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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Comic Batman reaches end of road | Comic Batman reaches end of road |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Batman's alter ego Bruce Wayne has apparently been killed off in the latest issue of the superhero comic. | Batman's alter ego Bruce Wayne has apparently been killed off in the latest issue of the superhero comic. |
| Scottish writer Grant Morrison revealed earlier this week that Wayne would either retire or be killed in a clash with crime syndicate Black Glove. | Scottish writer Grant Morrison revealed earlier this week that Wayne would either retire or be killed in a clash with crime syndicate Black Glove. |
| The story - Batman RIP - sees Batman shot by villain Simon Hurt, who claims to be Wayne's father Dr Thomas Wayne. | The story - Batman RIP - sees Batman shot by villain Simon Hurt, who claims to be Wayne's father Dr Thomas Wayne. |
| The caped crusader first appeared in comics in 1939, and has spawned a 1960s TV series and a host of films. | The caped crusader first appeared in comics in 1939, and has spawned a 1960s TV series and a host of films. |
| The "death" of Wayne's father - shot alongside his mother by a robber when he was a boy - was the catalyst for the young industrialist to become the vigilante crime fighter Batman. | The "death" of Wayne's father - shot alongside his mother by a robber when he was a boy - was the catalyst for the young industrialist to become the vigilante crime fighter Batman. |
| New Batman? | New Batman? |
| In the final scene, Hurt tries to escape in a helicopter after shooting Batman. | In the final scene, Hurt tries to escape in a helicopter after shooting Batman. |
| But the wounded superhero throws himself at the helicopter, causing it to crash. The comic story ends without a frame showing Wayne's body, however. | But the wounded superhero throws himself at the helicopter, causing it to crash. The comic story ends without a frame showing Wayne's body, however. |
| Morrison said earlier this week: "This is the end of Bruce Wayne as Batman. But, like I say, it's so much better than death. | Morrison said earlier this week: "This is the end of Bruce Wayne as Batman. But, like I say, it's so much better than death. |
| "People have killed characters in the past but to me, that kind of ends the story. I like to keep the story twisting and turning. | "People have killed characters in the past but to me, that kind of ends the story. I like to keep the story twisting and turning. |
| "So what I am doing is a fate worse than death. Things that no-one would expect to happen to these guys at all." | "So what I am doing is a fate worse than death. Things that no-one would expect to happen to these guys at all." |
| Wayne may be dead, but publisher DC Comics shows no sign of bringing to an end the Batman franchise. | |
| Morrison would not reveal who would be the new Batman, but the frontrunners include Tim Drake, who has been Robin since 1991, and Dick Grayson - the original Boy Wonder - who now protects Gotham City as Nightwing. | Morrison would not reveal who would be the new Batman, but the frontrunners include Tim Drake, who has been Robin since 1991, and Dick Grayson - the original Boy Wonder - who now protects Gotham City as Nightwing. |
| It is not the first time a superhero has met an unfortunate end in the comic world. | It is not the first time a superhero has met an unfortunate end in the comic world. |
| Last year, Captain America was killed after being shot by a sniper in New York. | Last year, Captain America was killed after being shot by a sniper in New York. |