Someone Spoil Batman R.I.P. for me.

[Pink Bat Maxine]

I ain't gonna read it, but it clearly impacts DCU books. So what's goin' on?

[K-DoG7p7]

Batman is not going to die..

[Eliseu Gouveia]

Don´t know much about it myself, hope it´s not another Death of Superman stunt....

[JTPencils]

Don´t know much about it myself, hope it´s not another Death of Superman stunt....

Can you say "BINGO".

Let's face it. DC is not going to kill off one of it's flagship characters for too long. It's just as bad a shake up as the whole "Knightfall" series. ESPECIALLY since they've just gone gangbusters with the film? You really think they're going to try to explain "Bales" character dying to bring in a new Batman?

All those who fall for that, will also be looking for a slew of high quality comics from a certain Upstate NY publisher (and I say that with a non straight face).

[Expletive Deleted]

The final part isn't out yet, so there're no big "he lives/he dies" spoilers, yet.

As for minor spoilers . . . the crazy alien Batman with the red and purple costume from the Silver Age "Batman of Zurr-En-Arrh" story is Batman's emergency backup personality in the event of a drug-induced psychotic break and Bat-Mite is functioning as both his spirit guide and the last lingering vestige of his sanity.

Woo-hoo, Morrison!

[DrewEdwards]

I haven't read it, but anything that includes Bat-Mite is an instant win. Bat-Mite rules.

[dragonbat]

I've been writing an Elseworlds fanfiction version of it... still in progress

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=230966

[Lester C.]

I don't buy new comics anymore but I've heard that Batman is in a relationship with the main villian who might be a new god or the devil.:eek:

[The Xenos]

I don't think I could spoil it for ya even if I wanted to. It is Grant Morrison after all.

[Lester C.]

I don't think I could spoil it for ya even if I wanted to. It is Grant Morrison after all.

All of Grant's stuff I read fom his body of work in the 80s and 90s was very stright forward. I am confused as when his stuff became very confusing for a lot of the posters out there as I haven't read his 2000s body of work.

[KevinTBrown]

I don't think I could spoil it for ya even if I wanted to. It is Grant Morrison after all.

True.

I've been reading it, and I have no fucking idea what's going.... :confused:

[4thHorseman]

Batman had conducted experiments on his mind to fully understand the Joker's mindset way back when. In doing so, he had tripped on many crazy experiences which is Morrisons way to make all the silver age wackiness cannon. Dr. Hurt, someone who had experimented on him, had left a "failsafe" word that when he needed to would crack the Batman's mindset and make him go crazy, which is what happens. Dr. Hurt is apart of the Black Glove organization (who's main man is still shrouded in mystery until next issue), and they are making hell for Batman's life currently. Batman fully snaps, but like Batman has done for everything, he was prepared for a mental attack by creating a side persona in the Zurr En Arr Batman (also from Silver Age goodiness). So this Batman has taken over and is much more violent and crazy, and is hunting down the Black Glove organization after they attacked Bruce in the Batcave, kidnapped his recent love interest (who is apart of the Black Glove), kidnapped Alfred, and is trying to solve everything. He has shown up at Arkham Asylum where Joker is waiting for him and trying to help him fully realize everything, Nightwing has been captured and looks like he's about to undergo surgery, and Bruce's love interest is behind a glass wall where Joker is about to "kill" her.

The next issue wraps everything up saying who is the head man of the Black Glove, what happens to Bruce (and everyone else), and everything else I couldn't explain.

There is so much happening it's hard to explain in one post. But I think that's a decent summary. People can feel free to add to it.

