| xxxxx | The Continuity Pages | - | ||||
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After everything that Batman had been through in the past years -- after
rehabilitating Gotham in the wake of No Man's Land, a plague, and an earthquake; after
his back being broken and healed -- Bruce Wayne was about to become O. J. Simpson. The storyline was launched with a promotional tactic that would set a
trend: Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure provided a full-length comic for a dime, a price
that defined the Golden Age of American comics. Sales were high, not surprisingly, and all of
the Batman titles saw elevated sales as a result. The tactic would be used by Marvel for a
9-cent issue of
Fantastic Four, then by DC with
Superman: The 10-Cent Adventure
in early 2003, then by Marvel with a series of 25-cent promotional issues, beginning with
Daredevil #41. After recounting Batman's history while he swung around the city with
Bruce Wayne's bodyguard, Sasha Bordeaux, Wayne returned home only to find the murdered body of
his girlfriend, Vesper Fairchild -- and the immediate arrival of the police. Thus launched the
Bruce Wayne -- Fugitive storyline, which would run through the Batman titles for two
months, during which Wayne and Bordeaux rotted in jail while the cops and the Batman family
mounted independent investigations. In the rushed conclusion, Wayne escaped from prison
off-camera and confronted the Batman family in the Batcave, where he announced that he had
outgrown the Bruce Wayne persona and would henceforth act alone as Batman. In the following five-month Bruce Wayne: Fugitive storyline,
the Batman family doubted Bruce's innocence while investigating the crime, slowly discovering
the possible circumstances of the crime. Meanwhile, Batman fought criminals and slowly
discovered the conspiracy to frame him from the top down, never overlapping with the details
the rest of the cast independently focused on. The storyline culminated in another rushed
conclusion, as Batman again gathered the Batman family he had ignored for five months (in both
real time and narrative time) to reveal that the murderer was the obscure David Cain, acting
on the orders of then-President Lex Luthor to discredit the millionaire who had worked against
Luthor during No Man's Land -- but, conveniently, never telling Luthor that the man he
had discredited was also Batman. Whereas Bruce Wayne -- Murderer? had involved virtually every
title in the Batman family, and had followed in roughly chronological fashion, the Bruce
Wayne: Fugitive storyline was plagued with chronological problems. Bruce Wayne --
Murderer? had been a storyline; Bruce Wayne: Fugitive was more of a rubric under
which the various titles operated. Robin did not participate at all, and the issues of
the other titles designated as participating in the storyline varied, with no designation
given to one issue, although it featured a solo Batman while Bruce Wayne was a fugitive, only
for the next issue to be designated a sequential part of the storyline. Worse, the numbering
given to the chapters of the storyline made no sense: Detective Comics, in particular,
continued for three months from one issue to the next -- issues for which a seperate storyline
was designated by the titles of the chapters themselves -- with the following issue continuing
Batman's concerns from the prior three issues. Despite directly following in Detective
Comics the leads that would provide the answer to the conspiracy, Batman would appear in
unconnected stories against uninvolved villains in other titles during the same period. The
trade paperbacks collecting Bruce Wayne: Fugitive attempted to correct this, printing
the chapters out of their original sequence so that readers could follow Batman following this
lead through to the storyline's conclusion, but this meant that the circumstances of those
stories shifted later in the sequence reflected those circumstances immediately following the
arrest, including Sasha Bordeaux's arraignment and the beginning of her trial while the police
doubt that Bruce Wayne has really fled the country and Alfred shows no sign of working with
the other vigilantes of the Batman family, as he was already doing in the previous collection. In short, it was a mess -- and a sign that the proliferation of Bat-titles
was utterly out of editorial control. The months following the conclusion of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive saw
some titles attempting to show the return of Bruce Wayne, with its press attention and with
Sasha Bordeaux having been abandoned in prison for half a year by our supposed hero. Other
titles quickly ignored the situation, as some (such as Nightwing) had began doing even
during the Bruce Wayne: Fugitive storyline. There were some great highlights during this time. The two solo issues
of Detective Comics focusing on Sasha Bordeaux -- specifically #767 and #772 -- were
particularly memorable, depicting her isolation in prison to protect Batman's identity -- the
first after her arrest and the second following her conviction. Batman #603, in which
Batman visits the dying policeman who was the first cop to respond to the murder of Wayne's
parents and who is haunted by the unsolved nature of the case, provided another stunning -- an
unfortunately all too rare attribute -- issue of the storylines. Additionally, the point made
by Batman in the transition between the two storylines -- about Batman being his real persona --
was interesting, however largely unexplored in favor of more adventures and slow investigation.
