Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance # 1 2011 NM-

Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance #1, released by DC Comics on June 1, 2011, is widely considered one of the greatest tie-in stories in DC history. 

Written by the award-winning duo Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, this issue serves as a dark character study that officially establishes the tragic, twisted status quo of the Flashpoint universe's Gotham City. 

Issue #1 Plot Breakdown: A World Upended

• The Ultimate Role Reversal: In this alternate reality, the infamous Crime Alley mugging ends with the young Bruce Wayne being murdered. His parents survive, but the bottomless grief drives them down two drastically different paths of madness: his father, Thomas Wayne, becomes Batman, while his mother, Martha Wayne, becomes the Joker.
• A Privatized Gotham: Unlike Bruce, Thomas Wayne does not use tech or a sprawling cave; his base is sparse, and he finances his war on crime by running Wayne Casinos. He uses his vast wealth to completely privatize the Gotham City Police Department, hiring them as a personal security force to enforce order. 
• The Ultimate Sleazebag Penguin: Oswald Cobblepot does not run the Iceberg Lounge as an independent crime lord here. Instead, he acts as Thomas Wayne’s personal right-hand man and casino manager, looking after the day-to-day books while Batman hunts criminals. 
• The Kidnapping of the Dent Children: The main plot kicks off when the Joker escapes Arkham Asylum and kidnaps the twin children of Gotham's District Attorney, Harvey Dent. Batman promises an emotionally shattered Judge Dent that he will find them, teaming up with Commissioner Jim Gordon to hunt for clues. 
• A Brutal Execution: Thomas Wayne's Batman plays by incredibly lethal rules. When his investigation takes him deep into the Gotham sewers, he crosses paths with Killer Croc. Rather than locking him up, Batman engages in a vicious duel and brutally executes Croc by impaling him in the head with a machete. The issue ends on a chilling cliffhanger as the Joker prepares her twisted game for Batman.