[Pink Bat Maxine]

Batman had conducted experiments on his mind to fully understand the Joker's mindset way back when. In doing so, he had tripped on many crazy experiences which is Morrisons way to make all the silver age wackiness cannon. Dr. Hurt, someone who had experimented on him, had left a "failsafe" word that when he needed to would crack the Batman's mindset and make him go crazy, which is what happens. Dr. Hurt is apart of the Black Glove organization (who's main man is still shrouded in mystery until next issue), and they are making hell for Batman's life currently. Batman fully snaps, but like Batman has done for everything, he was prepared for a mental attack by creating a side persona in the Zurr En Arr Batman (also from Silver Age goodiness). So this Batman has taken over and is much more violent and crazy, and is hunting down the Black Glove organization after they attacked Bruce in the Batcave, kidnapped his recent love interest (who is apart of the Black Glove), kidnapped Alfred, and is trying to solve everything. He has shown up at Arkham Asylum where Joker is waiting for him and trying to help him fully realize everything, Nightwing has been captured and looks like he's about to undergo surgery, and Bruce's love interest is behind a glass wall where Joker is about to "kill" her.

The next issue wraps everything up saying who is the head man of the Black Glove, what happens to Bruce (and everyone else), and everything else I couldn't explain.

There is so much happening it's hard to explain in one post. But I think that's a decent summary. People can feel free to add to it.

Sounds........ dreadful.

[Spiffy]

Batman is not going to die..
Batman is going to get all pissy and abdicate. Except when he decides to come back for Final Crisis. Unless that's someone else dressed like him. Then, despite the R.I.P.ness of this, something will happen in two years or so to bring him back.

If we're lucky, maybe we'll get some twist like his identity being publicly outed. I cite that as "lucky", just because at least it would actually be surprising. Well, at least more surprising than Bat-Mite being Batman's Superego.

Sounds........ dreadful.
Most of it has been. Although even someone who's hated the gimmicky nature of this as much as me can admit the last issue was a good deal better than the murky, badly pieced together, almost unreadable two or three which came before it.

[Flamebird]

I ain't gonna read it, but it clearly impacts DCU books. So what's goin' on?

Short answer?

The Butler did it. :tongue:

[scout1279]

So, I haven't read Batman in a while. Has being revealed as evil given Jezebel Jet a personality?

[4thHorseman]

So, I haven't read Batman in a while. Has being revealed as evil given Jezebel Jet a personality?

Not yet at least. It was the very last panel of the issue.

[4thHorseman]

Sounds........ dreadful.

It hasn't been too bad. Mixed thoughts really. The art can appear sloppy in places, and the story can be...clunky....pieced together poorly...whatever you wanna call it. The ideas I like, but it seems convulted in too many places.

[Sabrinaset]

I think it's ALREADY spoiled!

[scout1279]

I plan on finishing the story when I can get it in trade, but I honestly never understood the big deal about it. It was entertaining, but not great, and not very original. I guess I just don't get all that Silver Age stuff that Morrison is working with either. Does it really need to be incorporated into the character as he exists now? Aside from the Jezebel Jet stuff, I did enjoy how Morrison wrote the character of Batman though. He was fun.

[LtMarvel]

True.

I've been reading it, and I have no fucking idea what's going.... :confused:
Well you see Hush stole Catwoman's heart because...um...

No wait, that's the other confusing RIP tie in...

I've read it and I don't know what's going on either....

It's like the Invisibles all over again...

[joe27]

I like how when Morrison isn't writing Batman as insane, he writes him as a wry pussy hound.

Once R.I.P. is over and done with, I hope he can write some stories where not everything has to work on fifty different levels and lead up to some years from now pay-off.

I'd like some Roger Moore, 70's Bond type stories but with Batman. That's was I thought this run was going to be like when reading Morrison's first few issues.

Like where Bruce would fight thrilling crimes, have chest hair and lots of enjoyable, no-strings sex as though nobody had ever heard of A.I.D.S. or Frank Miller.

[Chiroptera]

I'm waiting until RIP is concluded, then I plan to take the main book, I.E. Batman R.I.P. read the whole thing again and critique it.

Currently I'm of the opinion that it's quite possibly one of the sloppiest Batman stories in the past two decades, and certainly one of the lowest of the low among the works of Grant Morrison; but I'm not going to go into full detail until I can read the whole thing start to finish again and really disect it so that I can clearly identify exactly WHY I think it's so damned awful.