Of course, during this time the interesting Batman: Black & White back-ups continued in
Batman: Gotham Knights -- and the newly relaunched Catwoman, also featuring more
of the tone of independent comics, garnered considerable critical praise. The complete era, from Bruce Wayne -- Murderer? through the two
months after the completion of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive, comprises the first nine months of
2002.
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![]() Larger Version Available | Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure #1 | "The Fool's Errand"; sums up Batman's life so far, ending with his discovery of Vesper Fairchild's corpse in Wayne Manor and the immediate arrest of Bruce Wayne and Sasha Bordeaux; narrated by Sasha; Greg Rucka script; Klaus Janson inks; Dave Johnson cover; cover-dated March 2002 | ||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Detective Comics #766 | listed as part 1 of Bruce Wayne -- Murderer?;
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| Batgirl #24 | listed as part 2 of Bruce Wayne -- Murderer?; Oracle hears Vesper Fairchild and calls in Batgirl to investigate Wayne Manor, where she sees Wayne carted off (as seen in Detective Comics #766); Batgirl seems to realize that Bruce Wayne is Batman; cover-dated March 2002 | |||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Nightwing #65 | listed as part 3 of Bruce Wayne -- Murderer?; Nightwing hears the news, talks to Bruce Wayne in jail, and visits Oracle; Trevor McCarthy penciller; Rob Stull & Rodney Yamos inks; Lee Bermejo cover; cover-dated March 2002 | ||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Batman: Gotham Knights #25 | listed as part 4 of Bruce Wayne -- Murderer?;
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| Birds of Prey #39 | listed as part 5 of Bruce Wayne -- Murderer?; Oracle has Black Canary search Vesper Fairchild's place, where she discovers that Fairchild was investigating Batman and where she encounters the Spoiler; Rodney Ramos & Jesse Delperdang inks; cover-dated March 2002 | |||||
| Robin (second series) #98 | listed as part 6 of Bruce Wayne -- Murderer?; Alfred leaves Robin (prior to his appearance in Batman: Gotham Knights #25) to return to Wayne Manor; has a section told through the Spoiler's journals (as she returns to the cave and finds Batgirl there but the two of them locked out); cover-dated March 2002 | |||||
| Batman #599 | listed as part 7 of Bruce Wayne -- Murderer?; Bruce Wayne plays impotent in Blackgate prison, is visited by Alfred, and is attacked by three neo-Nazis, who he beats savagely, seeming insane; cover-dated March 2002 | |||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Detective Comics #767 | listed as part 8 of Bruce Wayne -- Murderer?;
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![]() Larger Version Available | Nightwing #66 | listed as part 9 of Bruce Wayne -- Murderer?; in consultation with Oracle, Nightwing investigates suspects in Bruce Wayne's framing; Rob Leigh inks | ||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Batman: Gotham Knights #26 | listed as part 10 of Bruce Wayne -- Murderer?;
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| Robin (second series) #99 | listed as part 11 of Bruce Wayne -- Murderer?; Robin visits Oracle, already being visited by Black Canary and The Spoiler, who investigates possible suspects in Bruce's framing | |||||
| Birds of Prey #40 | listed as part 12 of Bruce Wayne -- Murderer?; "Switchback"; Black Canary and the Spoiler go visit Oracle together; Robin with Oracle (after Black Canary and The Spoiler depart) discover that Bruce Wayne did purchase the murder weapon, then hear on the news that Bruce Wayne has escaped; the issue ends with Nightwing racing to the cave to confront Batman; Jesse Delperdang inks | |||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Batman #600 | listed as part 1 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive; contains
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| Batman: Bruce Wayne -- Murderer? | collects
[REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK] | |||||
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![]() Larger Version Available | Batman: Gotham Knights #27 |
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![]() Larger Version Available | Batman #601 | listed as part 3 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive; introduces Nicodemus, who is trying to recreate Hell on earth in an effort to destroy the planet completely; Batman interrupts Alfred while Alfred is reading Wayne's journals | ||||
| Birds of Prey #41 | listed as part 2 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive; Oracle sends Black Canary out to determine Bruce Wayne's innocence or guilt; Jesse Delperdang inks | |||||
