The Batcave is one of the coolest locations in comic book history, and a large part of that is due to the from Batman habit of collecting trophies, which serve the crucial purpose of reminding his readers – and, no less important, himself – of the adventures he went through. In one story in particular, this was taken a step further, giving Batman his darkest trophy yet.
In the story “Twenty-Seven” – written by Scott Snyder, with art by Sean Murphy, featured in Detective comics #27 – Bruce Wayne woke up in a strange version of the Batcave, full of trophies and other things he didn’t recognize, except one: Crime Alley.
Of course, Crime Alley is the place where Bruce Wayne’s parents were murdered. Meeting an older version of himself, Bruce discovered that the Park Row neighborhood was destroyed during a meteor shower, but he managed to preserve Crime Alley by bringing it to the Batcave.
While it may make sense for Bruce to preserve the site of his parents’ deaths, for most, it’s another alarming sign of Batman’s inability to heal from his trauma.
Crime Alley was the place where Batman was traumatized for the rest of his life
Detective comics #27 “Twenty-Seven” by Scott Snyder, Sean Murphy, Matt Hollingsworth and Steve Wands.
Almost since the character’s inception, it has been a unique facet of Batman’s character that he has a habit of keeping trophies. From a giant coin to a robotic dinosaur, from a giant Joker card to a detective’s diary and dozens of other things. Most of them are celebrations of the adventures he had. Others, like Jason Todd’s old Robin costume, are reminders of his failures so that he never forgets or repeats his mistakes. Bruce has always been someone who keeps trophies, but the future in “Twenty-Seven” shows the darkest trophy the Batcave holds.
While it may make sense for Bruce to preserve the site of his parents’ deaths, for most, it’s another alarming sign of Batman’s inability to heal from his trauma – something that is passed down through his lineage of clones. With the vast amount of resources that Bruce Wayne has, he could also repair and renovate Crime Alley whenever he wanted. He could have paved the entire neighborhood, but he didn’t. because he needed that place to continue to exist.
Crime Alley is where Batman was born, and he can’t let that go
Bruce needs crime alley
With Batman completely unable to let go, he must visit the site of his parents’ deaths, to remember what he is fighting for. As “Twenty-Seven” makes clear, each successive incarnation of Bruce removes Batman’s previous trophies from the Bat Cave, signaling a new beginning. That is, with one big exception: Crime Alley. Since the past, Batman has been part of his lair, this has always remained a constant in subsequent generations. As painful as it is, Crime Alley is from Batman the darkest and most important trophy.
Detective comics #27 is now available from DC Comics.