| "Bruce Wayne: Murderer?" "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Cover to Batman: Bruce Wayne - Fugitive, Vol. 2 (March 2003), art by Scott McDaniel. | |||
| Publisher | DC Comics | ||
| Publication date | March – September 2002 | ||
| Genre | |||
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| Main character(s) | Batman | ||
| Murderer? | ISBN 1-56389-913-2 | ||
| Volume 1 | ISBN 1563899337 | ||
| Volume 2 | ISBN 1563899477 | ||
| Volume 3 | ISBN 1401200796 | ||
"Bruce Wayne: Fugitive" is a storyline that ran through the Batman comic books in 2002. The story directly follows the "Bruce Wayne: Murderer?" story.
At the end of Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure #1, Bruce Wayne finds his girlfriend, Vesper Fairchild, dead in Wayne Manor just as police arrive. The Gotham City Police Department promptly charges Wayne for murder, and both Wayne and his bodyguard Sasha Bordeaux are imprisoned, leaving the Batman Family to work the crime and absolve them. However, the investigation is complicated when evidence is uncovered suggesting that Vesper knew who Batman was, thus giving Bruce a motive for the crime that only the Batman Family would ever be able to notice, as well as Sasha - who was out of crime -having been separated from Bruce for a time that would have allowed him to commit the murder without her knowing. Driven to near-breaking point by his frustration at being forced in jail to constantly behave like Bruce Wayne rather than being free to solve this dilemma as Batman, Bruce then escapes from jail and announces his intention to no longer live life as Bruce Wayne (since his alter-ego is now a wanted fugitive), and begins life as only Batman. [1]
The story runs through Batgirl #24, Batman #599, Batman: Gotham Knights #25-26, Birds of Prey #39-40, Detective Comics #766-767, Nightwing #65-66, and Robin (vol. 2) #98-99.
With Batman free, the Batman Family continues to investigate the circumstances of the crime. Many start to doubt Bruce's innocence. Oracle (with some assistance from Black Canary) recovers a disk proving the journal entries from Vesper's apartment had been altered. This means Vesper did not know Batman's identity.
Meanwhile, Batgirl, upon uncovering Vesper's corpse, realizes that Vesper was killed using a nerve strike and careful beatings, whereas the evidence suggests it was a 'spur-of-the-moment' attack on Bruce's part. Nightwing and Alfred discover that infiltration of the Batcave is possible and ties in with the police's timely entrance at Wayne Manor. With further assistance from Robin they uncover some evidence in their search, although Nightwing is forced to acknowledge that nothing that they have discovered is anything that Batman couldn't have reasonably planted to throw them off (even if he considers it ridiculous that Batman would kill someone and frame himself for the crime). After the group reviews the evidence and Nightwing and Batgirl stage how the murder took place based on the tape recording of Vesper's last moments, Nightwing is now convinced that the Bruce he knows could not have committed the murder, and decides their next move is to focus on gathering evidence that would not compromise Bruce's secret identity.
At the same time, Batman launches his own, independent, investigation into his framing and steadily uncovers a conspiracy against Bruce Wayne after a run-in with David Said of Checkmate, subsequently having Said committed to Arkham under a false name in case he needs him later. A confrontation between himself and Catwoman prompts Batman to realize how important his Bruce Wayne identity is; he is moved to protect a wounded criminal during their meeting because that is what his father, Thomas Wayne, would have done. An earlier meeting with the detective who comforted him after his parents' deaths also serves to reinforce the importance of Bruce Wayne in Batman's life; as far as the detective is concerned, it was Bruce Wayne's life that was forever defined by the death of his parents...and the detective is also convinced that, whatever Bruce Wayne became that night, he did not become a killer.
