Saddest moments in Batman comics

[The Laughing Fish]

I thought it would be a good idea to list down all the heartbreaking, gut-wrenching moments in Batman comics. I didn't mention Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson's backstories though because everybody knows about them, so I thought I'd start this thread with a list of sad milestones.

Detective Comics #476 – Sign of the Joker
After Batman had stopped the Jokers crazy and homicidal attempt to copyright fish, he encounters  Silver St Cloud, who reveals that she figures out he is her boyfriend Bruce Wayne. Overwhelmed with fear over the possibility that Batman could fail to survive a night out one day, Silver kisses Batman one last time before regretfully breaking off the relationship. A typical Batman romance that ends in heartbreak. The only positive to take from this ending is his crusade on crime goes on.

The Killing Joke
This whole comic was tragic to read: from Joker's tragic backstory, to his crippling of Barbara Gordon and torture of Jim. Need I say more?

Detective Comics #613 – Trashed
Batman investigates a mob trying to take over street territory by intimidating an ordinary garbageman, and the incident turns into tragedy as one of the goons panic into thinking they were being set up and fired his gun...only to end up shooting the accidentally garbageman's young son instead. Batman fell into a fit of rage, which, to his horror, leads to the accidental deaths of two of the gangsters as they're crushed to death in the grinders. As the devastated father of the slain boy cries why it had to be his son to die, Batman somberly looks on and is unable to answer.

The Dark Knight Returns – Chapter 4 (The Dark Knight Falls)
Alfred dies of natural causes moments after burning down Wayne Manor while Batman fights Superman. I was personally disappointed that Bruce never reflected his loyal butler's death.

Batman #416 – White Gold and Truth
Dick Grayson – who now goes by the name Nightwing – decides to confront Batman over the abrupt end of their partnership, following Dick's near fatal run-in with the Joker some time ago, and asks why did Batman adopt Jason Todd as the new Robin if he never intended to use a sidekick ever again. Unmasked, Batman claimed that he felt that he taught everything that Dick needed to know, and that he deeply empathized Jason's tragic situation by taking him under his wing. But Nightwing doesn't buy Batman's explanations and demands him to give an honest answer. After a brief but very heated moment, Batman confesses that he took Jason on because he felt lonely and missed Dick. I'd say this is a great indicator that Batman's desire to overcome his own loneliness paved the way for events that were about to unfold in A Death in the Family. Which leads to...

A Death in the Family
Robin (Jason Todd) makes the mistake of trusting his long-lost biological mother by being set-up because of her so he could be beaten severely by the Joker. The Joker in turn betrays his mother, and leaves the two to die inside the explosives-rigged building. Batman discovers Jason's body and turns his devastation to rage. For the first time, we get to read his inner thoughts as he contemplates taking revenge.

Batman: Earth One Volume 1
As Batman barely defeats the serial killer Birthday Boy, Harvey Bullock falls deep into the basement and finds the entire place is scattered by dead bodies; as all  victims looked similar to a little girl who the Birthday Boy first murdered. Not surprisingly, Bullock felt horrified and depressed over this and became addicted to alcohol. The scene may not necessarily be too graphic, but I for one am shocked that it DC Comics never censored it. It's absolutely shocking stuff.

If anybody else wants to list their 'favourite' sad moments then please feel free to do so.

[thecolorsblend]

Detective Comics #664 (?) where Bane, who's just broken Batman, parades him around Gotham City like a trophy.

The Identity Crisis issue where Jack Drake gets murdered and Tim can only helplessly listen while it happens.

[The Joker]

Detective Comics #485 - "The Vengeance Vow!"

Kathy Kane (the original Batwoman) is attacked and killed by members of the League of Assassins, led by The Sensei and Batman is defeated in battle by Bronze Tiger.

This was at a time where darkening Batman was very much in vogue, but for someone who likes that much more innocent light hearted silver age stuff, Batwoman getting murdered and Batman not being able to defeat her killer was pretty rough.

Recently, I've read, though not the Batman Incorporated issues themselves, that Grant Morrison brought Kathy back after decades of being thought dead (like Jason Todd, but an even longer hiatus)...

