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.

Grant Morisson: The King of the DC Universe

Grant Morisson may very well be the most powerful man in comics right now. In one hand, he holds the future of the Batman franchise with his current Batman R.I.P. arc. In the other Hand, Morisson holds the fate of the rest of the DC Universe with his Final Crisis crossover. What makes this is even more interesting is that Morisson is not an editor of any kind. He isn’t a DC big shot making all the calls, but rather a writer and a damn good one at that.

DC is betting all of its chips on Morisson coming through and he has no intention of failing. One thing has become perfectly clear lately and that is Bruce Wayne will soon no longer be Batman. As the story unfolds, things are getting worse in Gotham City. Nightwing is drugged and placed inside of a villain run Arkham Asylum. Alfred is beaten and held hostage by the Club of Villains, but it is Bruce Wayne who is in the worst state. Drugged and left on the streets, no memory of who he really is, he has reinvented himself as a Batman from an alternate reality.

The Batman from Zur-en-arrh may seem like a bad sci-fi twist to new readers, but for those who have followed Batman from Morisson’s first issue will know that every piece of the plot has been perfectly layed out, waiting for the completion to reveal the whole picture. Readers have watched and learned that Wayne has taken every precaution and thought up of every scenario to make sure he never fails. He has studied the minds of psychopaths and participated in an isolation chamber experiment, where he nearly lost his mind for good. Morisson has envisioned Wayne as a disciplined crime fighter obsessed of always being one step ahead of the evil in Gotham.

While it is hard to tell just who the mysterious Black Glove is orchestrating all the events leading to Batman’s demise, or just what the newly re-created Joker’s true role will be, one thing is certain: Batman R.I.P. will change everything readers know about Batman. With just a few issues to go until the conclusion, Morisson has reader’s counting the days, until the conclusion comes and they will have to ask themselves whether or not they can live with such a drastic change to one of comic’s most celebrated characters.