Reserved List
Bruce Wayne <> Batman
Alfred Beagle
Justin Hammer
Crispus Allen
Renee Montoya
George Stacy
Gwen Stacy
Harvey Dent <> Two-Face
Jacob Conover <> The Rose
Silvermane
Mr. Freeze
Gotham City
(full reserve lists are 24 characters)
The Batman (the series title) – Ongoing (the format - ongoing, limited, or one-shot)
The origin of Batman is classic because it’s so simple. The irresolution of that brutal moment in Bruce Wayne’s life is what makes it so powerful--Bruce’s story cannot simply be one of revenge. With his parents’ killers never brought to justice, Bruce cannot gain the simple closure revenge would bring. These unresolved feelings are what create and sustain The Batman, a figure lashing out at the whole of the criminal world, because of that one brutal unsolved crime. (Demonstrate overarching understanding of the character(s) in the first paragraph)
The Bruce Wayne we meet in this series is young, 18 years old, and just returning from a ten year journey abroad with his legal guardian, Alfred Beagle, to begin his first year at Gotham State University. His education overseas has taught him armed and unarmed combat, criminology, psychology, and forensics--the skills he will need for his war on crime. But his extensive travels have drained his inheritance, as control of Wayne Enterprises was seized by the ruthless Justin Hammer shortly after his father’s death. With only one high-rise property to his name, Bruce makes his base in the penthouse apartment, which he nicknames “the Batcave.” (Introduce key differences in your interpretation)
But the Gotham City he returns to has gone from bad to worse since the death of his parents. Corruption in Gotham begins at the Mayor’s office and trickles down. Run by Jacob Conover, a seedy politician with ties to Gotham’s oldest Irish gangs, the Mayor’s office wages a gang war with the Italian mobs, whose ailing boss is Silvio Manfredi, the gangster known as Silvermane. (Set up the main conflict of your first arc)
Paralleling Bruce’s story is George Stacy, a widower who took his only daughter, Gwen Stacy, to New York shortly after the Wayne murders. Circumstances have compelled him to return to Gotham, however, as Gwen begins her first year at GSU in the fall. Rather than let her come to Gotham alone, Captain Stacy has elected to transfer to the Gotham City Police Department. What he finds there is a puppet branch of the Mayor’s office, run by the morally defunct Commissioner Dudley Soames. Barely staying afloat in this sea of corruption are two good cops, Detectives Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya, who welcome the integrity their new Captain brings to the force. In time, all three will prove to be critical allies in the Batman’s crusade. (Speak about supporting cast members and how they contribute to the story)
The story of Bruce Wayne is the story about how we mourn. Faced with the prospect of happiness with Gwen and shown a different path to justice by a law student he befriends named Harvey Dent, Bruce struggles with keeping that solemn vow he made to his parents as an eight-year-old. Can he be Batman and be happy at the same time? (Tell us what your book is "about" at its most basic core)
While Bruce is wrestling with his inner conflicts, a new player enters the gang war between Conover and Silvermane. Calling himself Mr. Freeze, he systematically targets and kills members of the Manfredi family, blaming Silvermane for the death of his wife, Nora, who he was trying to keep cryogenically frozen until a cure could be found for her condition. Batman brings the killer to justice, in the process, learning what loss can drive a person to do. (Illustrate how you complicate the story and then resolve it)
Having seen what extreme mourning can do to someone, Bruce decides to retire to a normal life. But his hopes are shattered when his inspiration becomes the villainous Two-Face, a figure who believes justice is randomly determined, like the flip of a coin. Filling the power vacuum left by the disintegration of the Manfredi family, Two-Face’s presence calls Batman back into action. And he learns that as long as the Batman is needed, Bruce Wayne can never find happiness. (Foreshadow future developments and themes)
(A pitch should only be about one Microsoft Word page long, not including your reserved list. Space is at a premium, so make sure your ideas shine through!)