And to clarify, the ideas themselves? Very interesting.
It's not the storyline I dislike. It's the piss poor execution, and the way he tries to make everything seem realistic and gritty while making it painfully obvious that he didn't do any research before writing the stuff.

[kingdom2000]

Sounds........ dreadful.

Yep it is.
The summary is pretty good darn good considering. It doesn't highlight what a difficult (and boring) read it is most of the time. Like the excuses for Final Crisis, you have to "understand" Morrison and willing to do a crap ton of research to get the full effect. Even then I think it just means you get the references but doesn't change the bad storytelling (execution issues, bad transititions, jumps around incoherently in both place and time) that has plagued Morrison's non "All-Star Superman" work.

Oh and guess what, it takes place BEFORE Final Crisis (I believe that is from Morrison himself) so there you go on the ending.

[Alan Lynch]

Sounds........ dreadful.
Seconded. What little I've seen of it myself doesn't seem to contradict that, and I got bored of Morrison's Batman long before RIP was ever mentioned.

Can't they just turn the whole damn line over to Paul Dini? I'd like that ever so much.

[PatrickG]

That Zurr-En-Arrh costume is BEAUTIFUL though.

I gotta say, it makes me want to see an Avengers Forever-style book with the JLAers pulled from various low ebbs in their personal histories.

I'd love to see Mullet Superman in his black suit with his giant guns, Wonder Woman in her white suit, Batman in his purple, red and yellow suit, Hal Jordan as Parallax, Aquaman with his hook hand, etc...

[CutterMike]

The butler did it.

...And possibly more than once.

[Pink Bat Maxine]

Wonder Woman in her white suit...

Nah..... Biker Wonder Woman was the worst, I think.

[Charles RB]

...biker Wonder Woman?

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

...biker Wonder Woman?

I think she means the one Diana had back when Artemis was filling the actual star-spangled thong.

[scout1279]

The butler did it.

...And possibly more than once.
Yeah, so is Alfred Bruce's biological dad now? Since this thread is already about spoiling Batman R.I.P., can someone explain the whole deal with Bruce's parents and Alfred and the drugs? Is that supposed to be real, or just something that was used to drive Bruce crazy?

[Sarah Beach]

So, I haven't read Batman in a while. Has being revealed as evil given Jezebel Jet a personality?

Okay, so I'm way behind in my reading, I admit it. Which is a terrible thing to be saying, since Batman is my favorite character.

But really... was there any question of this? I mean, come on, in this day and age, why not just paint it in neon from the get-go? Morrison named her Jezebel, God help us! Is anyone surprised?

Bah.

[Spiffy]

Nah..... Biker Wonder Woman was the worst, I think.
Oh come on. Pig tusk Wonder Woman will ALWAYS win a "worst" contest.

[scout1279]

Okay, so I'm way behind in my reading, I admit it. Which is a terrible thing to be saying, since Batman is my favorite character.

But really... was there any question of this? I mean, come on, in this day and age, why not just paint it in neon from the get-go? Morrison named her Jezebel, God help us! Is anyone surprised?

Bah.
I'm not surprised by the reveal at all, I was just hoping it made her interesting.

[4thHorseman]

Yeah, so is Alfred Bruce's biological dad now? Since this thread is already about spoiling Batman R.I.P., can someone explain the whole deal with Bruce's parents and Alfred and the drugs? Is that supposed to be real, or just something that was used to drive Bruce crazy?

From what I understand, Dr. Hurt claims to be Thomas Wayne who never died. He also claimed (and I'm guessing forged documents that Gordon saw), that Martha had gotten it on with Alfred, but I don't know if they are hinting that Alfred is Bruce's dad or if she was simply just a whore, or if it's all some elaborate ruse to mess with Bruce and Alfred also

When Alfred was brought onto the revelation when Dr. Hurt told it to him, he just simply looked at Dr. Hurt and said something along the lines of "I knew Thomas Wayne, and you sir, are not him."

