Batman #680 Review

Batman #680
Batman #680 brings the R.I.P. storyline just one issue from its sure to be shocking ending as Batman, who is still in an altered state of mind, makes his way to face the Club of Villains at Arkham Asylum. Nightwing is about to be lobotimized and the Joker has been set free to cause mayhem.

While this issue doesn't have any truly shocking moments (the twist at the end is something most fans have probably wondered for a while) it still manages to mix things up a little bit. The Joker isn't necessarily willing to play nicely with the Black Glove's goons and even has a different attitude towards Batman after blaming him for being shot in the head a dozen or so issues back.

The art is very moody and brings the story to life with not only the great drawings and vivid colors, but also the way the panels are layed out in a way to offer fragments of all the action going on. A lot of things go on subtlely, but are not drawn causing confusion, which is very hard to do.

This arc has done a great job of slowly bringing all of the pieces together without revealing the big finish to the arc just yet. With next issue's conclusion to the R.I.P. storyline, #680 ends with everything in place and even though it offers very few answers and even more questions, it doesn't seem like a whole lot more can happen without answering a few questions, such as: who the Black Glove is, where Robin has gone off to, what part will Damien play, and just what lies ahead for The Dark Knight?

R.I.P. is so good that it is sad to see it end, but at the same time, R.I.P. is a story that solely relies on everything coming together to create one big finish. Hopefully it doesn't fail, but with such a fantastic run so far, it doesn't look like Grant Morrison has intentions on letting friends down.

5/5 stars

Doctor's Note: We apologize for the lateness of this essential review. Be sure to take two pills before bed then check Doc's Comic Blog in the morning.