| Batgirl #27 | listed as part 4 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive; Batgirl searches for evidence, going as far as to dig up Vesper's corpse; Batman, Oracle, and the Spoiler appear; Phil Noto pencils | |||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Detective Comics #768 |
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![]() Larger Version Available | Detective Comics #769 | listed as part 5 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive;
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![]() Larger Version Available | Detective Comics #770 | listed as part 8 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive;
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![]() Larger Version Available | Nightwing #68 | listed as part 6 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive; Nightwing and Alfred pour through the Batcave in hopes of finding evidence to clear Bruce Wayne; Trevor McCarthy penciller; Rob Stull inks | ||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Batman: Gotham Knights #28 | listed as part 7 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive;
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![]() Larger Version Available | Nightwing #69 | listed as part 9 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive; Nightwing tries to prove that someone could break into the Batcave, discovering signs of intrusion; Alfred and Robin appear; art by William Rosado and Rob Stull | ||||
| Birds of Prey #42 | listed as part 10 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive; Oracle, Nightwing, and Alfred continue the investigation based on Nightwing's discoveries; Deathstroke returns; art by Dave Ross and Andrew Pepoy | |||||
| Batgirl #29 | listed as part 13 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive; the Batman family re-enacts the murder of Vesper Fairchild | |||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Detective Comics #771 | listed as part 12 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive;
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![]() Larger Version Available | Batman #603 | listed as part 11 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive; Batman (through Catwoman and Dr. Thompkins) is summoned to the bedside of Gary Sloan, the dying ex-cop who talked to young Bruce Wayne after his parents' murders, who tells Batman his wish to have Batman solve the one case the cop could never close, the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne; concludes with Batman calling Oracle for help; art and cover by Sean Phillips | ||||
| Batman: Bruce Wayne: Fugitive Volume One | collects (in this strange order)
[REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK] | |||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Batman: Gotham Knights #30 | listed as part 14 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive;
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| Azrael: Agent of the Bat #91 | listed as part 15 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive, continuing from Batman: Gotham Knights #30; Batman tries to contain an out-of-control Azrael; Robin and Nightwing appear; cover by Mike Zeck and Jerry Ordway | |||||
![]() | Detective Comics #772 | listed as part 16 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive;
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![]() Larger Version Available | Batman: Gotham Knights #31 | listed as part 17 of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive;
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![]() Larger Version Available | Batman #605 | listed as the conclusion to Bruce Wayne: Fugitive; Batman gathers the extended Batman family at the Batcave, appologizes, and reveals that Luthor's orders filtered down to David Cain, who followed his orders to smear Bruce Wayne but never revealed to Luthor that Wayne was Batman; Batman takes down Cain and Bruce Wayne's name is cleared in the rushed last pages; Lex Luthor has a cameo appearance; ends with Cain in Arkham Asylum; Oracle refers to Batman having called her a few times recently (beginning at the end of Batman #603); extra-sized | ||||
| Batman: Bruce Wayne: Fugitive Volume Two | collects (strangely) portions of
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![]() Larger Version Available | Batman #602 | |||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Batman #604 | Batman returns to Crime Alley, then goes out roof-hopping and talking with Catwoman | ||||
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![]() | Batman: Gotham Knights #29 |
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| Azrael: Agent of the Bat #86 | cover-dated March 2002 | |||||
| Azrael: Agent of the Bat #87 | ||||||
| Azrael: Agent of the Bat #88 | ||||||
| Azrael: Agent of the Bat #89 | ||||||
