There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 27: There Is No Hope at Haley's Circus

No month-long flashback to the death of Martha Kane (and husband Doctor Tom) is complete without pointing out that while Bruce Wayne lost both his parents

Bruce Wayne: I have lost both my parents.
Alfred Pennyworth: To lose one parent, Mr. Wayne, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.

on June 26 exactly (ahem, clearing throat, obscuring number) years ago, the very next day is the anniversary of the death of John and Martha Mary Grayson, popular swinging couple. Remember: all those years ago, bruce Wayne cheered himself up from June 26 by going to the circus on June 27.


Panels from Nightwing (1995 limited series) #1 (September 1995), script by Dennis O'Neil, pencils by Greg Land, inks by Mike Sellers, colors by Cathi Bertrand, letters by John Costanza
Here's some flashbacks to previous celebrations commemorations of the death of Robin I's parents here, in 2013, 2014, and 2016. Dunno what happened in 2015. Must've had a short case of Robin-blindness.

Anyway, this year's Mr. & Mrs. Robinparents' death is represented by the oboe, as well as their glossy uniforms and substantial blood effects from the never-finished All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder. This one's for you, Mike Sterling!



Panels from All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #1 (September 2005), script by Frank Miller, pencils by Jim Lee, inks by Scott Williams, colors by Alex Sinclair, letters by Jared K. Fletcher
Ah they're no fun, they fell right over.

Stay tuned next year for even more depictions of the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne, because if there's anything that comics love, it's reminding you of Batman's origin! na na na na na na na na na...CRIME ALLEY!

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 26: And I'll remember the love that you gave me / Now that I'm standing on my own

Years ago on this exact night, June 26 at 10:48 PM, on Park Row in Gotham City, Joe Chill shot and killed Thomas and Martha Wayne but left their young son Bruce alive to live with the burden of what he had witnessed. This, and every night we walk down Crime Alley only to meet the flash of a pair of gunshots, is The Batman and How He Came to Be.

But once in a while...time, space, and opportunity align in an event in Crime Alley that reminds Bruce Wayne what he is fighting for after all: not just justice, not merely punishing crime, but also...out of love.



Panels from Batman: Death and the Maidens #6 (March 2004), script by Greg Rucka, pencils and inks by Klaus Janson, colors by Steve Buccellato, letters by Clem Robins
May we, like Bruce, remember those who loved us...and that they loved us.

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 25: Every Rose Has Its Own Origin Story

Panel from "The Mourning After" in Detective Comics (1937 series) #782 (July 2003), script by Jason Hall, pencils by Craig Rousseau, inks by Dan Davis, colors by Lee Loughridge, letters by Janice Chiang

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 24: Shadow of the Batman

How universal is Batman's origin story? So freakin' universal that it even takes place on Earth-S&S (Street & Smith)!



Panels from "New York City, 1938" in The Shadow #100 (Dynamite, June 2015), script by Michael Uslan, pencils and inks by Giovanni Timpano, colors by Marco Lesko, letters by Rob Steen
Well, he sure told you, Mister So-Called Batman's Dad!

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 23: Must There Be a Batman?

Cover of Superman/Batman #17 (March 2005), pencils by Carlos Pacheco, inks by Jesus Merino, colors by Laura Martin
You may remember that yesterday, or only one issue ago in comic book time, Batman shot Joe Chill and thus erased his own batariffic future. That is how time travel works, and I'm standing by that. Anyway, Superman travels forward in time to fetch the now-nothin'-but-a-playboy Bruce Wayne (he still lives with his parents, ha!) and brings him back to the Crime Alley, shouting incoherently that his kids grew up to be a-holes and that where they were going they didn't need roads.


