Who Watches Batman?

Greetings, my name is Jordan. Last time, we talked about Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps, from "Rebirth". This time: Batman: The Button Part One. Issue number 21 of Batman in "Rebirth", it is the first of a four part crossover with Flash, following issues 21-22 of each.

To start off, a brief synopsis of the issue. The first few panels are in Arkham Asylum, as the inmates watch a hockey match. In the background of a panel is a poster: 

The smiley face is the same as the Watchmen's button, except without blood on it. This is obvious foreshadowing for the rest of the crossover run, especially with a title like The Button. The audience also learns that the female is in some way related to a Legion, most likely being from the Legion of Superheroes, as was Pandora in DC Rebirth Volume One, who was killed by Dr. Manhattan. 

The hockey match goes on as the Legion member begins crying about two players killing each other, which we then witness on the screen in Arkham. This sets up a parallel for how the issue plays out. 

Batman is shown flipping the button around, watching the hockey match on his Batcave screen. He calls upon Flash once he notices something strange with the button and a mask, also in the cave. Apparently, the Speed Force, which is what gives Flash, Kid Flash, and other speedsters their speed, has something to do with the odd happenings, and Watchmen happenings. Flash gives Batman a minute, so a timer is placed in the bottom right of each panel until the time expires. During the majority of the comic, the panels are arranged 3 x 3, similar to Watchmen. 

Reverse Flash attacks Batman, and nearly kills him by the end of the minute, but then is sucked into the Speed Force after picking up the button, and is returned dead. The death of Reverse Flash is drawn with bright blues, like an explosion of sorts, similar to Dr. Manhattan's power. However, Reverse Flash burns up, instead of exploding. This entire time, the button symbol is all around, on all but one screen in the cave. 

Flash arrives after Reverse Flash is dead, and Batman is nearly dead. He stopped by the hockey game, to try and save the player being assaulted, but was too late. This completes the parallel from the beginning of the issue: Batman was the beaten player, and Reverse Flash was the one killing him. Flash was too late to help either. 

I must say, I am very excited to see how the rest of this crossover event goes. Hopefully, the Legion of Superheroes will play some part in this Watchmen plot. I find it interesting that we have not seen any Watchmen yet, only seen the text bubbles, and the deaths of some characters at their hands. It would not surprise me to find that we do not get an introduction to them in this crossover, but later on in the "Rebirth" run. 

This has been a synopsis with some analysis of Batman: The Button Part One. Tune in next time for The Flash: The Button Part Two. Thank you very much for reading.