Batman #43: Did They Just Kill [Spoiler]?

Today's issue of Batman by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo is a mind-bending installment of the series in a number of ways.

There are surprising revelations about Gordon, about Bruce Wayne, about Batman. There's a particularly illuminating and surprising sequence that takes place between Alfred Pennyworth and Superman.

And then, on the final page, it appears as though a major character dies.

Spoiler space for anyone who might not want to know.

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If the final few panels of the issue are to be believed, veteran Batman villain and Gotham standout Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot is dead at the hands of the newly-introduced Mr. Bloom.

Whether he'll stay dead -- we don't, after all, see him breathe his last here -- is anyone's guess, but in comic art shorthand, that bloody monocle certainly suggests he's a goner.

You can get a copy of Batman #43 and see for yourself at your local comic shop or buy one on ComiXology here.