Overview: In Batman ‘89: Echoes #3, Harleen Quinzell reveals the identity of Firefly to the public, and Bruce Wayne succumbs to Scarecrow’s fear toxin.
Batman ’89: Echoes #3 main cover by Joe Quinones
Title: Batman ‘89: Echoes #3
Writer: Sam Hamm
Artist: Joe Quinones
Colors: Leonardo Ito
Letters: Carlos M. Mangual
Main Cover: Joe Quinones
Variant Covers: W Scott Forbes & Paolo Rivera
Release Date: July 10, 2025
Please Note: This comic book review may contain spoilers
Batman ‘89: Echoes #3 opens at Arkham Asylum, where one of Dr. Strange’s “Monster Men” is recounting a tale from the war when he killed the enemies, then turned on his fellow soldiers in battle. He wound up at Arkham, taking a drug to subdue his memories and guilt. Dr. Jonathan Crane listens to the man’s story and notes that he would benefit from “persona therapy,” a new program that Crane is initiating.
Elsewhere in Arkham, the cameras are strangely taped off. Before security can investigate, a mysterious hand delivers beer and pizza. It’s likely belonging to one Dr. Harleen Quinzell, who has come to check security footage from a very specific date. Meanwhile, Bruce is escorted to the roof of Arkham by Rahim, one of his helpers inside, to meet with a visitor.
Drake Winston (Robin from the last Batman ‘89 miniseries) greets Bruce. Everything is going according to plan, and the charges are set where Bruce wanted them. Drake asks what he’s an accessory too, and finally, Bruce reveals what’s going on.
Bored and isolated from retiring as Batman (see the first Batman ‘89 series), Bruce was investigating the Firefly attacks in Central City. He realized that this Firefly had a mutual connection to one recently deceased Dr. Hugo Strange. Bruce found Firefly’s cabin, suited up as Batman, and went in to have a conversation.
Finally, in this third issue of Batman ‘89: Echoes, we get to see Bruce Wayne once more donning the cape and cowl. It’s a brief moment, but there’s something beautiful about seeing Joe Quinones draw the ‘89 Batsuit. It’s also paired with exposition of what inspired Bruce to set up this false identity and ruse in the first place, though over the course of the last two issues, readers have presumed what is explicitly stated here. At this point, we still don’t know who or what Hugo Strange means to 1989’s Bruce Wayne, and what we do get is a flashback that would have been a little more interesting at the start of Batman ‘89: Echoes #1. This late in the game, it isn’t salvaging this exposition-heavy story.
After Batman confronts Firefly, the villain, overwhelmed with fear, takes his own life. In searching Firefly’s cabin, he realizes that Robert Lowery, the name of Firefly, has been writing with Hugo Strange up until Strange’s death. It’s revealed that Strange had a “pupil” who was experimenting on inmates, which is why Lowery likely is suffering from such intense fear.
Drake hands Bruce a communicator, and Rahim comes back to escort “Mr. Lowery” back to his cell. Bruce runs into the inmate seen at the start of the issue, one who goes by “Edward Nigma.” Nigma gives Bruce a puzzle to solve, revealing that there were more “Monster Men” before, most of whom had been whittled down. The biggest and baddest of the bunch, a man by the name of Desmond (Blockbuster) is currently drugged up.
At GCPD, Captain Barbara Gordon enters the station to be greeted with a photo acquired by the media of the elusive Robert Lowery, the Firefly. It’s clearly a Bruce Wayne look-alike, which prompts Gordon to contact Alfred Pennyworth and let him know that their deal (which is to leave Bruce along so long as he retires from being Batman) is over. Before Gordon can head to Wayne Manor and act on her plan, she’s stopped by the FBI.
Undercover Bruce Wayne and Drake Winston (Robin) meet
At ACN, Harleen Quinzell’s producer, Chuck Lantz, promises that her show will be back on the air soon, but they have to hide the fact that she leaked the photo of Robert Lowery to the public. At Arkham Asylum, Dr. Crane confronts Bruce, telling him that his fear tests reveal that he’s overcome his phobia of bats. He’s suspicious, but Bruce tells Crane that he’s been practicing meditation.
Crane’s questioning goes deeper, noting that Bruce showed a fear to young mothers getting gunned down, which triggers a memory of Jack Napier murdering the Waynes. Crane then puts on a gas mask and blasts Bruce with fear toxin. Quinones gets to stretch his muscles here, showing a trippy blend of nightmarish visions and real-time questioning from Crane.
Scarecrow demands to know who sent Bruce, asking if it was the FBI or the CIA. Bruce, succumbing to the fear, admits that no one sent him, that Strange worked for him. He then tells Scarecrow that he’s Batman, though Crane is hard-pressed to believe it.
If this review has read like one long exposition, it’s because that’s what this series continues to be. We get a little momentum at the end of Batman ‘89: Echoes #3, as well as a cliffhanger teasing a showdown between Scarecrow and Bruce Wayne, but it’s too little to muster any sort of thrill or excitement.
The reality is, there are so many moving parts and characters to Batman ‘89: Echoes, that reading it can feel like a slog, making one feel like a casual viewer popping into this alternate Gotham City but never staying long enough to fully digest a story. It doesn’t help that this series releases issues every three months.
Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with an advance copy of this comic for review purposes. You can find this comic and help support TBU in the process by purchasing this issue digitally on Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.
