Warning: Spoilers ahead for Batman 2022 Annual
A recently-revealed costume from Batman’s earliest days puts one of his most infamous moments from Batman: Year One in a whole new light. Batman Annual 2022 shows one of Bruce Wayne’s first forays with a costume, but its inclusion may lessen the impact of one of the Dark Knight’s most iconic moments.
The seminal work by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli tells the story of Bruce’s first year as a crimefighter in Gotham. After returning abroad from training, Wayne jumps headfirst into taking on the criminal underworld, only to discover the job is harder than it looks. After being injured on one of his first excursions, Bruce sat waiting for inspiration until the sudden entrance of a wayward bat gives him exactly what he was looking for. The creature of the night convinces Wayne that the only way he can save Gotham is by becoming something that would absolutely terrify evildoers.
Despite the immense gravity of Bruce finally deciding on his signature costume, a new glimpse into the past really takes the wind out of the pivotal moment’s sails. During Batman 2022 Annual by Ed Brisson and John Timms, a flashback to Bruce’s overseas training is seen. He fights alongside his old associate Minhkhoa Khan, aka the future Ghost-Maker. The duo put their combined skills to the test by taking out a den of criminals. While neither vigilante has fully become the adventurer they’ll one day be, elements of their future designs are present in their prototype costumes. In fact, Bruce’s outfit is just a few tweaks away from being a fully realized, if not cruder version of the suit he’d wear as Batman.
While it may not be the most gorgeous of costumes, it’s definitely close to what Bruce would ultimately create in his career as Batman. In fact, it’s so close, all it’s missing is a pair of ears and a cape and it would essentially serve the same purpose. While the point of the scene isn’t exactly centered around the outfit Bruce wears at the moment, seeing how close the man was to nailing his future Batman costume kind of deflates the importance of one of the most beloved scenes in Batman canon.
In Batman: Year One, Bruce is humbled by his near-death experience when he realizes he can’t just fight crime as a normal man. Though he nearly bleeds to death in his study, Bruce monitors the bust of his father until the bat that wanders in helps him realize how he can become a better hero by changing his appearance. The problem with the proto-suit he wears in the annual, however, shows him already embracing key aspects of the Batsuit such as the all-black clothing and mask. The scene in which Bruce decides he will become a bat is an important realization that by modifying his appearance, he can become an idea that can truly fight crime. But Batman’s first costume plays with the notion that he may have already been aware of that idea, robbing him of one of the most iconic introspections in Batman: Year One.
Batman 2022 Annual is available now from DC Comics.
