The Many Deaths of the Batman

The Many Deaths of the Batman is a Batman comic book story arc first published in the late 1980s. "The Many Deaths of the Batman" ran in Batman #433-435, published in 1989. The story was credited to Jim Starlin (script), Jim Aparo (pencil), Mike DeCarlo (ink), Adrienne Roy (color), and John Costanza (lettering). Covers were illustrated by Mike Mignola. The story is also collected as a trade paperback under the title Batman: A Death in the Family, which has gone through multiple printings and is still available today.

Synopsis
Police responded to a call reporting the Batman's death. He was rushed to a hospital, but could not be saved. Someone at the hospital's morgue leaked the story to the press. It made front page news the next day and reached Arkham, Dick, and Alfred. Gordon paid last respects to his fallen friend. A second Batman corpse was found, then third and fourth Batman killings were discovered. All four were experts in their fields: a race car driver, a demolitionist, a chemist, and a body builder. A fifth turned up, a gymnast. Gordon investigated by visiting a cross-bow expert (a cross-bow had killed the gymnast) who'd recently arrived in Gotham City. He greeted Gordon in a Batman costume and told him that Bruce Wayne had sent it to him for a masquerade. The man died while Gordon was there. The Commissioner went to see Wayne. While talking to Wayne, Alfred brought in a package that had arrived - a Batman costume laced with acid. While under police protection, Bruce confided to Alfred that all the dead men had been his trainers in route to becoming the Batman. Alfred ran a diversion on the cops while Bruce headed down to the cave. Another Batman was found. The real Batman deduced the killer and took him down before he could strike again - he was one of the alleged dead trying to break ties from Batman before one of his foes killed him.