Random Happenstance

I feel like we've blogged some of the Batman Elseworlds annuals from 1994, but I specifically remember not liking the Shadow of the Bat one, which had a Brian Stelfreeze cover that looked like a younger Alex Baldwin as Bruce Wayne, and featured a Big Brother-style Batman, who had been raised by the Scarecrow, post WW III? Lot to unpack there, but it doesn't end well for anyone; I think the citizens of Gotham march on Wayne Manor or Arkham or whatever with torches and pitchforks. I also probably bought this one back in the day, but don't really recollect it right yet, so let's check Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #4, "Citizen Wayne" Written by Brian Augustyn and Mark Waid, pencils by Joe Staton, inks by Horacio Ottolini.

We've seen that title before, in one of the worst Bat-stories I've ever read; and I know it's been used more than that! But this is a period noir-ish number, opening with a rainsoaked crime scene and Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent dead in a fall off a building, with Wayne clutching a torn-off bat emblem. A young assistant D.A. works the case, starting with Wayne Manor and a talk with Martha Wayne: Thomas had been killed years ago in a mugging, and Martha still felt like if they had given in, he would have survived. So, she spent the next 25 years perhaps a bit overprotective of her son, but she's also not entirely surprised he went out like that. Alfred fills in more backstory: Bruce had been a crusading newspaperman, owner of the Gotham Guardian, fighting the mobs from there. Which still occasionally involved fisticuffs! Still, Wayne had been well-trained, with a cameo by Ted Grant; and his main sparring partner was his old friend Harvey Dent, who seems a bit grimmer and more willing to go hands-on against crime. Before his accident, that is...the hospitalized Gordon had been injured at the same time as said "accident," which wasn't an accident at all; why is everyone using Fat Tony's phrasing?

(I misremembered the wording on that, I thought it was simply "Accidents will happen. To you. By us.") Gordon claims to have no memory of what happened, but a beat cop tells the D.A. about seeing Batman in action, tearing into some bootleggers and killing one with a bat-rope. It's front-page news, although Wayne calls the "Killer Crimebuster worse than crooks." The D.A. next questions Vicki Vale, who had suspicions about her boss, and other feelings; but no opportunity to see where either led. Later, he finally gets to Harvey Dent's widow, who felt she had lost him long ago...if she ever really had him; he had been consumed by his mission long before. The D.A. stops another cameo from visiting the widow: ace reporter and occasional creep, Jack Ryder! He recounts a meeting with Wayne, Vale, and the rest of the Guardian staff, after Batman had killed Boss Maroni: Wayne felt if the city's freedom had to be taken by someone outside the law, that freedom was worthless. Everyone else seems to agree, somebody had needed to do something, and Batman had stepped up; with Ryder pointing out if Bruce's dad hadn't fought that mugger, he might not be there right now.

You've probably guessed who the Batman was at this point, and spooked gunsel Zucco confirms it for the D.A.: the hideously scarred Dent was under the mask, and killed Maroni for that and ruining his city. This sends the D.A. back to Gordon, who is momentarily afraid Batman had come for him. He spills, how Maroni, Zucco, and their thugs had thought they were untouchable, and that they could "teach them a lesson." Gordon is shot, point-blank, multiple times; but gets off easy compared to Dent, whose entire face was destroyed with acid; both sides. Later, as Batman, Dent visited Gordon in the hospital, and explained he had to meet Maroni "on his elevated level," above the law: he might stop if Gordon asked him, but Gordon wanted revenge as well. With all the other pieces in place, the D.A. revisits Wayne Manor, where Martha admits she had tried to stop Bruce from facing Dent, but he felt he had to. Suiting up in armor, he had gone to stop his old friend, one way or another.

The D.A. puts it all together for his boss, but that bit of deduction is undercut by the fact that he had actually seen the fatal fight! He had been working late, and saw them on top of city hall across the street; so he's kind of guessing on what they might've said, but still. Dent had gone out a window and was hanging onto a gargoyle, Wayne had tried to save him, but the gargoyle gave way and both men fell to their deaths. Still, putting all of that together is a feather in the cap of the young D.A. Dick Grayson! Who isn't sure he's ready to be the city's main district attorney, but this case may have given him some other ideas... 

I just did a little checking: we've seen the Robin Elseworlds annual, and I think I mentioned getting another copy of the Pirate Batman one, and that's it? I've done way more of the Legends of the Dead Earth ones, and I could've sworn we had blogged Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #5 with Man-Bat before.