Who Killed Vesper Fairchild? Part 1

By: Tony Whitt
Date: Wednesday, February 20, 2002

This feature begins a special multi-part focus on the new Batman story arc that began with a history-making 10 cent issue, the first offered by a comic book publisher in decades?


The Batman books have caught the crossover bug again, not long after the Joker threatened virtually the entire DC universe. This time, though, there's actually some cause for interest, as Bruce Wayne and his bodyguard Sasha Boudreaux face murder charges for the death of his former girlfriend Vesper Fairchild. The scary thing is, Sasha doesn't know if her boss did it?and the even scarier thing is, neither do we. Yet.

Of course, not every part of a crossover story is going to be perfect, or will even have anything to do with the entire plot thread. Some parts may go on to become classics on their own, while others will be nothing more than a month-long pause for a book trying to do something completely different. In the case of the "Bruce Wayne, Murderer?" crossover, this is compounded by the fact that it involves no less than twelve parts and no less than seven different titles, including a special one-shot to kick the festivities off. So, is trying to keep up with seven titles and twelve different chapters really worth your time, or should you just wait for the inevitable trade paperback? Here's an overview of what you should check out, and what might be most readily avoided...

The mystery begins with BATMAN: THE 10 CENT ADVENTURE, possibly one of the best (not to mention most affordable) one-offs that DC (or indeed any comic book publisher) has released in ages. In this preliminary chapter, we follow Sasha as she ruminates over her feelings about her boss, a man who deals with tragedy on an almost daily basis. Problem is, he's also dealing with his deliberate pushing away of his girlfriend Vesper Fairchild, a reporter who is?or rather, was?getting too close to Batman. This story gives us our first moment of doubt over whether Bruce Wayne truly did kill Vesper Fairchild. Sasha herself notes how often Batman has come to the building across from Vesper's apartment to watch her, a creepy thing even for Batman to do. So when the two are separated for just that little while, both she and we have to wonder what was going on in the meantime.

The story ends with Bruce and Sasha standing over Vesper's body in Wayne Manor, with the police who have answered Vesper's 911 call arresting them. Greg Rucka writes a taut little character study that sets the scene for the mystery that will follow, and if this weren't a lead-in to yet another long crossover, BATMAN: THE 10 CENT ADVENTURE might have been considered a great entry piece for new readers, or at least one of the best shock endings in comics history. Sadly, we all knew what was coming, and any new readers might very well have been turned off by the "To Be Continued" caption. It's still worth the dime, at the very least.

The storyline begins in earnest with DETECTIVE COMICS #766, in which Bruce and Sasha are hauled off for questioning. The emphasis is on "detective" here, as this issue focuses squarely on the investigation by detectives Allen and Montoya. Their meticulous study of the murder scene makes this far more a "true crime" type of story than a superhero book, if you could ever call the Batman a typical "superhero" to begin with. And while the rest of the crossover series may feature interrogation scenes, none of them are quite as brutal as the ones we see here, especially when the horrific 911 tape of Vesper's last moments are played for Bruce and Sasha. Rucka works against our expectations once again with this compelling story, and by the end we're still left in doubt as to Bruce's innocence. It's a terrific story on its own, and a great lead-in to the following chapter.

The next chapter, unfortunately, doesn't live up to the promise of that lead-in. BATGIRL #24 isn't really a poor story, but it's hard to credit how incredibly unbelievable the premise is. Supposedly, Barbara Gordon (aka Oracle) hears the original 911 call live, and as she's trying to figure out which of the Bat Family to send into Wayne Manor, she hears the fatal shot. Then she sends in Batgirl who, in one of the most literally incredible displays of tactless superheroing we've ever seen, takes pictures of the scene while the detectives are still in the room and actually remains in Wayne Manor while it's being searched. The whole notion strains credulity, and after two amazingly realistic opening chapters, this storyline doesn't need that sort of strain. Apart from the epiphany of Cassandra finally realizing Batman's identity, which may have startling implications in the future, there's no real reason for Batgirl to have been included here. The only justifiable reason, it seems, is the necessary inclusion of Barbara Gordon, who will go on to become one of the most active characters in this storyline and who will appear in almost every chapter to follow. Otherwise, there's nothing here that really adds to the mystery, and the installment feels more like an add-on than an absolute necessity. You can safely avoid this chapter, but sadly, it won't be the last one you should avoid...

Next time we?ll continue our overview of the historic Batman event with a look at the NIGHTWING, GOTHAM KNIGHTS and BIRDS OF PREY installments?