[Killer Croc]

.... 😔

[Edd Grayson]

What comic and issue is that from, Killer Croc ?

[Killer Croc]

The panels come from Batman Eternal issue 28.... The girl in the panel is named Jade.... She was an orphan girl that Croc took care of in the series.... At one point while Croc was in jail she was sent to live with a criminal relative.... So Croc went to save her.... She was killed in the ensuing scuffle between his goons and Catwoman.... Whom she was also very close to.... 😔

[Edd Grayson]

I see. I've never read or even heard of Batman Eternal where I live.

[The Laughing Fish]

.... 😔

Damn, that's devastating for Killer Croc. That girl must've been one last hope he had for humanity and then she gets taken away from him.

By the way KC, I found a way to make the picture smaller in case you don't want it to spread across the entire screen. Click on the img tag, and type in 'width=whatever number you want' e.g. [img width=600]. 

Here are more tragic examples:

Detective Comics #618 - Trial by Fire
Batman tries to rescue Tim Drake's parents from a voodoo maniac called the Obeah Man in the Carribean, but he fails. Devastated, Batman viciously assaults the Obeah Man and his gang into submission before breaking down, and Tim becomes orphaned like fellow Robins Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. This slowly paved the way in Batman's decision to adopt sidekicks again in later comics, as Tim proved that he could overcome his tragic backstory, unlike Jason.

Batman Annual #14: The Eye of the Beholder
Two-Face was believed to undergo a mental recovery following his disfigurement by Maroni and uncovering of corruption in the legal system. But sadly, he relapses and rips the left side of his newly re-constructed face in Arkham Asylum.

Detective Comics #526 - All My Enemies Against Me!
In the Pre-Crisis era, Jason Todd's parents - who were assisting Robin and Batgirl in their investigation of Killer Croc's whereabouts - were later found murdered at a zoo. Robin beats off a horde of crocodiles, and then cradles Jason's mother in his arms as he screams out of despair. This was the first comic I read where Robin swore, and in this version, Jason and his family were circus performers, like Dick Grayson.

Detective Comics #485 - "The Vengeance Vow!"

Kathy Kane (the original Batwoman) is attacked and killed by members of the League of Assassins, led by The Sensei and Batman is defeated in battle by Bronze Tiger.

This was at a time where darkening Batman was very much in vogue, but for someone who likes that much more innocent light hearted silver age stuff, Batwoman getting murdered and Batman not being able to defeat her killer was pretty rough.

Frank Miller is always credited for his influence on making the comics bleak, but in my opinion, the comics gradually became darker over many years before 1986-1987.

[Killer Croc]

Damn, that's devastating for Killer Croc. That girl must've been one last hope he had for humanity and then she gets taken away from him.

By the way KC, I found a way to make the picture smaller in case you don't want it to spread across the entire screen. Click on the img tag, and type in 'width=whatever number you want' e.g. [img width=600]. 

Yeah.... It's not the first time he had to save her either.... She meant everything to him.... 😔

Oh, and thanks for the resizing tip.... 🐊👍

[The Laughing Fish]

I was reading Detective Comics #574 - My Beginning...and My Probable End recently, where Batman takes a severely injured Robin to Dr. Leslie Thompkins for treatment following an incident with the Mad Hatter. While Robin is recuperating, Batman takes the time with Leslie to discuss his tragic past. As Bruce reminisces the time when he went to college, he recalls that in order to prevent anyone from making the connection to him and the crimefighter he would become one day, he planned to put on an act as a spoilt-rotten rich kid and failed his grades on purpose; while learning everything he wanted to know about criminology and science after hours. He would often alienate himself among his classmates because of his rich kid performance and annoy his teachers with his rude behavior, while occasionally disguising himself as another person to engage with intellectual conversations in class. Despite it being a time of loneliness that would've made anyone else crazy, Bruce looks back at this memory with fondness instead, and even calls it some of the best days of his life.

This is why I find Batman such a captivating and poignant comic book character. Even though it takes a tragic toll on his life and could've easily given up his crusade and enjoy himself as the carefree playboy for real, he's so committed to what he does with determination instead and wants to do his best to right the wrongs in his city. No matter how lonely and painful it might be.