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I recently got back into reading comics. Looks like I've picked a hell of a time to return to one of my favorites, too - Batman.
The "R.I.P" storyarch has only just begun. This time, unlike 1994's "Knightfall" its not a full on assault of Arkham's inmates wearing Batman down for him to be broken, the entire basis of his mission and some of the people closest to him are brought into question.
Years ago, Batman took a fall and fractured his skull. He's treated by a mysterious doctor, who uncovers his identy, but more insidiously implants a hypnotic trigger in his mind. On top of this, a recent bomb scare withn Gotham leads to a long-lost dossier. This dossier not only bring's Batman's butler's identity into question, but also that he possibly fathered Bruce Wayne and also that the incident that defined Bruce Wayne's life wasn't a random mugging gone awry, but a hired hit on Martha Wayne by Thomas Wayne and suggests Thomas Wayne's death was faked.
Of course, there's also a mysterious hand behind all this and Batman is desparately trying to figure out who it is, all he has to go on is the name "Black Glove." Batman is stalked by the henchmen, he questions some of his biggest enemies. When asked in Arkham, the Joker didn't speak, merely dealt a dead man's hand (8,1,8,1 or, in letters "H.A. H.A.").
Buttons handed out at a recent comic convention have brought a lot of speculation as well. The buttons picture Nightwing (Dick Grayson, the first Robin) Robin (Tim Drake, the third Robin), Jason Todd (the second Robin, resurrected in Infinite Crisis) and Hush and the quote "I am Batman" is on each button.
There's a grim sense of finality to the start of this story. Some think Bruce Wayne will die, that he'll go into hiding or that someone will replace him as Batman. Whatever the case, he's being attacked from within and everything we know about Bruce Wayne is questioned. This wouldn't be the first time Batman was replaced, though, it happened after Knightfall by both Jean Paul Valley (aka Azrael) and Dick Grayson. Both were temporary.
This also comes in the midst of Final Crisis, the last part of the Crisis storyline that began in 1984 and following up 2004's Infinite Crisis and 52. In a way, the idea of Bruce Wayne as Batman ending is kinda sad, but considering all the DC comic book heroes that passed on thier mantle to others, perhaps its finally time for a new guy to be Batman. After all, he's been at this for like 60 years now.
Passing on the mantle isn't so much of a Marvel Comics thing, if they fuck a character up, they restart his comic from #1 (see Spiderman). DC just creates these "crisis" stories to patch things up and creates a multiverse around the characters and timelines so they never have to restart, though Green Lantern and countless others get cancelled then the new Green Lantern comics just pick up where it left off.
I kinda have a harder time taking the Superman comics seriously, though. Maybe its just me, but I liked evil corporate Lex Luthor better than SuperFriends Lex Luthor, which he seems to have reverted to. Well, Wayne Enterprises did overtake LexCorp, more proof you don't fuck with Batman. Superman just puts you in jail, Batman takes your company.
That fact leads me to think Bruce Wayne will live and he'll leave the Batman gig a winner.
The "R.I.P" storyarch has only just begun. This time, unlike 1994's "Knightfall" its not a full on assault of Arkham's inmates wearing Batman down for him to be broken, the entire basis of his mission and some of the people closest to him are brought into question.
Years ago, Batman took a fall and fractured his skull. He's treated by a mysterious doctor, who uncovers his identy, but more insidiously implants a hypnotic trigger in his mind. On top of this, a recent bomb scare withn Gotham leads to a long-lost dossier. This dossier not only bring's Batman's butler's identity into question, but also that he possibly fathered Bruce Wayne and also that the incident that defined Bruce Wayne's life wasn't a random mugging gone awry, but a hired hit on Martha Wayne by Thomas Wayne and suggests Thomas Wayne's death was faked.
Of course, there's also a mysterious hand behind all this and Batman is desparately trying to figure out who it is, all he has to go on is the name "Black Glove." Batman is stalked by the henchmen, he questions some of his biggest enemies. When asked in Arkham, the Joker didn't speak, merely dealt a dead man's hand (8,1,8,1 or, in letters "H.A. H.A.").
Buttons handed out at a recent comic convention have brought a lot of speculation as well. The buttons picture Nightwing (Dick Grayson, the first Robin) Robin (Tim Drake, the third Robin), Jason Todd (the second Robin, resurrected in Infinite Crisis) and Hush and the quote "I am Batman" is on each button.
There's a grim sense of finality to the start of this story. Some think Bruce Wayne will die, that he'll go into hiding or that someone will replace him as Batman. Whatever the case, he's being attacked from within and everything we know about Bruce Wayne is questioned. This wouldn't be the first time Batman was replaced, though, it happened after Knightfall by both Jean Paul Valley (aka Azrael) and Dick Grayson. Both were temporary.
This also comes in the midst of Final Crisis, the last part of the Crisis storyline that began in 1984 and following up 2004's Infinite Crisis and 52. In a way, the idea of Bruce Wayne as Batman ending is kinda sad, but considering all the DC comic book heroes that passed on thier mantle to others, perhaps its finally time for a new guy to be Batman. After all, he's been at this for like 60 years now.
Passing on the mantle isn't so much of a Marvel Comics thing, if they fuck a character up, they restart his comic from #1 (see Spiderman). DC just creates these "crisis" stories to patch things up and creates a multiverse around the characters and timelines so they never have to restart, though Green Lantern and countless others get cancelled then the new Green Lantern comics just pick up where it left off.
I kinda have a harder time taking the Superman comics seriously, though. Maybe its just me, but I liked evil corporate Lex Luthor better than SuperFriends Lex Luthor, which he seems to have reverted to. Well, Wayne Enterprises did overtake LexCorp, more proof you don't fuck with Batman. Superman just puts you in jail, Batman takes your company.
That fact leads me to think Bruce Wayne will live and he'll leave the Batman gig a winner.
Thanks for the update, BBQ. I'll be on Wikipedia ALL fsckin day now..
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