COMICS: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

By Dean Poling

VDT View July 04, 2009 11:30 am

— BATMAN: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAPED CRUSADER?
Several reviews lately have revolved around Batman. This is because the 70-year-old character has been going through some major changes lately: Bruce Wayne is no longer Batman. Dick Grayson, the original Robin, is the new Batman, with Wayne’s son, Damian, cast as the new Robin. The original “Batman” and “Detective Comics” comic books are no more; a new chronology of Batman books has begun. In concluding the decades-long run of the original “Batman” and “Detective Comics” titles, DC wanted to do something special. The comic book company wanted to do something similar to what it did in the 1980s when it ended the original run of Superman titles and started them all over again. Then, comic book legend Alan Moore scripted a coda story to end the original run of Superman stories. Moore’s tale was called “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” It served as a fine masterpiece to end one stage of Superman’s life before starting the whole thing over. So, with the massive changes happening with Batman, DC hoped to give Batman a similar send-off. “Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?” nearly succeeds. DC tapped another comic book legend: Neil Gaiman, who has also had best-selling success with novels, children’s books, and now movies. Gaiman writes a last Batman story that has the character dying by a thousand cuts, meaning here that Batman has died multiple times, living a multitude of lives as the Caped Crusader. Gaiman plays this tale straight and with marvelous twists (such as one scenario where Alfred, who was an actor prior to being the Wayne butler, creates Batman’s supervillains with help from his theatre pals to keep Batman occupied). Andy Kubert provides excellent art. Kubert adapts his style to reflect several Batman artists throughout the decades. Though the setting for this tale is a funeral for Batman/Bruce Wayne, Gaiman finds another constant among the Batman’s many deaths, his many battles with a variety of Jokers, Catwomen, etc., the Bruce Wayne as Batman keeps returning. Perhaps, Bruce Wayne will return again as the Batman in the new comics bearing the Caped Crusader’s name. Of course, he will eventually. It’s just a matter of when. In mid-July, DC releases a hard-cover collection of this Gaiman tale from the final issues of “Batman” and “Detective.” This deluxe edition includes a foreword by Neil Gaiman as well as other Batman comics that include his writing credit. This is a fitting format for a fine homage to the Batman and Bruce Wayne.

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