Where Were You on the Night Batman Was Killed? is a four-part Batman storyline based on a concept by Julius Schwartz and written by David Vern Reed with illustrations by John Calnan. Published in 1977 in the Batman title, the story was developed with some of Batman's most important villains as the main characters.
Synopsis
When Batman goes missing and rumors of his death spread, several of the criminals of Gotham City gather together to find the responsible for killing their long-time enemy. In a criminal court, Ra's al Ghul acts as the judge and Two-Face as the prosecutor who interrogates some of the villains that claim to have killed the Caped Crusader. Each of them testify and give their versions of their last encounters with Batman.
Catwoman and Riddler are the first villains to give their testimonies, but once they are finished, their stories are proven to be fake by Two-Face, who recreates some of their crazy theories to prove them wrong; Catwoman claimed that she let Batman drown rather than sink a cage containing a jaguar when the cage would never have been able to float, and Riddler claims that he blew Batman up with dynamite when dynamite doesn't explode in the manner he indicated.
The third witness is Lex Luthor, who claims that the death of Batman was a byproduct of his murder attempt on Superman. Unfortunately for Lex, Superman happens to be nearby and shows in the criminal court to deny Luthor's claim.
Finally, it is the Joker who reveals that he somehow managed to murder Batman and he has enough evidence to prove he is right. It is then that "Two-Face" reveals himself as Batman in disguise and he explains that he staged the whole criminal court charade to find the criminal who killed an innocent man, who was dressed as Batman. Joker, unaware that the had killed the wrong person, was once again captured and taken back to Arkham Asylum.
Issues
- Batman #291 – The Testimony of Catwoman
- Batman #292 – The Testimony of the Riddler
- Batman #293 – The Testimony of Luthor
- Batman #294 – The Testimony of The Joker
Notes
- This storyline is notable for being the first large gathering of Batman villains in comic book history.
Recommended Reading
- Joker Recommended Reading
- The Joker (Volume 1)
- The Joker (Volume 2)
- Batman: The Killing Joke
- Batman: The Man Who Laughs
- "Batman: Lovers and Madmen"
- "Batman: A Death in the Family"
- Joker: Devil's Advocate
- Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
- "The Joker's Last Laugh"
- "Superman: Emperor Joker"
- "Superman/Batman: With a Vengeance!"
- The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told
- Joker (graphic novel)
- Catwoman Recommended Reading
Links and References
Batman Family Storyline This event or storyline is specifically related to Batman, or to members of the Batman Family. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the Batman Storylines category. |