth-shattering cliffhanger: Talia al Ghul steps out of the shadows as the true, undisputed mastermind behind Leviathan. Fueled by spite and ideology, she formally rejects Bruce and declares a total, scorched-earth war on Batman Incorporated.