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Comic book review: “Batman R.I.P.” (Issues #676, 677, 678)

Mike July 9th, 2008 Comics, Reviews

This new, six-issue series by Grant Morrison, called Batman R.I.P., has really been a tough experience for me. So far we’ve gotten half the run, with issues #676, 677 and 678.  The story is supposed to be a massive one for Batman fans, one that you cannot miss.

Morrison was quoted as saying this:

“When we begin to suspect the identity of the villain, I think it’s the most, like I said the other day, it’s possibly the most shocking Batman revelation in 70 years.”

That’s a huge statement. I’m not even a comic-book expert and I know that.

My trouble with the book has been my lack of knowledge of previous events that have taken place in this universe. The Batman R.I.P. checklist is pretty long, and it would have been a seriously arduous process trying to collect everything I needed before reading #676.

The pile of graphic novels and comic books is becoming quite large in my office here. I’m actually surprised at how many of these things I’ve purchased or have been given over the course of this year.

But the main thing I’ve learned from them is this: It’s pretty hard to jump into the middle of a series and expect to grasp the implications of every panel you read.

Batman R.I.P. is no exception. The recaps I’ve found elsewhere have been a Godsend for me. There are just so many nods to previous issues and even other series, like Nightwing and Batman: Detective. It’s hard to read it and know exactly what is going on.

Yet I will tell you this: If you are a fan of the Batman comic books and aren’t reading this new series, you need to go grab it. Without even knowing the little intricacies of every line of dialog, I can tell this is something important that has to be read by all followers of Batman.

The big question some may have is whether or not the R.I.P. part means Batman is supposed to die, ala Captain America. I think Morrison had a good answer:

“[It's] so much better than death. People have killed characters in the past but to me, that kind of ends the story! I like to keep the story twisting and turning. So what I am doing is a fate worse than death. Things that no one would expect to happen to these guys at all. This is the end of Bruce Wayne as Batman.”

There are some amazing works of art in these comics. The covers are pretty sweet (you can see a few of them over here), the stories have been dark and foreboding and the epic quality of the overall story is felt immediately.

I wont go into what has happened so far, but if you DO want a decent recap, Wikipedia has a good one.

Definitely worth adding to your collection.

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Viewing 5 Comments

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    I'll tell you what happens...Bruce Wayne off's his cape and picks up Capn Americas shield... someone worthy has to take the mantle
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    Morrison has said that he's pulling heavily from the Batman mythology on this one--from the deep, deep archives. I've caught some of the references he's alluded to in the story thus far, but it's still confusing as hell. Morrison does that. But, he also almost always manages to bring it back around so that it all makes sense and at the end you're left with "wow, he really pulled that off -- that really was mind-blowing!"

    That said, is this really the story that DC should be telling right now? There's no better time to try to be capturing new readers, and this is going to confirm a lot of people's fears: you can't just pick up a comic book and enjoy a single issue anymore.

    Marvel is got a similar problem right now. They should be cashing in on Iron Man in a huge way, but all of the IM titles they have out right now are not only sub-par, but knee-deep in a huge cross-over event that has it's roots in Fantastic Four #2. Yeah, THAT #2 from the early 60's.

    I think both Marvel and DC are putting out pretty good stories for their existing customer base, but I don't think they're turning out good business practice for a dying medium. Batman RIP is a prime example of why they might not capture as many new readers as they'd like in the wake of a successful film.
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    Thanks Pariah for this comment because it explains a lot of the problems I have.

    See, I'm MORE than willing to pick up a brand new series than these old ones. I'm signed up for War Heroes, Kick-Ass, 1985, The X-Files, Solomon Kane, etc., just because they are NEW and I can start from the beginning.

    But like you said, Batman RIP has been a struggle for me. I had to really read someone else's synopsis of the first one and the third to understand what was happening.

    The whole Joker thing, etc.

    It's probably very difficult to start new series on existing character though.

    I did just sign up for Superman, and figure i'll just start reading it and enjoy it for what it is, without worrying about previous stuff...sort of like with Nova.
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    Superman is generally pretty easy to jump on. I forget whether it's in Superman or Action Comics that there seems to be a lurking threat from a past issue--a time traveler that showed Superman what he's done to the human race by being their protector: they basically can't live without him, and when he's gone they fall apart because they haven't learned to solve their own issues.

    I also forget at the moment if Geoff Johns is writing Superman or Action, but I'd recommend finding out and picking some of those issues up. He's sort of cleaning up some of the villains right now--"retconning" (retro active continuity...a post for another time) them--to make them either more plausible, give them better motivations, etc... they're generally self-contained stories and everything that Johns touches these days is gold.
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    I just read the latest issue of Superman on the plane...it had Atlas
    as the new baddie which was cool. Felt real easy to jump right
    in...like you said.

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