“Batman R.I.P” Begins

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The ever ominous title, Batman R.I.P. has comic fans pondering the fate of Bruce Wayne and his costume wearing counterpart.  In order to assuage any concerns, writer Grant Morrison has stated numerous times that this is not a death, but rather that, “ This is the end of Bruce Wayne as Batman.”

Now, Bruce Wayne has hung up the cowl before, but one has to wonder why this time is different.  The other players involved, according to the R.I.P. marketing campaign, are former and current sidekicks Nightwing and Robin, plus the moderately mysterious villain Hush.  I’m sure comic readers couldn’t imagine an event such as this without the first two, but the inclusion of Hush creates speculation.  Especially with the DC ad, that shows him with the word “Envy” in bold letters just below his picture.  Is it possible that DC is looking to create some buzz using the same formula Marvel did with the Winter Soldier/Death of Captain America storyline?  

The story focus, at least right out of the gate, seems to diverge into two different directions.  First, is the ongoing menacing from ”The Black Glove”, seen in previous story arcs.  Indicators point to a major showdown, that is intended to unseat the Dark Knight once and for all.  Is this the catalyst that causes the billionaire playboy to ditch his alter ego?

The other diverging road at the beginning of this event is the ongoing romance with Jezebel Jet, which has lasted longer than most of Bruce’s romances in recent history.  The longevity of this relationship, coupled with the fact that Jezebel is aware of Bruce’s dual identities, makes one wonder if the desire to settle down and start a family is the reason for a change of the guard after all these years.  If this is the case, I’d say R.I.P is likely to stand for Retirement In Progress. 

The event has just begun, so it’s far too early to comment on it as a whole, but it’s easy to see why the anticipation for this story is through the roof.  As far as first issues go, Morrison does an excellent job of creating a faint sense of dread.  From the new Batmobile (gee, a new Batmobile would look good with a new Batman) to the Joker’s horribly gruesome appearance at the end of the issue, one can only glean from this that things are not meant to end well.  And that’s okay.  Batman never was a happy ending kind of guy. 

Batman R.I.P. Checklist: 

Batman 676-681
Detective 846-850
Nightwing 147-150
Robin 175-176
Batman and the Outsiders 11-13