Gotham City: Year One by Tom King and Phil Hester

[Vordan]

Slam is clearly supposed to be Thomas’ biological dad, and while I enjoyed this story, that alone makes me not want it to be canon. I like Bruce as the offspring of WASPs, trying to “deproblamatize” him by making him into a minority is stupid. The uncomfortable nature of the character is an asset not a drawback.

Solid read regardless, easily the best “Batbook without Batman in it” since Gotham Central.

[king of hybrids]

While the implication is there and neither Slam, Constance or Bruce are idiots, considering Slam doesn’t seem to have spared Bruce any of the other details; Slam doesn’t have a reason to hold back on the paternity thing.

[thwhtGuardian]

It definitely seems like the take away is supposed to be that not only is Slam Bruce's grandfather but he knows that Batman is Bruce Wayne and he feels responsible for that path because he didn't take care of Thomas. The whole bedside confession means nothing and has no real connection to Batman if that wasn't the intention, and for an elseworld story I'm okay with that. In the main continuity though, Slam is a slightly older contempory to Batman and sometimes partner to Catwoman but for a one off that kind of plays off the fact that Slam was the star before Batman in Detective comics I'm cool with it.
The racial element at the end did feel tacked on though, what did that add?

[king of hybrids]

Eh the sort of guys who’d want to kill Bruce for having a white-passing grandfather would be the same guys who’d want to kill Bruce anyway depending on whether or not Martha was Jewish

Ultimately Slam being Bruce’s grandfather makes no difference to ‘absolving’ him of being old money. Bruce inherited his money from Thomas, who inherited it from Constance, who inherited it from Richard etc. You don’t get much more old money than that.

Sure as hell doesn’t make a difference to the various gribblies invested in the Waynes

[batnbreakfast]

DC should do books like this more often. I enjoyed the good stuff so much I can easily overlook the problems. Not a fan of King but this is my favorite thing he did. I have a soft spot for Hester and Slam and maybe they won t show up for another few years so I look forward to go back to their Gotham City Year One. It would have been a perfect story for TEC.

[Laser_Man]

Slam Bradley secretly being Bruce Wayne's grandfather perfectyl captures why I am sick of such retcons

Characters are not allowed to just exist on their own, everyone must have a complex family history featuring remarkable ancestors. It feel cheap and convenient.

[Tzigone]

Characters are not allowed to just exist on their own, everyone must have a complex family history featuring remarkable ancestors. It feel cheap and convenient.

Preaching to the choir. I particularly hate retcons that connect previously unconnected characters. But I also hate ones that push "weirdness" back to before the point of "origin" (as a general rule - I'm sure if I dug hard enough, there is one I like). So for me, Dick Grayson had a perfectly normal life with perfectly normal (okay, maybe trapeze artists aren't that normal) parents until they were murdered. Bruce's folks were rich and perhaps influential (though, of course, the prominence and wealth of the Wayne family has grown through the years, and has frankly gone way too far sometimes, IMO). They don't need secret societies, lost siblings, relatives involved in massive conspiracies or stunning reveals. It just gets too convoluted, and, as you said, way too convenient. Hate the feel of destiny instead of random chance and them choosing their reactions to the events that occurred. And, really, let's build stories going forwards, not backwards.

[HsssH]

With characters not allowed to age you are more likely to make an impact as a writer if you write backwards. Sadly.

[Laser_Man]

Preaching to the choir. I particularly hate retcons that connect previously unconnected characters. But I also hate ones that push "weirdness" back to before the point of "origin" (as a general rule - I'm sure if I dug hard enough, there is one I like). So for me, Dick Grayson had a perfectly normal life with perfectly normal (okay, maybe trapeze artists aren't that normal) parents until they were murdered. Bruce's folks were rich and perhaps influential (though, of course, the prominence and wealth of the Wayne family has grown through the years, and has frankly gone way too far sometimes, IMO). They don't need secret societies, lost siblings, relatives involved in massive conspiracies or stunning reveals. It just gets too convoluted, and, as you said, way too convenient. Hate the feel of destiny instead of random chance and them choosing their reactions to the events that occurred. And, really, let's build stories going forwards, not backwards.

Agreed completely, and your point about stories going forwards is the best way to sum it up.

Batman is now linked with some demon Batgod, Spider-Man has that Spider-Totem, Symboites also have been retconned into some big thing IIRC. It's too much, everything operates on a universal/multiversal scale now.

[phonogram12]

With characters not allowed to age you are more likely to make an impact as a writer if you write backwards. Sadly.

This is actually a really good point. Characters really aren't allowed to change as real people would because neither editorial nor the hardcore purists have any interest in that.

[king of hybrids]

I think the problem with making Slam Bruce’s grandfather is the same as Bruce not being a ‘real Wayne’ in White Knight or Bruce being Asian-Amerian in Gotham High: knocking the number of generations his family is rich doesn’t really address whatever insecurities/complaints are generated about Bruce inheriting his wealth. So long as Thomas and/or Martha were rich it doesn’t make a damn bit of difference if they are old money or not.