- "Father... I'm afraid I may have to die tonight."
- ―Bruce Wayne
| "Who I Am, How I Came to Be" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Batman | |
| Title: | "Who I Am, How I Came to Be" |
| Storyline: | "Year One" |
| Volume: | 1 |
| Number: | 404 |
| Cover price: | .75 |
| Cover date: | February, 1987 |
| Publisher: | DC Comics |
| Credits | |
| Chief: | Jenette Kahn |
| Ex. Ed: | Dick Giordano |
| Writers: | Frank Miller |
| Pencilers: | David Mazzucchelli |
| Inkers: | David Mazzucchelli |
| Cover artists: | David Mazzucchelli |
| Cover inker: | David Mazzucchelli |
| Cover colorist: | Richmond Lewis |
| Cover letterer: | Todd Klein |
| Colorists: | Richmond Lewis |
| Letterers: | Todd Klein |
| Editors: | Denny O'Neil |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | Batman #403 |
| Next: | Batman #405 |
"Who I Am, How I Came to Be" is the title to the 404th issue of the first Batman ongoing comic book series published by DC Comics. The story was written by Frank Miller with artwork and inks by David Mazzucchelli. It was colored by Richmond Lewis and lettered by Todd Klein. The story was edited by Denny O'Neil. This issue shipped with a February, 1987 cover date and carries a cover price of .75 cents per copy.
Synopsis[]
Chicago police lieutenant James Gordon relocates to Gotham City and begins working under Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb. Already he finds himself detesting the grime of the city, but his thoughts are on his pregnant wife, Barbara. Inwardly, he hopes her tests come back "negative".
Meanwhile, Gotham City's most eligible bachelor Bruce Wayne returns to the United States after nearly twelve years abroad ever since the age of thirteen. He plays up the role of billionaire playboy, but secretly he is anxious to begin a new career as a crime fighter. He wants to avenge the tragic deaths of his parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne.
Across town, James Gordon meets some of his fellow officers, including the brutish Lieutenant Arnold Flass. It doesn't take Gordon long to realize that Flass represents only a tiny fraction of a trail of corruption that extends all of the way to the Commissioner's office. Gordon learns that Flass is reckless and is not above accepting the occasional bribe. However, Gordon's own moral code is strong and he refuses to buckle beneath the weight of corruption.
Flass grows concerned and tells Commissioner Loeb that Gordon may not be a "team player". Coyly, Loeb gives Flass permission to teach Gordon a lesson. That night, Flass and three other officers don ski masks and corner Jim in the parking garage. They mercilessly beat him with baseball bats, but Gordon recognizes the sound of Flass' laughter and vows to strike back.
Later, Jim takes his car and follows the crooked cops back to a place called Chute's. He waits for them outside until they are ready to leave. As Flass drunkenly stumbles out of the building, Gordon attacks him. He beats Flass up, strips him naked and leaves him bound with his own handcuffs on the side of the road. Jim is confident that the incident will go unreported.
Some nights later, Bruce Wayne disguises himself as a vagrant and begins patrolling the seedy streets of Gotham's East End. He gets into an altercation with an albino pimp named Stan over an adolescent prostitute named Holly. Bruce and Stan's fight attracts the attention of another one of Stan's working girls – Selina Kyle. Selina tries to defend Stan, but Bruce lays her out with one blow across the jaw.
Suddenly, police officers arrive and take the disguised Wayne into custody. Bruce breaks free of his handcuffs and forces the police cruiser off the road. Wounded and bleeding, he manages to make his way back to his Porsche and return home to Wayne Manor.
He sinks into a wing chair in his study and begins stammering his father's name. Bruce feels that he has failed his parents. He reflects upon the night that a common mugger savagely gunned them down in the street, leaving him an orphan. Suddenly, a bat crashes through the open window. Bruce takes it as a sign and promises to avenge his parents' deaths by taking on the form of a bat.
Appearances[]
Featured characters
Supporting characters
Villains
- Arnold Flass
- Gillian B. Loeb
- Joe Chill (In flashback only)
- Stan the Pimp
Minor characters
- Barbara Eileen Gordon (Behind the scenes only)
- Harvey Dent (In a photograph only)
- Jackie
- Martha Wayne (In flashback only)
- Thomas Wayne (In flashback only)
- Tom
Organizations
Races & Animals
Locations
Items
Vehicles
Abilities
Miscellaneous
Notes & Trivia[]
- Batman was created by comic book writer Bill Finger and graphic artist Bob Kane. He first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May, 1939. He received his first ongoing series, Batman, in the Spring, 1940 beginning with Batman #1.
- The tagline to this issue is "He will become the greatest crimefighter the world's ever known... It won't be easy".
- According to DC Releases #33, this issue shipped to retailers on October 21st, 1986.
- This issue is reprinted in the Batman: Year One trade paperback collection, which was published in October, 1988. It is also reprinted in the Batman: Year One Deluxe hardcover edition, released in April, 2005.
- Scenes from this issue were adapted into the Batman: Year One animated movie, which was directed by Sam Liu and Lauren Montgomery and released direct-to-video on October 18th, 2011.
- This story is the official canonical re-imagining of the origin of Batman in Post-Crisis continuity.
- The title of this story is taken from "Batman: Who He Is and How He Came to Be", which was the title of the mini-origin story for Batman from Detective Comics #33.
- Scenes from this issue take place concurrently with scenes from Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #1.
- The Bruce vs. Stan fight from this issue coincides with events that take place in Catwoman #1.
- Bruce Wayne is 25-years-old at the beginning of this story. He has been living abroad for twelve years. He was 8-years-old when Joe Chill murdered his parents. It has been eighteen years since his parents were murdered in Crime Alley.
- Reference is made to several corrupt members of the Gotham City Police Department, who are not overtly seen in including Renny, Stannsen, and Wilson.
- It is briefly stated in this issue that James Gordon was forced to leave the Chicago Police Department after an incident involving other corrupt police officers. This incident is expanded upon in greater detail in the Gordon of Gotham limited series.
- In narrative, Bruce Wayne references several Gotham City landmarks, namely Robinson Park, the Finger Memorial and the Sprang Mission. These locales are named after creators Jerry Robinson, Bill Finger and Dick Sprang.