Title The Many Deaths of the Batman  Format TPB Binding TPB Date 1989 (original issues), 1992 (collection) Writer(s) John Byrne Artist(s) Jim Aparo, Mike DeCarlo Collects Batman 433-435 Storyline Police responded to a call reporting Batman's death. He was rushed to a hospital, but could not be saved. Someone at the hospital's morgue leaked the story to the press. It made front page news the next day and reached Arkham, Dick, and Alfred. Gordon paid last respects to his fallen friend. A second Batman corpse was found. A third and forth Batman killing was discovered. All four were experts in their fields: a race car driver, a demolitionist, a chemist, and a body builder. A fifth turned up, a gymnast. Gordon investigated by visiting a cross-bow expert (a cross-bow had killed the gymnast) who'd recently arrived in Gotham. He greeted Gordon in a Batman costume and told him that Bruce Wayne had sent it to him for a masquerade. The man died while Gordon was there. The Commissioner went to see Wayne. While talking to Wayne, Alfred brought in a package that had arrived - a Batman costume laced with acid. While under police protection, Bruce confided to Alfred that all the dead men had been his trainers in route to becoming the Batman. Alfred ran a diversion on the cops while Bruce headed down to the cave. Another Batman was found. The real Batman deduced the killer and took him down before he could strike again - he was one of the alleged dead trying to break ties from Batman before one of his foes killed him.