After returning to the Batcave and apologizing for his past actions, Batman reveals to the Batman Family that the murderer is David Cain, which he had deduced based solely on the evidence that Batgirl found earlier; the nerve strike that was used to immobilize Vesper is one that Bruce learned from Cain. Cain had been hired by then-President Lex Luthor to discredit Bruce Wayne for his stance against Luthor during the No Man's Land storyline. Cain subsequently deduces Batman's true identity, recalling his own acquaintance with a young Bruce when Bruce went to him for training. He was thus able to frame him for a crime where the only motive was Batman's desire to protect his identity. Capturing Cain, Bruce's name is subsequently cleared, Cain keeping Bruce's identity as Batman secret to protect his daughter. [1]
This story runs through Azrael: Agent of the Bat #91; Batgirl #27 and #29; Batman #600-601, #603, and #605; Batman: Gotham Knights #27-28 and #30-31; Birds of Prey #41-43; Detective Comics #768-772; and Nightwing #68-69.
Bruce Wayne: Murderer?:
| Bruce Wayne: Fugitive:
[Detective Comics #768 (not part of Fugitive, but part of "Purity" only in DC magazines and included in #Collected editions)]
[Batman: Gotham Knights #27 (not part of Fugitive, but included in #Collected editions)]
Aftermath of Fugitive:
|
The Bruce Wayne: Murderer? and Bruce Wayne: Fugitive storylines have been collected in several volumes:
| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batman: Bruce Wayne – Murderer? | Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure, Detective Comics #766–767, Batgirl (vol. 2) #24, Nightwing (vol. 2) #65–66, Batman: Gotham Knights #25–26, Birds of Prey #39–40, Robin (vol. 4) #98–99, and Batman #599–600 | August 2002 | 264 pages, paperback, ISBN 1-56389-913-2 |
| Batman: Bruce Wayne – Fugitive Volume One | Batman #601 and 603, Batman: Gotham Knights #27–28, Batgirl (vol. 2) #27 and #29, Birds of Prey #41 and 43, Nightwing (vol. 2) #68–69 | December 2002 | 160 pages, paperback, ISBN 1-56389-933-7 |
| Batman: Bruce Wayne – Fugitive Volume Two | Detective Comics #768–772, Batman: Gotham Knights #31, Batman #605 | March 2003 | 176 pages, paperback, ISBN 1-56389-947-7 |
| Batman: Bruce Wayne – Fugitive Volume Three | Detective Comics #773–775, Batman #606–607, Batgirl (vol. 2) #33 | October 2003 | 176 pages, paperback, ISBN 1-4012-0079-6 |
The Bruce Wayne - Murderer? storyline is being reprinted in a new edition. Another new single volume edition has been announced for Bruce Wayne - Fugitive, [2] including stories that have never before been reprinted:
| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batman: Bruce Wayne - Murderer? (new edition) | Batgirl (vol. 2) #24, 27, Batman #599-602, Batman: Gotham Knights #25-28, Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure, Birds Of Prey #39-41, Detective Comics #766-770, Nightwing vol. 2 #65-66, 68-69, Robin (vol. 4) #98-99 | March 18, 2014 | 978-1401246839 |
| Batman: Bruce Wayne - Fugitive (new edition) | Batman #603-607, Detective Comics #771-775, Batman: Gotham Knights #29-32, Batgirl (vol. 2) #29, 33, Birds of Prey #43 | July 15, 2014 | 978-1401246822 |
In March 2014, DC Comics released a new edition of the Batman: Bruce Wayne - Murderer? trade paperback (to be followed by a new, single edition of the Batman: Bruce Wayne - Fugitive trade) that contained issues not collected in the previous trades. Customers immediately expressed concerns that, among other issues, the Murderer trade omitted Detective Comics #768, "Purity Part 1", even though the trade collected Detective Comics #766-767 and #769-770, and that one of the original Fugitive trades had also collected Detective Comics #768. In addition, the book's table of contents incorrectly referred to Detective Comics #769 as "Purity Part 1", when it is actually "Purity Part 2". [3]
A week later, DC Comics announced plans to recall the Batman: Bruce Wayne - Murderer? new edition trade, asking retailers to accept returns from customers and destroy existing copies. DC told retailers a corrected edition would be released in May and would include Detective Comics #768, Batman: Gotham Knights #29, and fixes to the table of contents and to the order the issues are presented in the book. [4]
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book Detective Comics on March 30, 1939. In the DC Universe, Batman is the alias of Bruce Wayne, a wealthy American playboy, philanthropist, and industrialist who resides in Gotham City. His origin story features him swearing vengeance against criminals after witnessing the murder of his parents, Thomas and Martha, as a child, a vendetta tempered by the ideal of justice. He trains himself physically and intellectually, crafts a bat-inspired persona, and monitors the Gotham streets at night. Kane, Finger, and other creators accompanied Batman with supporting characters, including his sidekicks Robin and Batgirl; allies Alfred Pennyworth and James Gordon; love interest Catwoman; and foes such as the Penguin, the Riddler, Two-Face, and his archenemy, the Joker.
