#hardback bock

Tim teams up with the police to track down the Ventriloquist (did you guess who it was?).  He maintains a really good relationship with them, which works to his advantage over time.  He's building a strong relationship with Shotgun Smith, and he continues to be amiable with the Gotham cops.

I love the last scene, though!  The Ventriloquist is running, and Hardback Bock pulls out his gun.  Tim is worried that he's about to kill the Ventriloquist, but no worries; he just kills the dummy instead.  Very clever writing, there.

I find the whole no-kill aspect of the Batman mythos very interesting.  I've always thought that they don't kill for two reasons.  First, guns can very easily cause very permanent damage, even by accident or in the hands of an amateur.  Secondly, I think taking up a gun would, to Dick and Tim especially, mean taking up an authority that they haven't earned.  Dick isn't shy to use a gun when he becomes a cop because he has the authority to do so.  Obviously Bruce's outright disdain of the weapon also plays a big part in their hesitance.

I always find it interesting when the Bats interact with cops who pull their guns.  I feel like Dick, especially, wouldn't object to a cop using his gun to kill (assuming that the situation called for it), and I feel like Tim's biggest hesitation would be how he felt Bruce would react.