[scout1279]

From what I understand, Dr. Hurt claims to be Thomas Wayne who never died. He also claimed (and I'm guessing forged documents that Gordon saw), that Martha had gotten it on with Alfred, but I don't know if they are hinting that Alfred is Bruce's dad or if she was simply just a whore.

When Alfred was brought onto the revelation when Dr. Hurt told it to him, he just simply looked at Dr. Hurt and said something along the lines of "I knew Thomas Wayne, and you sir, are not him."
Ah, so it's probably just a ruse. I couldn't really see DC allowing that, so I was a bit surprised by it all. I also can't see DC allowing Alfred to be the Black Glove, as many people have suggested. If so, it'll be retconned faster than Morrison's X-Men run.

[Crowley]

Yeah, so is Alfred Bruce's biological dad now? Since this thread is already about spoiling Batman R.I.P., can someone explain the whole deal with Bruce's parents and Alfred and the drugs? Is that supposed to be real, or just something that was used to drive Bruce crazy?

None of it's real.

This is my take on it:

Batman was created because 8yo Bruce couldn't handle death... now he's evolving and that childhood revenge fantasy (Batman) is eroding.

Bruce is purging himself of Batman... in doing so he's in a deeply delusional state and the Black Glove is his oldest enemy.

Not Joker, Alfred, Batman, The Devil, or any master criminals... but Death itself.

In the end Batman will die... not Bruce Wayne. But the Batman persona. It's time for Dick Grayson to take the reigns.

[EdContradictory]

Ah, so it's probably just a ruse. I couldn't really see DC allowing that, so I was a bit surprised by it all. I also can't see DC allowing Alfred to be the Black Glove, as many people have suggested. If so, it'll be retconned faster than Morrison's X-Men run.
Great. Another Xorn brother...

[scout1279]

None of it's real.

This is my take on it:

Batman was created because 8yo Bruce couldn't handle death... now he's evolving and that childhood revenge fantasy (Batman) is eroding.

Bruce is purging himself of Batman... in doing so he's in a deeply delusional state and the Black Glove is his oldest enemy.

Not Joker, Alfred, Batman, The Devil, or any master criminals... but Death itself.

In the end Batman will die... not Bruce Wayne. But the Batman persona. It's time for Dick Grayson to take the reigns.
Well, that's obviously not going to last very long either.

I have to admit that I kind of hate the idea of Dick Grayson becoming Batman. He's cool because he's not Batman. He grew up and did his own thing. I guess I also just don't really get legacy characters though.

[Spiffy]

None of it's real.

This is my take on it:

Batman was created because 8yo Bruce couldn't handle death... now he's evolving and that childhood revenge fantasy (Batman) is eroding.

Bruce is purging himself of Batman... in doing so he's in a deeply delusional state and the Black Glove is his oldest enemy.

Not Joker, Alfred, Batman, The Devil, or any master criminals... but Death itself.

In the end Batman will die... not Bruce Wayne. But the Batman persona. It's time for Dick Grayson to take the reigns.
My take is that Batman will die, but in a metaphorical sense. He'll be outed as Bruce Wayne to the public. While that wouldn't by itself be enough to end his career as Batman, combined with the trauma of everything else that's happened, he'll at least appear to give it up.

By necessity, if Bruce is outed though, I think, so are Nightwing and Robin. So it's not simply a case of someone else being Batman to obscure who he is.

And of course, at some future time, after DC has exhausted this gimmick, he'll change his mind and come back. Whether or not a public reveal of his I.D. can (or would) be undone is another matter entirely. He could always make a deal with Neron or Satanus or whoever is the current DC equivalent to Mephisto at that point.

[Kid Kamikaze10]

I don't know...

I really like Batman R.I.P. It's pretty much the culmination of Morrison's run so far.

(though, there were some details that people, including myself, missed because of the novel-ish issue with the Joker. aka: nobody wanted to read it...)

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

I'm curious to see where it goes, if nothing else.