Memorial Case Smashing: Bruce Wayne, Murderer?

[starwolf_oakley]

To the earlier request by Benicio127, here are some pages to BATMAN #600, written by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Scott McDaniel. It ended the BRUCE WAYNE: MURDERER? storyline and started the BRUCE WAYNE: FUGITIVE storyline. It also (maybe) marks the first time Batman says "There is no Bruce Wayne" out loud.



We've seen the set-up elsewhere. http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/2058266.html

It should be noted that Alfred isn't there because he quit during OFFICER DOWN.
"You are not a child and it is time you ceased acting like one. Which means it is time I stop abetting you." Alfred came back to Wayne Manor during BRUCE WAYNE: FUGITIVE. He knew Bruce wasn't guilty for one reason: "I knew his father."







There's a pretty involved Batman vs. Nightwing fight, which does show that a LOT of the Batcave is built up. Which is kind of a given, with all the cars, plane, boats, rockets, etc. kept in there.





As everyone "stares bug-eyed," (according to Shortpacked) Batman makes his escape.



A narrative box says: "They could never understand. Bruce Wayne was surrounded by pain, but he couldn't react to it."

BRUCE WAYNE: MURDERER would make a good animated movie adaptation, dropping some (but not all) of the more questionable Batdickery aspects. Batman deciding "I don't want to be Bruce Wayne anymore" makes for an interesting story point. An animated movie could really explore the "There is no Bruce Wayne" idea and show why it is true or not true.

Comments

You Know...

[silverzeo]

This kinda reminds me of an episode of Boondocks that gave light to Uncle Rucus's backstory and to what he is.... namely the part where he is repeatly beaten by his "Dad" and has his mother holding him and cry dramatically.

Re: You Know...

[big_daddy_d]

Ahh you a Boondocks fan too?

[jarodrussell]

Holy crap, I think Batman was hiding an Omnitrix in that case.

[yaseen101]

I'd rather not see another Batman in either animated or live action form for the next few years, thanks.

I think the problem is that from what I've seen, BW:M/F seem to simplify the Batman-Bruce Wayne dynamic. While I subscribe to the Dini/Timm intepretation that the 'real' is the Detective sitting in the Bat-cave snarking with Alfred, I also love the idea that Batman-Bruce Wayne exist as their own yin-yang thing going on.

Batman solves crime by being a Detective, rinign in criminals, corrupt officals, mob bosses, superh villains and terrorists.

Bruce Wayne is a Philanthropist whom after Batman puts their bosses behind bars provides employment, food and shelter to those who were forced to work for them. Also helping out charitable causes.

[big_daddy_d]

I'd rather not see another Batman in either animated or live action form for the next few years, thanks.

I personally wouldn't mind. I just grow tired of constant beginnings, origins, and early years stuff. I prefer if someone takes the risk and just put in stuff from the 90s onward. Introducing characters like Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain to the mainstream folks. Alas, so far the only way to do that is with a straight to dvd movie or have said characters in a guest spot on a current or upcoming DC series.

I think the problem is that from what I've seen, BW:M/F seem to simplify the Batman-Bruce Wayne dynamic. While I subscribe to the Dini/Timm intepretation that the 'real' is the Detective sitting in the Bat-cave snarking with Alfred, I also love the idea that Batman-Bruce Wayne exist as their own yin-yang thing going on.

Those are my thoughts too. Although idk, I, for the most part believe Bruce Wayne is Bruce Wayne. I mean if the Batman personality is not the mask, then who the hell was the kid born and raised as Bruce Wayne? And seriously don't bring the argument saying Bruce died when his parents did. If anything he just became someone full of anger and they thus named his brooding angry side "Batman" while the big womanizing playboy in the media is "Bruce Wayne" and wow I just defeated my own argument...hmmm kinda embarassing.

Anyway, I often believed that Bruce is often a man who rarely has a clue on how to be a dad. Showing emotion for the most part is hard for him and as the years go by, with more loss, being betrayed (mindwipe, which idc what anyone says I was backing Bats and thought he was 100% entitled to being a dick towards those involved because you just don't do that to a friend), he just became that much more closed off but all hope isn't lost. Now after Infinite Crisis, and hopefully The Return of Bruce Wayne, we'll see a Bruce Wayne that's not so closed off..or else he'll end up old..alone..with a dog named Ace.

Anyway, I'm on your bandwagon.

[yaseen101]

IA with the first part of your comment.

It was taking risks, doing something new and a little luck that Batman has gained the media empire he has now. If creators would try to broaden their horizons, take risks and generally try to tell good stories while not adhering to age-old arguments covered in fail sauce ('a main female/poc character? it will never sell! So we must apply it to all female/poc characters as well.', 'B-list character? It will never sell!'.

The second part, now I have a certain weird-ness when it comes to Bruce. He is Bruce Wayne a billionare Philanthropist and a Detective. He believes that Batman is all that he has left with and fighting crime and running charities in Gotham is how he thinks he should spend the rest of his life. See, he is damaged and sometimes cannot relate to people on a certain level (Ty Templeton was great at depicting this).

Batman is just a mask, the work does costume the Man side of things at times but at the end of the day, Batman is just a mask. He created it to scare criminals and the whole 'fallen into the cave thing' was just a previously bad experience that was later triggered when the Bat crashed into his window.

At best I want to see a Batman who is a detective that happens to dress as a giant bat whom despite some of his emotional short comings is still a good man who cares for his family deep down.

[arilou_skiff]

Batman is a mask, yes, but so is Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy.

The "real" Bruce is only there for acouple of momens, I think, in interacting with Alfred or his family.