Robin is the alias of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson to serve as a junior counterpart and the sidekick to the superhero Batman. As a team, Batman and Robin have commonly been referred to as the Caped Crusaders and the Dynamic Duo. The character's first incarnation, Dick Grayson, debuted in Detective Comics #38. Conceived as a way to attract young readership, Robin garnered overwhelmingly positive critical reception, doubling the sales of the Batman titles. Robin's early adventures included Star Spangled Comics #65–130 (1947–1952), the character's first solo feature. He made regular appearances in Batman-related comic books and other DC Comics publications from 1940 through the early 1980s, until the character set aside the Robin identity and became the independent superhero Nightwing.
The Batcave is a subterranean location appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the headquarters of the superhero Batman, whose secret identity is Bruce Wayne and his partners, consisting of caves beneath his personal residence, Wayne Manor.
Nightwing is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The most prominent is Dick Grayson, who takes the name when he leaves his role as Batman's partner and sidekick Robin in his adulthood.
Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman, Teen Titans and Justice League. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940 as the original and most popular incarnation of Robin, Batman's crime-fighting partner. He is the eldest child of Bruce Wayne, Batman's alter ego, the first child to be adopted by Batman. In Tales of the Teen Titans #44, the character, after becoming an adult, retires his role as Robin and assumes the persona of Nightwing. Grayson has donned the cape and cowl to replace Wayne as Batman; his most notable spell followed Wayne's supposed death in Final Crisis, and sees Grayson adopt Damian Wayne, Bruce's biological son and his adoptive younger brother, as his Robin.
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David Cain is a supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. He first appeared in Batman #567, and was created by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott.
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"The Man Who Falls" is a 1989 comic book story by Dennis O'Neil and Dick Giordano. It is an overview of Bruce Wayne's early life, including his parents' murder, his time spent traveling and training throughout the world, and his return to Gotham City to become Batman.
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"War Crimes" is a comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The event ran during the month of August 2005 in the Batman and Detective Comics series, and is the sequel to another Batman crossover, War Games. While originally released by itself in trade paperback format, the later trade paperback release in 2016 would have this event as part of Batman: War Games Vol. 2.
Batman R.I.P. is an American comic book story arc published in Batman #676–681 by DC Comics. Written by Grant Morrison, penciled by Tony Daniel, and with covers by Alex Ross, the story pits the superhero Batman against the Black Glove organization as they attempt to destroy everything that he stands for. It has a number of tie-ins in other DC Comics titles describing events not told in the main story.
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The Court of Owls is a criminal organization and secret society appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They appear as adversaries of the superhero Batman. Created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo, the Court is described as an organization of the wealthiest and most influential citizens of the city of Gotham, having existed since the city's founding and completely unknown among its general population outside of an urban legend centered around their reputation for grisly assassinations carried out by indoctrinated agents known as Talons. The 2015–2016 "Robin War" story line details their international expansion, with the group renaming itself the Parliament of Owls.
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