Wayne of Gotham (35 page)

Bruce Patrick Wayne, billionaire industrialist, philanthropist, and public figure of Gotham died tragically last Friday evening in Crime Alley off Park Row in the theater district of Uptown Gotham. The cause was multiple gunshot wounds. (See related story, “Suspicion Surrounds Wayne Murder,” page 1, and special insert Section J, “The Wayne Dynasty.”)

Wayne was a Gotham celebrity, known as much for making headlines as for presiding over one of the largest multinational corporations in the world. His life was marked by tragedy at an early age when his parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne, were both murdered in Crime Alley while then-eight-year-old Bruce watched. (See related story on page 6, Section J.)

At age 14, Bruce Wayne began a global journey, ultimately studying at Cambridge, the Sorbonne, and other European universities. However, he never stayed long and would often drop out after one semester. Beyond academia, Wayne successfully acquired various practical skills. His knowledge of so many varied disciplines made Wayne an unconventional and unpredictable individual. At age 20, he attempted to join the FBI, but after learning about its regulations and conduct, Wayne withdrew his application and returned to Gotham, taking up the mantle of the Wayne fortune on his 21st birthday. (See “Bruce Wayne Timeline,” Section J, page 2.)

His early years led to considerable notoriety, and he was twice named most eligible bachelor in the world by Gotham Living magazine. He had reportedly dated Princess Portia Storme, Vicki Vale, and his bodyguard Sasha Bordeaux, with whom he was implicated in the death of another of his acquaintances, television personality Vesper Fairchild. (See “Wayne Manor Mystery,” Section J, page 3.) Despite often being seen in the company of women of note, Wayne never married.

Wayne Enterprises, under his controversial leadership, grew into a formidable multinational corporation that included Wayne Aerospace, Wayne Biotech, Wayne Chemical, Wayne Electronics, Wayne Entertainment, Wayne Foods, Wayne Industries, the Wayne Institute for Advanced Studies, Wayne Medical, Wayne Research, Wayne Shipping, Wayne Steel, and Wayne Technologies. The philanthropic arm, the Wayne Foundation, supports causes all over the world. The Wayne operations are now under the direction of Alfred Pennyworth, who serves as president and chairman of the board of directors, and Lucius Fox, who serves as CEO.

In his later years, Wayne became more reclusive and shied away from the celebrity that had been his trademark in his younger years.

Bruce was the son of Thomas and Martha Wayne (both deceased) of Bristol. There are no surviving relations.

TRACY HICKMAN
is a bestselling fantasy author best known for his work on
Dragonlance
, as a game designer and co-author with Margaret Weis, while he worked for TSR. In all, Hickman wrote more than thirty novels in collaboration with Weis. He lives with his wife, Laura, and their four children.

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COVER DESIGN BY MILAN BOZIC

COVER ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN SOOK

WAYNE OF GOTHAM
© 2012 by DC Comics.

Copyright © 2012 DC Comics.

BATMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics. (
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12)

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST EDITION

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

ISBN 978-0-06-207420-1
EPub Edition © MAY 2012 ISBN 9780062074225

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