Who I Am - How I Came To Be

***"Who I Am - How I Came To Be”*** is the first entry in the *Batman novels* series.

## Summary

In the aftermath of his parents’ passing, Bruce Wayne cycles through the stages of grief throughout his teenage years. Emotionally withdrawn after the death of his parents, he gradually becomes more open and comfortable with his bodyguard and legal guardian, Alfred Pennyworth; and later his girlfriend, Silver St. Cloud.

Bruce later meets a girl named Erin, who leads him to his parents’ killer: Joe Chill. Going in with the intention of killing him, Bruce instead finds Joe to be remorseful, living a life of misery in suffering for his crimes. This shows Bruce that anybody can be redeemed; and he and Alfred subsequently discuss that it would be against his father’s wishes for Bruce to commit murder.

After leaving Gotham and acting as a Robin Hood-type figure in Asia, Bruce gets caught thrown in a jail. Soon after, Bruce is found and taken in by Ra’s Al Ghul, leader of the ‘Society of Shadows’; a cult operating in secret apparently all over the globe. Ra’s offers Bruce a drug, a toxic powder with the ability to show the user their biggest fears; in order to face and conquer them. The drug gives Bruce visions of his father, his own isolation, and bats.

Bruce is tasked with killing a known thief for Ra’s’ cult, however he refuses. He sets the temple ablaze, but makes sure that Ra’s is cared for safely. After this, Bruce returns to Gotham. Bruce meets Andrea Beaumont, becoming conflicted with his future; eventually giving in to his feelings of love and affection and proposing. However, she suddenly flees to Europe leaving only a letter. After returning to crime-fighting and sustaining further injuries, Bruce begins to torment the criminals of the city under the guise of ‘Batman’, a vigilante utilising fear tactics against thieves and perpetrators of violence. Alfred is shocked by Bruce’s transformation, with Bruce appearing more withdrawn and disturbed. Despite his disappointment, Alfred continues to serve as his butler.

## Chapters

### Part 1

* 1) There is No Hope in Crime Alley !
* 2) The Forgotten
* 3) The Promise
* 4) The Library
* *5) Pennyworth: The Origin of Bruce's Butler*
* 6) The Tailor Shop
* 7) Doctor Thompkins
* 8) Wayne Tower
* 9) The Trickster
* 10) Silver St Cloud
* 11) Cage Fight
* 12) The Tobacconist
* 13) The General

### Part 2

* *1) Descent Into Mystery, Part 1 (originally listed between 13-14)*
* 2) The Man Who Falls
* 3) The Eastern Slopes
* 4) Nothing to Fear
* 5) Head of the Demon
* 6) The Lazarus Affair
* 7) Gotham - by Fire
* 8) Birth of the Demon
* 9) Father, It’s Good to be Back
* 10) But Something’s Missing, Something Isn’t Right
* 11) Andrea
* 12) Birth of the Batman
* 13) What happened to Johnny Gobs…
* 14) *Descent Into Mystery, Part 2*

*(Titles written in Italics are framed as letters, rather than the typical first-person narrative)*

## Cast & Characters

### Main

* Bruce Wayne / The Drifter / Batman
* Alfred Pennyworth

### Supporting

* Leslie Thompkins
* Silver St. Cloud

### Minor Characters

* Joe Chill
* Ra’s Al Ghul
* Talia Al Ghul

### Cameos

* Dan Corrigan
* Frank Gordon

## Themes

* Grief
* Isolation
* Revenge
* Obsession
* Fear
* Heroism

## Locations

* Wayne Manor - Entrance, Living Room, Bedroom, Exterior
* Wayne Enterprises - Reception, Lucius Fox’s Office
* Gotham Academy - Exterior Only
* Coventry District
* The East End District
* Jake’s Tailors / Boxing Ring - Exterior, Main Shop, Staircase, Boxing Club
* Roxbury Fielding Academy - Exterior Only
* The Batcave
* Park Row - High-Street, Crime Alley, Rooftops

## Trivia

* This is the first entry in the *Batman Novels* series.
* This is the debut appearance of many major characters in the Batman and DC Multiverse, namely Batman and Alfred Pennyworth, but also Catwoman.
* The final scene of ‘Part 2’ is a slightly modified version Michael Keaton’s first scene as Batman from *1989*.
	+ The title of *Descent Into Mystery* is also taken from the name of a track on Danny Elfman’s *1989 Score*.
* The appearance of *Jake’s Tailors* was originally a place held for the Penguin’s *Iceberg Lounge* but this was changed late in development as the creator wanted to avoid any potential future continuity errors with the Penguin’s character story still undecided.
	+ The Penguin was also supposed to make a cameo appearance in the chapter ‘*Cage Fight*’ as the owner of the fighting ring, however his cameo was removed in order to give more thematic weight to his appearance in *The Long Halloween*.