Panels from Superman/Batman #17 (March 2005), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils by Carlos Pacheco, inks by Jesus Merino, colors by Laura Martin and Larry Molinar, letters by Richard Starkings
You know, in a world where Thomas and Martha Wayne survived Park Avenue was not the scene of the murder of two of Gotham City's leading lights, maybe they would have supported live theater city rehabilitation enough that it never would become Crime Alley. But maybe even in a world without a Batman, some things are absolutely unavoidable. Like Bruce's double past, as far as Superman is concerned. Geez, Supes, why doncha just fly him into the world where you're both Nazis oh wait you'd only just averted that one a couple issues ago


Hooray! He snaps Bruce back to his real self which makes absolutely no sense in this timeline because there was never ever a Batman at all but hey, for the sense of the story let's roll with it.


For there to be a Batman, the Waynes must die. It's the universal rule of the DC Universe. And don't feel so alone, Bruce: there's a guy just one universe over on the newsstand named Peter Parker who knows just how you feel.

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 22: Why don't you just f-f-f-fade away

As I promised yesterday, tonight we see just another one of the many, many deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne that populate comics history (and this feature)...with a slight difference.


Panels from Superman/Batman #16 (Late February 2005), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils by Carlos Pacheco, inks by Jesus Merino, colors by Laura Martin, letters by Richard Starkings
Okay, here's the short explanation to this scene: Superman and Batman were corrupted by a time-travelling Lightning Lord, Saturn Queen and...Magnet Man? Cosmic Consumer? Captain Attraction?...anyway, three time traveling adult villains of the super-teens from 3005, the Legion of Super-Heroes! Then the all-new, all-different Sinisterman and Badman took over the world! Now Clark and Bruce have come to their super-senses and are hunting Cosmic King (oh, yeah, that was his name) to stop him after or before he time-travels, and of course they've popped into the most invonvenient place and time in the entire multiverse, allowing Batman to observe the death of his parents. Talk about noit being able to go home again, huh? Take that, Thomas Wolfe!


So take a moment to contemplate: what happens when Batman prevents Joe Chill from killing Thomas and Martha Wayne? Well, obviously, the Waynes, including Bruce, live! Y&ay! That's a win. But what happens to Batman himself? Think about it, won't you?


No death of the Waynes, no Batman. DC Comics will surely go bankrupt in this timeline! But stay tuned tomorrow to see how Superman personally kills young Bruce to make certain the entire future of the DC Universe timeline is restored!

(No, he doesn't do that.)

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 21: Bruce had fun, and it hurt

Yeah, yeah, I know: we've seen it one bajillion times before:


Panels from Superman/Batman #14 (January 2005), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils by Carlos Pacheco, inks by Jesus Merino, colors by Laura Martin, letters by Richard Starkings
But what if just imagine...something different happening that night! What could happen differently, you ask? Surely the death of Batman's parents is a universal constant? Well, tune in tomorrow to see just how correct you are! Answer: not very! Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 20: Cold Feet

Panel from Batman: The Cult #4 (1988), script by Jim Starlin, pencils and inks by Bernie Wrightson, colors by Bill Wray, letters by John Costanza

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 19: I dreamed a dream in times gone by / When Joe Chill shot my mother and dad

Panels from Batman (1940 series) #621 (January 2004), script by Brian Azzarello, pencils and inks by Eduardo Risso, colors by Patricia Mulvihill, letters by Clem Robins

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 18: Imagine Bruce is bulletproof / It's easy if you try

What If...? The Waynes' son was Clark Kent? Well, first, they'd need more durable Grey Ghost toys. Then maybe, the Elseworlds story Speeding Bullets. But before all that, Superman #353! Not a hoax! Not a What If?! Not an Imaginary Story! Not an Elseworlds! Not a dream!



Panels from "Just Imagine: The Secret Origin of Bruce (Superman) Wayne" in Superman #353 (November 1980), script by Bob Rozakis, pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Frank Chiaramonte, colors by Gene D'Angelo
...oh, it was a "Just Imagine" story.

Well...

Aren't they all?

