The first of two entries from the original volume of the Legends of the Dark Knight title, Gothic is one of Grant Morrison's earlier (and better, and less convoluted) Batman storylines. James Gordon doesn't feature much, but Gothic is a good example of how Bruce Wayne can be involved in the Gotham series long before he becomes Batman. When a mysterious killer starts offing mob bosses across Gotham, the mob turns to Batman for help. Through a series of events and flashbacks that only Grant Morrison could manage to wrangle into one cohesive narrative, Bruce Waynes schoolboy years play into the current case - and through that brilliantly complex structure, we get a rare glimpse into Bruce Wayne's innocent years. Plenty of books tell of the years between the death of Bruce's parents and the donning of the cape and cowl - 1989's Secret Origins: The Man Who Falls by Dennis ONeil collects and retells the most famous bits. But while Gotham will likely focus here, the casting of David Mazouz as the young Bruce Wayne is interesting on a few levels. It's apparent that the death of the Waynes will be depicted early in the series, but will Bruce disappear after that? If not, Gothic could provide a way to incorporate a pre-training Bruce in an inventive manner.
