| Storyline |
Book
One
Bounty hunter Willy Doggett was hired by Bruce Wayne
to track a man named Thomas Woodley in Alaska. Wayne
watched as the man took a sniper shot to the face.
Woodley was the shooter. Wayne struggled with the
murderer, Woodley ended up falling from the mountain
- taking Wayne's coat and supplies with him.
Bruce woke up in the home of a family. He'd been
found face-down in the snow after a trapper heard
gunshots. Her grandfather, a tribal medicine man,
helped him back to health with a story about a raven
and a bat. A week passed, and the granddaughter
walked with him back to the nearest town.
Later, Bruce returned to Gotham City for good -
he was ready to begin his quest. Against Alfred's
better judgment, he went out in veteran's garb looking
for trouble. He found it, wrestling with a pimp,
hooker, and the police. He decided to become a bat
after one of the creatures crashed through the window
in his study. Alfred created the costume, and Batman
was born. His first task was to go after some thugs
who'd robbed Dr. Leslie Thompkins' free clinic three
times. Batman stopped the thugs easily, but one
of the victims committed suicide after seeing him.
Book
Two
Police went in on a raid and found a voodoo ritual
in full swing. One of the cops was killed, the other
wounded. Bruce Wayne stumbled upon the scene and
asked Gordon about it. Batman foiled an attempt
on the survivor's life that night. The three would-be
assassins had $80,000 and some heroine on them.
Human sacrifice was mentioned.
Batman, disguised as a shoe-shiner, spoke with Captain
Gordon about what he knew. Afterwards, Wayne found
the man he was to meet with a stake through him.
As he died, he said "batman."
Book
Three
The man he was meeting was an associate of Spurlock,
a professor funded by Wayne to study the Alaskan
Indians. Missing from a museum exhibit was a tribal
bat mask. Batman was attacked by a man wearing the
bat mask that night while following up on some leads.
Wayne questioned Spurlock the next day, and he was
killed by the man in the mask - in broad daylight.
He took another trip to Alaska where he bumped into
the woman and medicine man that had saved him two
years before. She slapped him and told him that
Spurlock had stolen the culture by introducing them
to civilization. En route to the lodge, their truck
was forced from the road.
Book
Four
Bruce leapt from the truck and was able to save
the woman and her grandfather from the freezing
river. The medicine man seemed to be in better shape
than the woman. He told Wayne to don his mask and
tell her the story of the bat - he no longer could.
They survived the night and got to a hospital. Bruce
verified that he was not the only survivor that
night - Thomas Woodsley had also survived. He somehow
was connected to Spurlock and his studies. Bruce
paid their bills and vowed to bring the man back
his mask.
Back in Gotham City, Batman found the connection
between the two men and sabotaged the shaman costume.
Wayne headed home, not knowing that Woodsley had
Alfred captive and was waiting for his return.
Book
Five
Bruce realized a trap may be waiting and was ready
for it. Woodsley's arm was broken in the struggle,
but he got away. Wayne confided in Alfred that he
knew Carl Fisk - a local banker - was in league
with the man.
Using the sabotage he'd planted in the costume,
Batman humiliated Fisk - as Chubala - at his next
ritual. His minions ran free, and the sacrifice
victim was spared. Fisk was scared into a confession;
Batman went after Woodsley. He found the man dying
in the woods. The mask was recovered and other artifacts
were recovered and returned to their owners. The
old man was dead; his daughter told him to keep
and become the mask.
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