As “Gotham Nocturne” has hurried toward its conclusion, it has trimmed down. Even in the mouthful of Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 4: Gotham Nocturne: Intermezzo: Batman, Outlaw, an intermission of sorts where ostensibly the background backups enter the foreground, the cast of side characters has been significantly trimmed. With just one volume left — and, strangely, an entirely separate villain on the way — it’ll be interesting to see what writer Ram V ties together and what’s ultimately left unresolved.

Notably, what appears to have disappeared here since Gotham Nocturne Act I is the separate realm of Simon Spurrier’s backups; Dan Watters' backups have their own issues narratively, but at least they’re running parallel to the story Ram V is telling. I wouldn’t read too much in just yet — it could be that Sorrow and Earworm and Dr. Annabel Mead, even Two-Face play major parts in the conclusion, but if not, that may mark a big curiosity in how “Gotham Nocturne” unfolded.