Batman: R.I.P

[Mr. Hamrick]

Does anyone know that Batman is really being "killed off" in a literal sense?  Better yet, has anyone actually bothered to pick up any of the issues? 

From what I have read of the story, it looks like Bruce is getting amnesia and forgetting he is Batman, or perhaps just abandoning the identity in one of the titles.   I am going to have to re-read it.

In the other, it revolves around the return of Hush and family issues between them.

That is not to say that there are not a couple of similarities to what Brubaker is doing with Cap, but the story itself seems to be going somewhere completely different.  Of course, this could be proven wrong by next month's issue.  For now, Batman has not truly "died", Bruce has just "stopped being Batman".

[B A D]

Whatever they do, it stinks, and its been done already.

They've already broken his back and replaced him ( Knightfall)

They've already sent him on a discovery to be Bruce Wayne, and not so much a D#$k. (One Year Later)

So they're going to combine the two? Send him away and replace him? Stupid.

I Don't want to read about Damien as Batman. Honestly, I have very little desire to read this drug hazed product that morrison is putting out right now. Detective comix has been putting out a much better product as of late. I will drop both if some poser comes in and says "Can I hasz batmask?"

[JeyNyce]

Poor Parody:

Bruce wants to find himself, goes on long quest to find his inner self
Bruce needs someone to be Bats for him, looks for people....
Bane decides that he wants to be Batman and takes the costume
The New Batman kicks the crap out of every one in Arkham and gets drunk with power
Bruce finds himself (I was here all along) and goes back to take back the costume
It's Batman vs New Batman and Bruce wins in the end.

Somewhere in there Bane gets a new Robin, and ticked off a lot of people in Gotham.

[GogglesPizanno]

I haven't been a regular comic reader in several years, but discussions about these kinds of storylines always entertain me. So when I come across potential spoilers I have no problem reading them. The one I came across today is below...

[spoiler]The "Batman R.I.P." storyline will lead into another story, "Battle of the Cowl," with possible Bat-successors Nightwing, Jason Todd, Tim Drake and Damien fighting over the Bat-legacy. And when the Bat-dust settles, Nightwing will take over as Batman and Jason Todd will become "Red Robin."[/spoiler]

[bat1987]

I think that quote came from LITG, it`s only a rumour.

[JeyNyce]

"IF" that was true, what happens to the current Robin?

[B A D]

He gets smart, hooks up with  the JSA, and lives.

[thalaw2]

I picked up a couple of issues of this and the start of the whole thing is so unoriginal it's pathetic.  However, I found the new Batman interesting.

[spoiler]By new Batman I mean the insane one.[/spoiler]

[the_ultimate_evil]

it really could be handled better i'm having to re-read most issues cause on the frist run through its confusing as hell

plus i'm not to keen on the whole "revelations"

[spoiler]alfred is really bruce's dad, his mum was quite "popular" at party's, and his had was a wife abusing drug addict who just happens to be alive and running the black glove [/spoiler]

[UnfluffyBunny]

not read any of these yet, but from what i'm hearing it's like dc saying "who do people love at marvel? ok, we'll kill him off like cap, and do a huge ret-con and ruin his life worse than spider-man!"

[Jakew]

I like it so far ....  :unsure:

[Podmark]

it really could be handled better i'm having to re-read most issues cause on the frist run through its confusing as hell

plus i'm not to keen on the whole "revelations"

[spoiler]alfred is really bruce's dad, his mum was quite "popular" at party's, and his had was a wife abusing drug addict who just happens to be alive and running the black glove [/spoiler]

I feel pretty confident that those will be revealed to be false.

[thalaw2]

I agree with podmark.  Too much good history to ruin things with such tabloid crap.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Yeah, those revelations are total junk.  They'd better be revealed to not to be true, or the DC writers are idiots.

[Mystik]

I just like how must of the negative comments are coming from people who only "hear" stuff and not read the story

[UnfluffyBunny]

erm.... out of all the posters who've commented since the comic came out, i'm the ONLY one who's commented about not liking it who hasnt had chance to read it yet... negative comments since that point in time 3:

thelaw2: "I picked up a couple of issues of this and the start of the whole thing is so unoriginal it's pathetic."
the ultimate evil: "i'm having to re-read most issues cause on the frist run through its confusing as hell"

2 who have, 1 who hasnt... unless I suddenly earned the renown to be considered "most"

[Jakew]

I'm surprised at how many people think these "changes" to Batman's history are going to be permanent.

There is no way that DC would EVER change Batman's family backstory so drastically. It's like when a storyline in Gotham Knights suggested that Bane might be Batman's brother ... never going to happen. Batman is too major and important to DC to ever tinker around with to that degree.

