Comic Title: Batman:The World's Finest Comics Archives Vol. 1 HC
Publisher: DC
Cover Date: 2002
On Sale Date: September 25, 2002 Direct Market Date September 18, 2002
Source: Previews, Vol. 12 #7 (#163)

Direct Market Date September 25, 2002
Source: ComicList, New Comic Book Releases List for Wednesday, September 25, 2002

Cover Price: $49.95
Page Count: 240
Editor: Dale Crain

See Also: The Guide to Graphic Novels and Collected Editions

Title: "The Secret of Bruce Wayne"
Pages: 13

Feature(s):
Batman (of Earth-2)

Writer: Joseph Greene
Artist: Jerry Robinson

Reprinted From:
World's Finest Comics #6 (1942)

Feature Character(s)

• Batman (last appearance in Detective Comics #64; next appearance in Detective Comics #65)

Supporting Character(s)

• Robin (last appearance in Detective Comics #64; next appearance in Detective Comics #65)
• Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in Detective Comics #62; next appearance in Detective Comics #65)

Villain(s)

• Graves (a radio announcer; no further appearances)
• Various unnamed hoods (no further appearances)
• Joker (last appearance in Detective Comics #64; next appearance in Batman #12)
• Catwoman (spelled Cat-Woman in this story; last appearance in Batman #10; next appearance in Batman #15)
• Penguin (last appearance in Batman #11; next appearance in Detective Comics #67)

Other Character(s)

• Scoop Scanlon (a reporter for View Magazine; not to be confused with Scoop Scanlon from Action Comics; no further appearances)
• Wicks (a publisher; no further appearances)
• Mark Loring (a stage actor; dies in this story; no further appearances)
• Mr. Rand (a radio program director; no further appearances)
• Mr. Brent (a script writer; no further appearances)

Comments:
The Joker, Penguin, and Catwoman appear only briefly in this story.

Synopsis:
Batman's adventures are dramatized by the radio show Racket-Smashers. However, Batman notices that another gang of crooks is using the scripts from the show to commit the same crimes without making the mistakes portrayed in the show. While trying to put a stop to the gang, Batman is accompanied by Scoop Scanlon a reporter for View Magazine who is seeking to learn Batman's secret identity. The reporter unwittingly lures Batman into a trap, but Robin is on hand to perform a timely rescue.

Batman deduces that the radio program announcer Graves is behind the crimes. He puts a stop to the gang. A stage actor, Mark Loring is shot during the skirmish. Before dying, Loring learns Batman's secret and pretends to be Batman long enough to convince Scanlon that Bruce Wayne and Batman are different people. When Loring dies, he takes Batman's secret with him.