There Is No Hope in Crime Alley 2024: Hand over those three rocks, lady

Long-time readers of this blog will know that pretty much everytime June 26 rolls around, I commemorate the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne by showing off panels of that iconic origin of Batman, because it's been portrayed in comic books two or three times.


from "The Batman Wars Against the Dirigible of Doom" in Detective Comics (1937 series) #33 (DC, November 1939), script by Bill Finger, figure pencils and inks by Bob Kane, background pencils and letters by Sheldon Moldoff
However, this year let's mix it up a little bit and show a happier ending to that trip through Crime Alley:


Nancy (United Feature Syndicate, October 10, 1953), by Ernie Bushmiller
I'm pretty sure Sluggo still got shot, but still...

Today in Comics History, Thanksgiving: Happy Thanksgiving from our asylum to yours

It's Thanksgiving Day in Arkham Asylum! Mostly, everybody's thankful that Batman didn't come around to beat them up again.



from "Happy Thanksquinning" in Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red #5 (DC, January 2024), story by Sam Humphries, art by Stephen Burne, lettering by Troy Peteri

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley 2023: Today in Comics History, June 26, 10:48 PM, One Hundred Million BC

Tonight, June 26, is when the shooting death of Bruce Wayne's parents, Martha and...um, John Wayne, right?...occurred. Every year for the past several I've been devoting the entire day to hourly examinations of different comics depicting that moment. (See here!) Except this year, because I've been a very busy little stuffed bull. But I can't let the night go by without mentioning it just this once, and what better way to show you than with the most bizarre version of Batman's origin story from, over the past year. May I present...the origin of...Bat-Saur!


from The Jurassic League #1 (DC, July 2022), script by Juan Gedeon and Daniel Warren Johnson, pencils and inks by Juan Gedeon, colors by Mike Spicer, letters by Ferran Delgado
The bitter memory of this is what spurs on Bat-Saur's raving reptile rampage of revenge when the killer Jokerzard taunts him!


from The Jurassic League #6 (DC, December 2022), script by Juan Gedeon and Daniel Warren Johnson, pencils and inks by Juan Gedeon, colors by Mike Spicer, letters by Ferran Delgado
Just remember: dinosaurs evolved into birds. And that's why Batman's sidekick is named Robin.

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

As we saw a few days ago, the death of Dick Grayson's parents occurred on June 27 — a day after the anniversary of the death of Bruce Wayne's parents. Maybe he went to that circus to cheer himself up?


from Nightwing (1995 series) #1 (DC, September 1995), script by Dennis O'Neil, pencils by Greg Land, inks by Mike Sellers, colors by Cathi Bertrand, letters by John Costanza
Naturally, that means that June 27 is a major day in the life of Robin/Nightwing, and even more than Batman, his friends gather around him to support him on those days.


from Identity Crisis #1 (DC, August 2004), script by Brad Meltzer, pencils by Rags Morales, inks by Michael Bair, colors by Alex Sinclair, letters by Ken Lopez
But hey! Identity Crisis?! No way, Dick Gray! (son) Let's focus instead on a good comic book that shows his titanic pals coming to Robin's support on this day.


from "Regarding Robin" in Teen Titans Go! (2004 series) #47 (DC, November 2007), script by J. Torres, pencils and inks by Michael Chang, colors by Heroic Age, letters by John J. Hill
First Cyborg, then Beast Boy, is attentive to his mood. Somewhere in there I hope they offered to make him waffles. Raven is especially attuned to his mood. Well, considering who her father is, she probably wishes he had died in a freak circus accident. "Oh no! The amazing Trigon had fallen from the Big Top!"


Awwwwwwww. Your heart must be made of stone if you don't feel just a little bit sad about this scene.


And good for Starfire! Using her Tamaranean empathy (and cute big green eyes) to comfort Robin.


Maybe this isn't something Batman oughta be spying on, ya voyeur, Bruce.


Seriously, a sweet story, and a reminder that there is hope in Titans Tower.

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 26: Or...is there?

Tonight, June 26, at 10:48 PM, is the anniversary of Joe Chill killing Bruce Wayne's parents in Crime Alley.


from Batman (2016 series) #63 (DC, March 2019), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by Mikel Janín, colors by Jordie Bellaire, letters by Clayton Cowles
When I've counted down this event in previous Junes, I've generally reserved the actual anniversary for not only yet another scene of the Waynes dying, but also the hope that sprang from that moment, as personified by Leslie Thompkins.


from Batman: Madness one-shot (DC, November 1994), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils and inks by Tim Sale, colors by Gregory Wright, letters by Todd Klein
If Joe Chill made Bruce Wayne into Batman, I believe there are three characters who made Batman into Bruce Wayne, preserving his humanity. The first is Dick Grayson, Robin:


from "[Robin the Boy Wonder]" in Detective Comics (1937 series) #38 (DC, April 1940), script by Bill Finger, pencils by Bob Kane, inks and letters by Jerry Robinson
The second is Alfred Pennyworth — who didn't even become a part of Bruce's childhood until after the universe reset in Zero Hour, more than fifty years after Batman's debut:


from Batman (1940 series) #0 (DC, October 1994), script by Doug Moench, pencils by Mike Manley, inks by Joe Rubinstein, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by Ken Bruzenak
But the third — and I think often sadly overlooked — influence in young Bruce Wayne's life is Leslie Thompkins the woman whose existence completely negates the familiar maxim of "there is no hope in Crime Alley."