I'm actually really enjoying Morrison's Batman, which is odd, considering I found the writer's Arkham Asylum and Gothic to be overrated.

[lmalonsof]

kill cap,kill batman,replace green hulk with red hulk....to me they dont care about anything but the money machine.

I couldn't agree more.

Batman (Bruce Wayne) is a special character. There are so many different good stories to be told about him that this confirms that DC does not know where the heck are going, they just want to sell. They think that the effect is before the cause: 'we're selling so we're writing good stories'. Well, they're wrong. They're wrong and they're taken DC Universe to a point where everybody prefer reading comics of alternate DC universes or even the old ones.

Do they want to make interesting things to sell more? Ok, let the characters grow old. Build a background around them and respect their continuity. Give them depth. Give them real problems and let them face them. Let the characters retire and pass the torch to a next generation...

[Zippo]

I've been reading and enjoying it. I get a strong impression that these "revelations" about Alfred and Bruce's parents are a load of hooey that will be revealed to be false. I'd be mad if they were true, but I don't get that impression from the way they were introduced.

[GhostMachine]

The "revolations" ARE a load of bs, no question about it.

Oh, and they aren't going to kill off Bruce Wayne. Apparently when the storyline is over, he quits being Batman and someone else takes over the role. Unfortunately, one of the candidates is Jason Todd, and if it IS him, they might as well cancel all the Batman titles. Can't see anyone other than Bruce Wayne, or Dick Grayson as a temporary fill-in (he did just that already, soon after Knightquest) in the role.

Apparently Hush is returning and is going to be in a story running through Detective. You kind of have to wonder if he's not involved with, or behind, the Black Glove.

[Mr. Hamrick]

I think it is important to remember that R.I.P. may not stand for "rest in peace" . . . and that the end result has been pretty much stated that it will not be "Bruce dying" but rather laying down the mantle of Batman for a while. 

My own impression is that there will be a fight for the cowl between Jason Todd, Hush and Dick Grayson.  It has already been said pretty much who would be getting the cowl.  [spoiler]Dick[/spoiler] and its been pretty much said what will happen to Jason Todd [spoiler]He will become "Red Robin"[/spoiler].  However, I suspect that Bruce will eventually come back for the mantle of Batman after a time away.  I suspect I know where the story is going, especially since Catwoman's title is being canceled [spoiler]and she is going to be a full time supporting character in Detective Comics.  I suspect that she and Bruce could actually tie the knot or inch their way toward it.[/spoiler]

[Spe-Dog]

I think Morrison teased it already in another issue.  I think that Bruce himself is behind the Black Glove in some way.  He set this all in motion; The Batman's greatest enemy is himself.  He's Bruce, Batman, Batman of Zen-Ur-Arrah...and what other personalities does he have rattling around in there?

[detourne_me]

I think Morrison teased it already in another issue.  I think that Bruce himself is behind the Black Glove in some way.  He set this all in motion; The Batman's greatest enemy is himself.  He's Bruce, Batman, Batman of Zen-Ur-Arrah...and what other personalities does he have rattling around in there?

that storyline's already been done before, with 'startling revelations' about thomas wayne to boot too, how bruces dad was the first batman(at a costume party), and bruce was actually the first robin (as a teen after his parents' death) it was a story by len wein, john byrne and i think jim aparo. cool thing is that dick comes in and kinda saves bruce/batman.

[Spe-Dog]

Well, there is always the action figure angle too.  How long do you think it will be before DC Direct is kicking out a Batman figure in his crazy eye-sore costume complete with BatMite and removeable tooth?

[Silver Shocker]

Truth be told, I'm actually a bit disappointed to see so many people upset/panicked about this. The extreme cynicism towards DC is a bit shocking as well. As others have pointed out, Bucky coming back in Cap may have been a controversial move, but the book itself was a success. Brubaker's Cap is considered one of the best if not the best Cap run ever made.  I've read the book up to issue 25 and IMO it was damn good comics and proves that bad idea doesn't automatically equal bad comics.

Which brings me to Batman.

I'll be frank: Based on what I've read so far, I think this idea stinks. But idea and execution are two very different things. I'm not ready to condemn the storyline this early. Just as  Brubaker is a top talent writer, Morrison is held in high regard too. Personally I've enjoyed his Batman. I like that it's got subtext and explores the psyche of the character. Is it trippy? Oh yes. But it IS a Grant Morrison book. To complain about it for being trippy and weird is kind of like complaining about a comedy for being funny. As blasphemous as a crazy hobo Batman is, I find that the idea is so ridiculously over the top that it somehow manages to be awesome. Obviously, your views may vary.

