#batman 682

Cover: The next two chapters are partly a retrospective of Batman's entire history, and the cover images by Alex Ross represent that.  This one features Batman's more colorful anceint past.  The color scheme is about as psychedelic as it could be, and it displays Batman and Robin joyously punching out their eccentric rogues gallery.  This represents the lighter side of Batman.  Bat-mite is even hiding in a corner.  The next cover will mirror this one, but feature Batman's darker recent history.

p. 2-3 The opening scene evokes Frank Miller's origin story Year One.  Bruce had just returned home after a total fail at crime-fighting (disguised as a burnt out vet), he's bleeding to death, and a bat has just flown through his window, inspiring his crime-fighting persona.  The bell in his hand was his means of summoning Alfred to stitch up his wounds.

p. 4 Miss Madison.  Bruce Wayne's first significant love interest, Julie Madison.  She first appeared in 1939.

p. 6 In panel one is Dr. Death, the first "super-villain" encountered by Batman, in 1939.

p. 7 A very lovely fairy tale indeed...  This dialogue is from Detective Comics #27, the very first Batman story.

p. 11 Panel one:  Batman is battling monster men, products of the mad scientist Hugo Strange, who made his debut in Batman #1, 1940.

Tickets to the circus?  This is an account of the origin of the first Robin, Dick Grayson.  He and his parents were circus aerialists.  The night that Bruce Wayne sees them perform, John and Mary Grayson are killed by criminals.

p. 14 Somebody 'round here must be crazy!  In "The Clown at Midnight," the narration mentions something about the Joker's "Satire Years."  Here we get a glimpse of the Joker parodying Batman's endless Bat-________ vehicles with his very own Joker-copter.

Panel four:  The Bat-Radia is in Batman's hand, as it appeared in the original "Super-Batman of Planet X" story.

p. 15 Are we having a team-up or not?  Kathy Kane, AKA Batwoman, was introduced in 1956 as a love interest for Batman (mostly to assure parents duped by the controversial book Seduction of the Innocent that Batman was not gay).

p. 16 Dying wouldn't be so bad if I knew you loved me too.  Batman and Batwoman were transported to alien worlds in "Prisoners of Three Worlds" (1963), but Morrison seems to be retconning this into a drug-induced hallucination, judging from Batwoman's dialogue.  Her dialogue in the last panel is from that original story.

p. 17 He usually breaks their hearts.  This is a retcon on Morrison's part, as in the Silver Age stories Batwoman was always chasing after Batman, and Batman avoided commitment.

I was a circus kid.  I knew about Katy Kane.  Before inheriting her fortune and beginning her crime-fighting career, Kane was a circus performer.  

p. 18 hurt.  Aaaaaand who's this guy?  The Lump is part of Jack Kirby's New Gods, who are the basis of Grant Morrison's Final Crisis.  He is completely immobile, but has incredible psychic power.

not Alfie.  Alfred died in Detective Comics #328.  He later returned, as comic book characters are apt to do, having no recollection of his "death".

p. 20 I thought I'd try out something new for my Teen Titans meeting.  This is an early version of Dick's Nightwing costume.  The Teen Titans is a team of superhero sidekicks Dick was part of with the likes of Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Aqualad, etc.

p. 21 Say goodbye to the Batcave.  Bruce briefly relocated to a base of operations under Wayne Tower after Dick quit as his partner.