By Grant Morrison
If you examine the last couple of decades, then it would seem that comic writers love nothing more than to kill of the characters they are writing for. Superman fell at the hands of Doomsday. Jean Grey got exterminated from the X-Men. Even Captain America got picked off by a sniper. But in comic books, death never lasts. Superman came back to fly around Metropolis, Grey was resurrected as the Dark Phoenix and Steve Rogers should be donning the red, white and blue yet again very soon. So when Batman: RIP was announced, questions had to be asked: would this really be the end of Bruce Wayne and his Dark Knight alter-ego or a little stopgap before he’s running around Gotham once again? As always, the answers are still to become clear….
The Black Glove are a clandestine criminal organisation dedicated to destroying anything virtuous. And who is more virtuous than the protector of Gotham City? Using a combination of devious techniques, the organisation begins to weaken Batman’s resolve and stretch his mind to the limit. With more foes than he realises, and The Joker leering from the sidelines, will Batman (and, indeed, Bruce Wayne) be able to survive the onslaught?
Written by Grant Morrison – responsible for the seminal Batman story Arkham Asylum – Batman: RIP has many great ideas throughout. Chapters that include a psychologically ravaged Batman roaming the streets without the influence of ‘Bruce Wayne’ to temper his influence are brimming full of exuberance and intrigue. Indeed, it as these points where Morrison is at his best. Much like Arkham Asylum, his investigations into the ‘why’ and ‘what’ of The Dark Knight are fascinating reading. And the greatest strength is also the greatest weakness: when we return to the more mundane superhero stuff, such as the finale, it all feels a bit lacking in comparison. And its very continuity heavy so if you’re not boned up on your Batman, then be prepared for a confusing time.
So, is it worth the hype? Well, there’s a lot to enjoy here with strong art from Tony Daniel, but this does not provide as much as a ‘final curtain’ as may have been hoped. But even though it’s flawed there are enough flashes of brilliance (including the bonus strips focusing on Alfred’s relationship with his master) to make this a worthy purchase.
And the fate of Batman? Well superheroes never truly die….
Batman RIP is published by Titan Books and is available from Play.com, Blackwell and all good book stores.