To me, Leslie is as important an element to the Batmythos as the Batmobile and Bat-Mite: you can't truly have the rich and lush tapestry of the world of Batman without her.


from Batman: Madness
Tonight we mourn Thomas and Martha Wayne yet celebrate Dr. Leslie Thompkins. With her, there will always be hope in Crime Alley. With the Batman, there will always be hope in Gotham City.


Tomorrow, June 27: We'll wrap this month up with Dick Grayson. Or: There Is No Hope at Haley's Circus.


from Detective Comics #38

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 25: Is this loss

from Batman/Superman (2019 series) #1 (October 2019), script by Joshua Williamson, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by John J. Hill
(Click top picture to aAlley-size)

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 24: It was Joe all along

from Detective Comics #578 (September 1987), script by Mike W. Barr, pencils and inks by Todd McFarlane, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by Todd Klein

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 23: Looks like that jelly donut got away from you, Martha

from Batman: Death and the Maidens #4 (DC, January 2004), script by Greg Rucka, pencils and inks by Klaus Janson, colors by Steve Buccellato, letters by Clem Robins

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 22: Memory, all alone in the moonlight

from "Last Laugh" in DC House of Horror #1 (December 2017), plot by Keith Giffen, script by Nick Cutter, pencils and inks by Rags Morales, colors by Lovern Kindzierski, letters by Wes Abbott

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 21: Bruce wanted to be...a lumberjack

from Justice League (2018 series) #52 (November 2020), script by Jeff Loveness, pencils by Robson Rocha, inks by Daniel Henriques, colors by Rómulo Fajardo, Jr., letters by Tom Napolitano

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 20: That ain't milk

from Mother Panic/Batman Special #1 one-shot (April 2018), script by Jody Houser; pencils and inks by Ty Templeton, colors by Keiren Smith, letters by John Workman

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 19: We're gonna need a montage

from "The Demon's Fist" in Batman: Black and White (2021 series) #1 (January 2021), script by James Tynion IV, pencils and inks by Tradd Moore, letters by Clayton Cowles
(Click picture to gigantic pearl-size)

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 18: Tourist Trap

from Booster Gold/The Flintstones Special (DC, May 2017), script by Mark Russell, pencils by Rick Leonardi, inks by Scott Hanna, colors by Steve Buccellato, letters by Dave Sharpe
(Click top picture to Future Times Square-size)

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 17: There Is No Hope in Central Park

from Infinity Wars: Arachknight #1 (Marvel, December 2018), script by Dennis Hopeless*, pencils by Alé Garza, inks by Victor Olazaba, colors by Ruth Redmond, letters by Joe Caramagna
*See?

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 16: Now tinted in blue for your reading enjoyment

from Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Batman: Hush #1 one-shot (DC, January 2021), script by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, pencils and inks by Dexter Soy, colors by Ivan Plascencia, letters by Troy Peteri
(Click picture to despair-size)

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 15: For once, Harley's the sane one

from Batman (2016 series) #96 (DC, October 2020), script by James Tynion IV, pencils and inks by Jorge Jiménez, colors by Tomeu Morey, letters by Clayton Cowles

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 14: Bite my shiny metal origin

from Delivery-Boy Man Comic-Con 3010 Exclusive #1 (Bongo, July 2010); written and drawn by Philip J. Fry, ink provided by Dr. Zoidberg, copied by Planet Express Copier

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 13: The one comic that gets the pearls mostly right is over in that other universe

from "Good Night" in Deadpool (2018 series) #1/301 (August 2018), script by Skottie Young, art by Scott Hepburn, colors by Ian Herring, letters by Jeff Eckleberry

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 12: The lessons they tortoise

from Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #3 (DC/IDW, September 2019), script by James Tynion IV, pencils and inks by Freddie E. Williams II with Kevin Eastman, colors by Jeremy Colwell, letters by Tom Napolitano

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 11: Thomas and Martha Wayne are killed with a gun that shoots concentrated bats

from "There Is Hope in Crime Alley" in Batman Annual (2017 series) #5 (DC, February 2021); script by James Tynion IV; pencils, inks, and colors by James Stokoe; letters by Clayton Cowles
(Click picture to giant golden-crowned flying fox-size)