| Azrael: Agent of the Bat #90 | ||||||
| Azrael: Agent of the Bat #92 | ||||||
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![]() Larger Version Available | Nightwing #67 | |||||
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| Batgirl #25 | Batgirl gets her rematch with Lady Shiva; extra-sized | |||||
| Batgirl: Death Wish | collects Batgirl #17-20, 22-23, and 25; softcover | |||||
| Batgirl #26 | ||||||
| Batgirl #28 | ||||||
| Batgirl: Fists of Fury | collects Batgirl #15-16, 21, and 26-28; softcover | |||||
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| Batman #606 | ||||||
| Batman #607 | ||||||
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![]() Larger Version Available | Detective Comics #773 |
[READ MATT MARTIN'S REVIEW] | ||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Detective Comics #774 | |||||
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![]() Larger Version Available | Batman: Gotham Knights #32 |
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![]() Larger Version Available | Batman: Gotham Knights #33 | cover but not other data entered | ||||
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| Azrael: Agent of the Bat #93 | ||||||
| Azrael: Agent of the Bat #94 | ||||||
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| Robin (second series) #100 | ||||||
| Robin (second series) #101 | ||||||
| Robin (second series) #102 | ||||||
| Robin (second series) #103 | ||||||
| Robin (second series) #104 | ||||||
| Robin (second series) #105 | ||||||
| Robin (second series) #106 | ||||||
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![]() Larger Version Available | Nightwing #70 | Nightwing travels to Desert Palms, Arizona, home to many people in the witness protection program, and battles Hella, who is on an assassination mission there; art by William Rosado and Rob Stull | ||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Nightwing #71 | |||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Nightwing #72 | |||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Nightwing #73 | |||||
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| Birds of Prey #43 | ||||||
| Birds of Prey #44 | ||||||
| Birds of Prey #45 | no cover art entered | |||||
| Birds of Prey #46 | ||||||
| Birds of Prey #47 | ||||||
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| Batgirl #30 | ||||||
| Batgirl #31 | ||||||
| Batgirl #32 | ||||||
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| Harley Quinn #16 | features Harley Quinn in Metropolis; art by Terry Dodson, Phil Noto, Craig Rousseau, and Rachel Dodson; cover-dated March 2002 | |||||
| Harley Quinn #17 | features Bizarro | |||||
| Harley Quinn #18 | ||||||
| Harley Quinn #19 | ||||||
| Harley Quinn #20 | ||||||
| Harley Quinn #21 | ||||||
| Harley Quinn #22 | ||||||
| Harley Quinn #23 | ||||||
| Harley Quinn #24 | ||||||
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![]() Larger Version Available | Catwoman (third series) #5 | Catwoman pledges to stop dope-smuggling cops, leading into the "Disguises" storyline | ||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Catwoman (third series) #6 | Holly gets shot by corrupt cops | ||||
| Catwoman (third series) #7 | Catwoman saves Holly, then investigates the corrupt cops with Slam Bradley; a sketch of Holly is distributed by the police; Rick Burchett & Cameron Stewart inks | |||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Catwoman (third series) #8 | Catwoman disrupts a handoff of drugs for diamonds between the corrupt cops and drug-dealers, destroying the drugs and stealing the diamonds | ||||
| Catwoman (third series) #9 | Catwoman captures the corrupt cops when they come to intimidate Slam Bradley; Catwoman has a falling out with Slam Bradley after she uses the files on the cops as payment for information obtained (in #8); the Black Mask appears, ominously targeting Catwoman | |||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Catwoman (third series) #10 | Selina visits Bruce Wayne (with no reference to the storyline in his titles); Catwoman rescues an old friend of Selina's who, though innocent, was sentenced to death, and Batman tells her he won't stop her
[READ MATT MARTIN'S REVIEW] | ||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Catwoman Secret Files #1 | features
[READ MATT MARTIN'S REVIEW] | ||||
| Catwoman: Crooked Little Town | collects Catwoman (third series) #5-10 and material (the lead story, profile pages for Catwoman, Holly, & Slam Bradley, and "Why Holly Isn't Dead") from Catwoman Secret Files #1; published in 2003
[REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK] | |||||
![]() Larger Version Available | Catwoman (third series) #11 | |||||
| Catwoman (third series) #12 | ||||||
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