Bruce Wayne was not always the fearless and triumphant Batman. Bruce trained relentlessly in the mountains and down in the city gutters—learning to overcome his nemeses with confidence and skill. As Bruce Wayne transformed into Batman, he became a beacon of hope for Gotham's residents, and the symbol of dread for Gotham's villains. But when a villain called the Joker comes to town, Batman faces one of his biggest challenges yet. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordan and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman attempts to shut down the Joker before the Joker shuts down Gotham—but not before he finds that his allies may be his enemies. Can Batman save the city on his own, and still be the beloved hero he once was?

The tie-in novel to the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight.

BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT presents the new, original adventures of Batman from the acclaimed digital-first series by an all-star lineup of comics' finest talents including Damon Lindelof (Lost, Prometheus), Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), Jeff Lemire (ANIMAL MAN) and more! Discover startling sides of The Dark Knight that span from his earliest days in the cowl to his never-ending battles against Gotham's greatest enemies, including the Joker and Two-Face. Collecting issues #1-5 of BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT!

For years, Bruce Wayne has built up the legend of Batman, Gotham's Dark Knight. But sometimes, a legend will write itself. Sometimes, a memory long suppressed pushes to the surface in the most painful of ways, forcing a hero to question right, wrong, and all they thought they knew of humanity. Long-time adversaries like Clayface, Element King, and Two-Face can still find new ways to push the Dark Knight to untested limits. Sometimes, the darkness itself births the legend. It's tales like these from the creative minds of JOSHUA WILLIAMSON, WES CRAIG, CHARLES SOULE, DENNIS CALERO, FRANK HANNAH, MARCO TURINI, DEXTER SOY, JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER, SHANE DAVIS, BRANDON MONTCLARE, JIM KRUEGER, MIKE W. BARR, and many more that give new breadth to the Bat in BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT VOL. 4 (collects 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR #2-3).

Who's always ready to protect the city of Gotham from its most dangerous criminals? Who can cage the Penguin, stop the Joker's laughter and collar Catwoman? Only one hero - Batman! But who is Batman? How did he become a superhero? What turned him from a carefree boy into the Dark Knight? Now, the thrilling story of one of the world's famous superheroes is brought to a pre-school audience, so that even Batman's youngest fans can discover his secrets!

In part 1 of "Shaman", Bruce Wayne meets a tribal shaman who influences his life forever while mountain climbing in his days before becoming Batman. Returning to Gotham City, Bruce takes up the cowl and meets Leslie Thompkins before experiencing a major tragedy.