As others in this thread have speculated, I seriously doubt Bruce's parents are being ruined as characters. I'm pretty sure it's a ruse. And I'm fairly confident "Batman is the villain" theory is true. I have no idea what that will mean, but I'm giving the storyline a chance and reserving judgment until it finishes and the plot is revealed. I'm not positive if I want to keep reading after that but I plan on giving the aftermath issue a try and maybe the two part crossover to see if it interests me. If I enjoy it, then all the better. The only Batbook I'm buying right now is Batman because that's where the storyline (RIP) is taking place and the tie-ins in the other books are almost certain to be only loosely connected to it. (Robin's tie-ins, which I have read, are a really valid example of this).  But I didn't think I'd enjoy the other books so I didn't pick them up, simple as that.

We all know this stunt won't last. But if the storyline actually manages to be GOOD, than what's the harm?  We already know Bruce isn't going to die so it's not like the franchise is going to be ruined forever. There will definitely be good Batman runs in the future and bad ones, because that is constantly happening in comics, crossovers or no. Spider-Man does it, Superman does it, FF does it, and X-Men practically lives on it. I just don't see the reason to freak out when they do it THIS week.

[doctorchallenger]

I think Morrison teased it already in another issue.  I think that Bruce himself is behind the Black Glove in some way.  He set this all in motion; The Batman's greatest enemy is himself.  He's Bruce, Batman, Batman of Zen-Ur-Arrah...and what other personalities does he have rattling around in there?

that storyline's already been done before, with 'startling revelations' about thomas wayne to boot too, how bruces dad was the first batman(at a costume party), and bruce was actually the first robin (as a teen after his parents' death) it was a story by len wein, john byrne and i think jim aparo. cool thing is that dick comes in and kinda saves bruce/batman.

that was the untold legend of Batman.  But the storu was based on pre-"new look" stories for the most part.

[GhostMachine]

I think Morrison teased it already in another issue.  I think that Bruce himself is behind the Black Glove in some way.  He set this all in motion; The Batman's greatest enemy is himself.  He's Bruce, Batman, Batman of Zen-Ur-Arrah...and what other personalities does he have rattling around in there?

that storyline's already been done before, with 'startling revelations' about thomas wayne to boot too, how bruces dad was the first batman(at a costume party), and bruce was actually the first robin (as a teen after his parents' death) it was a story by len wein, john byrne and i think jim aparo. cool thing is that dick comes in and kinda saves bruce/batman.

that was the untold legend of Batman.  But the storu was based on pre-"new look" stories for the most part.

Actually, Thomas Wayne as the first Batman was originally done in the 50's or 60's. The Untold Legend of Batman really just updated it.

[doctorchallenger]

I think Morrison teased it already in another issue.  I think that Bruce himself is behind the Black Glove in some way.  He set this all in motion; The Batman's greatest enemy is himself.  He's Bruce, Batman, Batman of Zen-Ur-Arrah...and what other personalities does he have rattling around in there?

that storyline's already been done before, with 'startling revelations' about thomas wayne to boot too, how bruces dad was the first batman(at a costume party), and bruce was actually the first robin (as a teen after his parents' death) it was a story by len wein, john byrne and i think jim aparo. cool thing is that dick comes in and kinda saves bruce/batman.

that was the untold legend of Batman.  But the storu was based on pre-"new look" stories for the most part.

Actually, Thomas Wayne as the first Batman was originally done in the 50's or 60's. The Untold Legend of Batman really just updated it.

That was the point I was going for, but my poor typing mangled my delivery.

[GhostMachine]

Picked up my comics yesterday, including Batman #680, and its official:

Morrison needs to be kicked off the book asap and not let anywhere near Batman ever again.

I am about to drop a spoiler, and I'm not spoiler boxing it because its garbage and I want anyone who is even considering picking the issues of this storyline up or the eventual TPB(s) to know how bad this crap is.

IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW, MOVE ON!





The Joker was brought into the story an issue or two back and he looks idiotic in this issue, as he's running around shirtless with suspenders on and also wearing white autopsy gloves - plus he has that whole bullet wound scar in the middle of his forehead going on, which looks awful. However, that's not the problem: The problem is that Batman unmasks while trying to rescue Jezebel Jet ....in the presence of the Joker. Then Batman has a mental breakdown and Jezebel is revealed to be in on it (the Black Glove stuff). Yeah, right.

Think about it: The Joker now pretty much knows Bruce is Batman.....which is something that goes severely against the Joker's character, as he's the one villain who doesn't want to know who Batman is, as it would ruin "the game".

Grant Morrison is now officially a hack, as far as I am concerned. Unless the storyarc has one heck of a twist ending (ie, its all happening in Bruce's head or something), I'm done with him as a writer.

[bat1987]

Yup, that ticked me off as well.

One more thing[spoiler]
Apparently Gordon now knows Bruce`s identity too[/spoiler]