Before I get rolling, I have to make a correction. The R.I.P. story began in BATMAN 676, not 675 as I alluded to in the last post. Also, the trade ad has it in BATMAN and the OUTSIDERS, but I have not seen it, nor do I really care about it.
It was pointed out to me by Jim that the spin-off books have been not really all that helpful in driving the story forward. I would agree. To me the poorest effort has been in ROBIN. He spends the night looking for someone who took a camera phone picture of Batman to determine if he really has gone nuts. OK, challenge time. Go find the issue (#176) and look at the photo on page 5 ( or maybe 6 if you count ads). Go ahead, I'll wait. Find it? Good. Tell me something. Other than some stubble, how can you tell if he's gone nuts? Wouldn't Batman look like that to any street thug or criminal lowlife? Wouldn't he scowl at them to make them wet their pants? This is the determining factor that Robin us using? I know he found the dossier that Bruce made in his early days, but the photo was the tipping point? And don't get me started on the whole Spoiler thing. I think she brings waaay to much drama into Robin/Tim's life. Should have stayed with Zoanne, but that's for another time. NIGHTWING is just started to get into the R.I.P. story, or at least I think so. In his book, Dick is taking on a task for Two-Face and gets shot by someone. There is very little if any mention of what is going on in BATMAN. Then why do they bother to put the R.I.P. label on the top of the book? Considering that Dick is in Arkham drugged out of his mind over in BATMAN, we have no idea where Nightwing is going to end up.
Onto the main book, BATMAN. Maybe this is a slow burn, I'm not sure or not that smart. There are plot threads which only have 2 more issues to wrap up. How does Jezebel Jet fit into all this and where the heck is she? After showing her the Batcave, is most intimate place in the world, she basically calls him psychotic and implies that the whole "Black Hand" could be in his head. Is Alfred supposed to be the mastermind behind this? One moment it looks that way, the next he's getting the living snot beat out of him in the Batcave. Then out of nowhere, Bat-Mite appears and Bruce spends most of the next issue having a conversation with him. The Black Hand has taken control of the Batcave and the next issue teases the Joker. They sprung him in the first part but haven't seen him since.
I think we'll find out that this "Zur-en-arrh" trigger was planted in Bruce's mind when he was Narda Parabat while he has mediating during the 52 mini series. Someone, maybe Ra's al Guhl did this to him to strike at Bruce's heart and soul. I found something recently and it grabbed my attention. In DC UNIVERSE Zero, basically a primer for all the big series they are going to be doing, there is a conversation between Batman and Joker in Arkham. In it, Joker tell Batman that he is about to get his head handed to him by some "some very, very bad people have decided to hurt you. Because they can, Because they think you deserve it.". Obviously the Joker will play some part in this, because "Robin has been promised to him.".
So, what is the endgame here? Will Bruce give up the mantle of the Bat to someone like Dick or Jason? Unlikely, since Dick is doing well over in NIGHTWING and I don't think that Tim would trust Jason enough to continue on as Batman and Robin. We saw in the opening page of this story that Batman and Robin are still together six months in the future. Will there be some wild card out there who will show up to help? Again, unlikely. Does anyone out there have a clue, outside of Grant Morrison? Because I fail to see where this is going to end. I guess I'm just not that savvy.
Overall, I've enjoyed the story. It does take you out of your comfort zone in reading it, and if done properly, that can be an enjoyable thing. I do know this. Once this wraps up, I'll be breaking out all the issues to see where I missed something and how it will all be tied together nice and neatly.
I hope.
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4 comments:
Ron - nice summation. I'm having a number of issues with all of this also, but the Batman RIP storyline is only one part of Grant's overall story.
The Batman we see six months later I do not think is Bruce. My bet is it is Dick and Damien.
I think DC made a mistake by trying to make other Bat books part of RIP as there is nothing then can do to impact the story that Grant is writing. Grant has said this story goes into 2009 and maybe 2010.
I tend to think that you may be right, Jim.
The question then becomes; what do they do with the Nightwing character and Tim?
Maybe Tim becomes Nightwing? Doubtful, but who the heck knows.
Thanks for the critque! =)
After the last dreadful issue I decided that the ending and only the ending will determine how good the overall story was.
I can see the seeds that were planted, especially in the last issue, but it will be the villain at the end that is revealed that will sink or swim this.
If we gone all this way to learn at the end a part of Bruce was behind this and he is his own worst enemy, the storyline will be a big FAIL.
Even worse - the RIP arc maybe just the middle in Grant's overall arc. X-Men, Animal Man and others are very long form stories.
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