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 17: Somehow Batman and Bane have the same origin

Panels from Batman (2011 New 52 series) #18 (May 2013), script by Scott Snyder, pencils by Andy Kubert, inks by Sandra Hope, colors by Brad Anderson, letters by Nick J. Napolitano
Later, as young Dorrance sat in his father's study pondering his life, an object which causes death or destroys life suddenly flew through the window! "That's it, fadder!" he declared aloud. "I shall become a BANE!"

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 16: All Chill, All the Time

Here's a few details of the Pre-Crisis DC Universe that exist-no-more, and I will argue that their omission and replacement by new lore has made the Batman legend stronger and more epic. 1: Martha Wayne died of a heart attack, not being shot by Joe Chill. 2: Pre-Crisis, Alfred didn't show up until years later, so it was Bruce's Uncle Philip Wayne who more-or-less raised him, and 3: Philip's housekeeper was Joe Chill's mother. Man, you usually have to go to a Shakespeare tragedy to get such coincidinkys.


Panel from "The Women in Batman's Life!" in Batman (1940 series) #208 (January-February 1969), script by E. Nelson Bridwell, pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Jack Abel

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 15: Doctor Manhattan holds up the Waynes to get their pants

Panel from DC Universe: Rebirth one-shot (July 2016), script by Geoff Johns, pencils and inks by Gary Frank and Ethan Van Sciver, colors by Brad Anderson and Jason Wright, letters by Nick J. Napolitano

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 14: "That boy is our last hope!" "No...there is another."

Panel from "Wipe the Blood Off My Name!" in World's Finest Comics #223 (May-June 1974), script by Bob Haney, pencils by Dick Dillin, inks by Vince Colletta

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 13: Flashpoint, ah-ah, check out this universe!

Cover of Flashpoint: Batman: Knight of Vengeance #3 (October 2011); pencils, inks, and covers by Dave Johnson
The Flashpoint Universe! Where Barry Allen saved his mother! Therefore all parents are safe everywhere forever! Why look, Thomas and Martha survived the shooting by Joe Chill! What could possibly go wrong?



Panels from Flashpoint: Batman: Knight of Vengeance #3 (October 2011), script by Brian Azzarello, pencils and inks by Eduardo Risso, colors by Patricia Mulvihill, letters by Clem Robins
OH COME ON NOW FLASHPOINT UNIVERSE

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 12: He didn't even remember they had seen a movie!

Panels from The Untold Legend of the Batman #1 (July 1980), script by Len Wein, pencils by John Byrne, inks by Jim Aparo, colors by Glynis Wein, letters by John Costanza

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 11: On that night, Bruce vowed to sob

Panels from "The Forging of Young Batman!" in Superboy (1949 series) #181 (February 1972), script by Leo Dorfman, pencils by Bob Brown, inks by Murphy Anderson

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 10: The Scent of a Killer

Panels from Batman (1940 series) #672 (March 2008), script by Grant Morrison, pencils by Tony Daniel, inks by Jonathan Glapion and Sandu Florea, colors by Guy Major, letters by Steve Wands

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 9: Bruce Wayne never dreams about kitties and bunnies

Panels from Batman: The Dark Knight (2011 New 52 series) #0 (November 2012), script by Gregg Hurwitz, pencils by Mico Suayan and Juan Jose Ryp, inks by Vicente Cifuentes, colors by Sonia Oback, letters by Pat Brosseau

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 8: Dumbass Things You Especially Shouldn't Do in Crime Alley

Panels from Legends of the Dark Knight (digital comic) #48 (April 2013), script by Tim Seeley, pencils and inks by Freddie E. Williams II, colors by Wendy Broome, letters by Saida Temofonte
I'm pretty sure the Batman doesn't want to hear philosophical musings by a guy who holds people up at gunpoint in Crime Alley, so I can only presume the rest of the comic is Batman continuously pummeling this guy until Alfred tells him to come in for breakfast.