[starwolf_oakley]

Elements of Bruce Wayne can be a mask, but that doesn't mean he can't be an interesting, three-dimensional mask. A playboy hedonist who also runs the biggest company *and* biggest philanthropic charity in Gotham City. I imagine a lot of people like and respect him, some think there's a lot more going on there (especially if they knew Thomas and Martha), even if "Batman" never enters the equation.

And maybe Batman could enter the equation without solving said equation. Someone could guess Bruce Wayne is Batman's bankroll and tech supplier without thinking Bruce himself is wearing the cape and cowl. Like the Teen Titans who knew Dick Grayson was Robin but didn't know Bruce was Batman.

[omnipotent]

At best I want to see a Batman who is a detective that happens to dress as a giant bat whom despite some of his emotional short comings is still a good man who cares for his family deep down.

I, too, want to see this. And maybe a little bit less of Bruce-as-a-giant-douchebag. Not completely gone, but just slightly less.

[icon_uk]

often believed that Bruce is often a man who rarely has a clue on how to be a dad.

He's done a good job of it a number of times though, and notice that most of the Dick-related-angst was retconned in after he'd raised Dick to adulthood.

I was watching the bonus material on the "Under the Red Hood" DVD and was irked that they managed to describe his entire maturation and evolution into Nightwing without once mentioning the role the Teen Titans played in it, but did in fact mention the Hudson U stories that DC wiped from the timeline with Jason 2.0's introduction.

[cloud_wolf]

Yeah, I admit that I sometimes daydream of an animated show with Bruce!Bats (and all the sidekicks from the 90s and early 00s) and then has a season of Dick!Bats with Damian. I think that most people know the basics by now.

[aelflar]

I for one would love to see more of the widely unknown Batbooks and stories to be made into movies. I mean, most folks on other boards have just heard of mainstream Tim Drake and still think he`s Robin! Give the audience something new and allow for the characters to grow and mature and with them, the industry!

And the same goes for the rest of the DCU and his characters. Maaybe I`m crazy, but I`d like a Booster Gold animated movie, inspired from his current tales. Or a proper Teen Titans movie (with Discowing, ideally, but that`s just me). More of the Lantern Corps to be introduced, not just the Green ones. Jaime Reyes as Blue Beetle...I could go on for hours!

[daningram.insanejournal.com]

Grr...wouldn't Cass know from reading Bruce's body langauge that he hadn't killed anyone?

[zechs80]

She believed he was innocent and was the one who found the first bit of evidence to show he was actually innocent of this crime. Plus this was the time when she found out who he really was out of the Bat suit.

[benicio127]

Thank you, thank you for posting this!

OH man, that scene where Dick smashes through the memorial case and Babs, Tim and Cass are all staring, jaws wide open -- kind of makes me laugh a little.

And that first page - Cass's face looks smooshed or deformed. Scott McDaniel seemed to be such a prolific artist in the 90s, but not really a fan of the art...

[jarodrussell]

Back during the whole "Steph as a Robin" kerfuffle, I suggested what they should do was create a virtual, locative art shrine for her, since it was something Oracle or Tim could do without needing Batman's permission.

Things like this, I feel, strengthen my argument. You can't smash a GPS coordinate.

[icon_uk]

You can't smash a GPS coordinate.

No Man's Land might disprove that somewhat..

[jarodrussell]

Yeah, but it still took less damage than Jason's shrine.

[starwolf_oakley]

She had taken a beating in her own book during the BW:M crossover. It's also when she figured out Bruce Wayne was Batman via body language.

[zechs80]

Cass's face is smooshed on purpose. When this storyline was going on Cass had 'just fought Shiva in a battle to the death. She's still licking her wounds from that here.

[destroyed]

This isn't as hilarious as shortpacked makes it out to be.

On the subject of Jason's memorial case - I'm going to whore out an animation of his level 3 hyper in our mugen project "Gotham Knights" because I'm excited to share our work with fans:



It's called "Like rehearsed..." and the idea is that no matter the opponent you get the flash images of Robin!Jason having been taught those moves sparring with Bruce, the actual opponent (in this case our Batman) being hit by RedHood!Jason throughout.

(Note: I use a different name in mugen circles but JToddz is very much one of my and my team's WIPs so I'm not posting the work of others, here.) Thoughts?

[jaybee3]

The art is painful. Everyone's faces, particularly Cassandra's, looks like they're melting. The story was painful too. It had a good build-up but in the end basically became "The Tragic Love of Bruce Wayne and Sasha Bourdeux (aka Greg Rucka's pet character)". There was never any fallout of the Gotham P.D. failing to catch the real killer (Cain turned himself in) or arresting the most prominent citizen in Gotham on false charges within hours without doing any more detective work (i.e. no one checked whether Bruce's heir, Dick, a cop with the skills to do a frame-up job even had an alibi). Even when Renee Montoya (one of the arresting cops) or Commissioner Atkins started to have doubt about Wayne's guilt they did nothing, content to let him rot in prison (where apparently the warden/guards would let skinheads after the richest man in Gotham - with once again no follow-up when Bruce was cleared). And then of course, Sasha, who had been arrested as an accessory to Bruce's crime, CONTINUED to be in prison when Bruce was out and then she was "killed" in prison (a woman proven innocent) and still there was no hell to pay. It was like the whole Superman New Krypton mess. The re-set button was pressed. Renee and Crispus Allen (the arresting officers who screwed up) were just yelled out by Bruce's lawyer. Maggie Sawyer, who OKed Allen's harassment of Alfred when Bruce escaped, got even less than that. Atkins and the D.A. at the time apparently kept their jobs. And the murder of Vesper Fairchild and the idea that Gotham's favorite son (and #1 employer) was actually jailed for it - never really brought up again in the last decade or so.

[inexpediency]

I like the way this video sums it up.