Comic Info
Comic Name: Batman (Volume 1)
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Tony S. Daniel
# of Issues: 9
Release Date: 2009
Batman (1) #679
Reprints DC Universe #0 and Batman (1) #676-683 (June 2008-February 2009). The Black Glove has reached its final endgame. Their plan to destroy Batman once and for all has been enacted and Bruce finds himself on the street and driven crazy. As the Black Glove and their ally the Joker work to destroy the rest of the Bat Family, Batman finds himself working as the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh as he tries to regain his broken sanity. Death could be eminent for the Caped Crusader, but even if he does survive, a darker future might be ahead.
Written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Tony S. Daniel (and additional art by Sandu Florea, Lee Garbett, and Trevor Scott), Batman: R.I.P. is the culmination of Grant Morrison’s Batman storyline and a lead in to his DC multi-title event Final Crisis. The story has been collected in a deluxe edition along with the story in DC Universe #0 (June 2008) and the two issue follow-up stories from Batman (1) #682 and Batman (1) #683.
Grant Morrison’s Batman started out with a bang and got me interested in Batman again. The series took the character and attempted to do some different stuff with him which is always a challenge with such an old character. Unfortunately, Batman: R.I.P. is kind of convoluted and messy.
Batman (1) #681
The story is all over the place. It is hard to follow what Bruce knows and when he knows it, plus you have the Joker’s involvement which it isn’t very clear how he ties into the overall story. I also question the whole Jezebel Jet portion of the story since through most of the story I just assumed she was a villain and then there was supposed to be a big shocking reveal she was working with the Black Glove. The back-up stories don’t really add much to the collection and feel rather tacked on.
I will say I do love the art for the story. Tony S. Daniel’s art really gives substance to Morrison’s work and makes it tolerable. I wish that the story was up to the level of the art and also it was a better lead in to Final Crisis.
Batman: R.I.P. was a real disappointment. Many complained that in a title declaring the death of Batman, Batman did not die. Morrison claimed “fate worse than death”…I just wanted death. It showed the pretty sharp downgrade in Morrison’s run which continued to fall through Final Crisis and Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne. I love Morrison, and I like Batman and his family…I just wish I liked this run more.
