- I decided early that I would never take a life. Right around the time I decided that I wanted to live. It wasn't an arbitrary decision and it was more than moral. It's about identity. As long as you can choose that, choose who you are in the world... you can choose to call yourself sane.
- — Batman
Batman Secret Files and Origins #1 is a one-shot with a cover date of October, 1997.
Synopsis for "Gazing Back: The Secret Origin of the Batman"
Appearing in "Gazing Back: The Secret Origin of the Batman"
Featured Characters:
- Batman (Bruce Wayne) (Flashback and main story) (Origin)
Supporting Characters:
- Alfred Pennyworth (Flashback only)
Antagonists:
- Joe Chill (Flashback only)
Other Characters:
- Gotham City Police Department
- Martha Wayne (Dies in flashback)
- Thomas Wayne (Dies in flashback)
Locations:
- England
- United States of America
- Gotham City (Flashback and main story)
- Crime Alley (Flashback only)
- Monarch Theater (Flashback only)
- Wayne Manor (Flashback only)
- Batcave (Flashback only)
- Gotham City (Flashback and main story)
Items:
Vehicles:
- Batmobile (Flashback only)
Synopsis for "Who IS Bruce Wayne?"
Reporter Lola Charles snags an interview with Bruce Wayne and discovers his deep dark secret--he's the most boring man alive. In a sidebar, Branson Billings interviews Lucius Fox about his decision to take a job at Wayne Enterprises.
Appearing in "Who IS Bruce Wayne?"
Featured Characters:
- Bruce Wayne
- Lola Charles (reporter)
Supporting Characters:
- Lucius Fox
- Branson Billings (reporter)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- J. Devlin Davenport
- Vesper Fairchild (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Bristol Links Country Club
- Morton Business School
- Atwater Air
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Guided Tour: The Batcave"
Appearing in "Guided Tour: The Batcave"
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Other Characters:
Locations:
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Synopsis for "Interview: Alfred Pennyworth"
Appearing in "Interview: Alfred Pennyworth"
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Synopsis for "Upon the Shoulders of Giants: The Men Behind Gotham"
In this text-only account of the Wayne Family's history, it is mentioned that there are several conflicting accounts and information not be entirely accurate.
The earliest record on file is a story involving three men, Epsilpah Clevenger, a mulatto named Hiram and Rance Benedict. Hiram was a religious man accused of murdering Rance Benedict's brother, although he later discovered it had been a serial killer calling himself the Mimic. Clevenger was revealed to be the Mimic and killed Benedict as well, prompting Hiram to construct an asylum for the mentally ill. This eventually burned down and its inhabitants were killed, although it is believed that Arkham Asylum was later built on the scorched and haunted ground. It is unknown which of the three men in the story belonged to the Wayne family.[1]
Charles Arwin Wayne first built up the family's modest fortune into a thriving enterprise by buying up land in Gotham prior to the American Civil War. When he died of tuberculosis at 52, his children Solomon Zebediah and Joshua Thomas Wayne continued the family business. Solomon became a federal judge with the help of his classmate's father Senator Nugent Bolle, and Joshua maintained their various businesses until his mysterious disappearance in 1860. There are rumors that they participated in the Underground Railroad using caverns under their homes, and the Judge has been linked to a costumed avenger who fought against bounty hunters. Although there are conflicting rumors about Joshua Wayne's disappearance, a corpse was later found in their wine cellar and buried in a grave marked with his name.[2] Eventually Solomon Wayne commissioned the architect Cyrus Pinkney to design a new skyline for Gotham, developing the much maligned gothic look the city has become well known for.[3]
Solomon Wayne had a child named Alan Wayne at the age of 77 with his second wife Dorothea Wayne, who was nearly four decades younger than him. Alan Wayne developed the Gotham Railworks and established Wayne Enterprises before dying at the age of 63. His son Kenneth Wayne developed Wayne Chemical, but died at a fairly young age leaving the fortune to his 37-year-old wife Laura Elizabeth Wayne. Laura was a shrewd businesswoman and heavily involved in the Prohbition movement, while raising their infant son Patrick Morgan Wayne. Patrick inherited the family business upon his mother's death and saw the Wayne legacy through two world wars, building WayneCorp and WayneTech out of the Great Depression. Their involvement in wartime efforts under Patrick Wayne led Wayne Enterprises to become a household name across America. Eventually he would pass this legacy on to his son Thomas Wayne.
Thomas Wayne ignored his wealthy heritage and traveled to the Carribean where he became a missionary, although he returned to Gotham and attended medical school when his group was wiped out in a military conflict. In addition to controlling the family finances, he found time to build a thriving medical practice and court the wealthy Kane Chemical heiress Martha Kane. Their only child was the young Bruce Wayne, left orphaned when both parents were shot dead in Crime Alley by a mugger over Martha's pearl necklace. Bruce Wayne is largely seen in public as ineffectual and foppish, lacking the drive that brought his family to greatness. It is speculated that he will be the end of their line, leaving nothing behind but building to remember the Wayne legacy.
Appearing in "Upon the Shoulders of Giants: The Men Behind Gotham"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Cyrus Pinkney
- Hiram (Single appearance)
- Lucius Fox (Mentioned only)
- Nugent Bolle (Mentioned only)
- Rance Benedict (Mentioned only)
Antagonists:
- The Mimic (Mentioned only)
Other Characters:
- Cecil Longacre (writer)
- Jenny Atticus (Mentioned only)
- Lincoln Killavey (poet)
- Ruth (Mentioned only)
Locations:
Synopsis for "Lost Pages: How Batman Gets His Equipment"
Appearing in "Lost Pages: How Batman Gets His Equipment"
Featured Characters:
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Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Batman Timeline"
Appearing in "Batman Timeline"
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Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "From the Desk of Dr. Dennis O'Goodwin"
Appearing in "From the Desk of Dr. Dennis O'Goodwin"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
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Synopsis for "Profile Pages"
Appearing in "Profile Pages"
Featured Characters:
- Alfred Pennyworth
- Azrael
- Batman
- Birds of Prey
- Catwoman
- Commissioner Gordon
- Gotham City Police Department
- Huntress
- Nightwing
- Robin
- Spoiler
Trivia
- It is mentioned that Cecil Longacre, writer of Upon the Shoulders of Giants: The Men Behind Gotham has also written two other books titled The Broken Kord: The Bankruptcy and Ruination of Ted Kord and Zsasz Pizzazz: Portrait of a Serial Killer with Style.
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
Look at how sad this is making Batman. You did this.