- I had not shed a single tear in my parent's memory since their funeral.
- — Batman
Untold Legend of the Batman #1 is an issue of the series Untold Legend of the Batman (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1980. It was published on April 24, 1980.
Synopsis for "In the Beginning"
In the Batcave, Batman opens a package that came in his mail and finds within it the shredded remains of Thomas Wayne's Batman Costume which he wore to the party that ended in his encounter with gangster Lew Moxon.
Batman rushes to the display case where the costume had hung and finds only a note taped to the inside of the glass with a threat addressed to him. Grimly, Batman recalls to Alfred and to himself the night that his father went to the costume party dressed as a "Bat-Man", was abducted by thugs to treat the wounded Lew Moxon, and wound up capturing them all. He goes on to remember Moxon's emergence from jail ten years later, and, soon after, the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne by Joe Chill; Bruce Wayne's determination to fight crime and bring his parents' killer to justice; his becoming the first "Robin" and teaming up with detective Harvey Harris; his attending Gotham College, where he learned the difference between law and justice from Professor Amos Rexford; the bat that flew in through the open window of Wayne Manor and inspired him to become the Batman; the many battles he and Robin waged against an army of criminals; and the deaths of Joe Chill and Lew Moxon.
Batman learns little from analyzing the shredded costume and thus, he heads out on patrol of Gotham City in the Batmobile, on a mission of vengeance.
Appearing in "In the Beginning"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Alfred Pennyworth
- Harvey Harris (Flashback only)
- James Gordon (Flashback only)
- Leslie Thompkins (Flashback only)
- Martha Wayne (Dies in flashback)
- Robin (Flashback only)
- Thomas Wayne (Dies in flashback)
Antagonists:
- Joe Chill (Dies in flashback)
- Lew Moxon (Dies in flashback)
- Calendar Man (Flashback only)
- Catwoman (Flashback only)
- Clayface II (Flashback only)
- Clayface III (Flashback only)
- Crazy Quilt (Flashback only)
- Doctor Phosphorus (Flashback only)
- Gentleman Ghost (Flashback only)
- Hugo Strange (Flashback only)
- Joker (Cameo)
- Killer Moth (Flashback only)
- Mad Hatter II (Flashback only)
- Mirror Man (Flashback only)
- Mister Freeze (Flashback only)
- Penguin (Flashback only)
- Poison Ivy (Flashback only)
- Ra's al Ghul (Flashback only)
- Riddler (Flashback only)
- Scarecrow (Flashback only)
- Sensei (Flashback only)
- Signalman (Flashback only)
- Spook (Flashback only)
- Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Flashback only)
- Two-Face (Flashback only)
Other Characters:
- Mrs. Chilton (Flashback only)
- Philip Wayne (Flashback only)
- Amos Rexford (Flashback only)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Crime Alley (Flashback only)
- GCPD Headquarters (Flashback only)
- Gotham Cemetery (Flashback only)
- Wayne Manor (Flashback only)
- Batcave II
Items:
- Batcomputer
- Giant Penny (Cameo)
- Giant Joker Card (Cameo)
- Gotham Gazette (Flashback only)
- Mechanical T-Rex (Cameo)
- Thomas Wayne's Batman Costume (Flashback and main story)
Vehicles:
- Batmobile
- Bat-Copter (Cameo)
Notes
- This series was also published as a 6x9 mini-comic. These comic books came packaged with an audio cassette in a hard, see-through plastic case by Shan-Lon Enterprises. The cassette contained a narration of the story. The comics were very similar to the original except they were a bit smaller and had the Shan-Lon/MPI logo on the bottom of the cover.
- This issue expands on events originally chronicled in various comics including:
- The story makes small references to events in the current continuity such as Batman's encounter with Catwoman in Batman #324.
- This issue is reprinted in:
See Also
- Cover gallery for the Untold Legend of the Batman series
- Images from Untold Legend of the Batman Vol 1 1