Pen: Neil Gaiman
Pencil: Andy Kubert
Whatever happened in Final Crisis? To all accounts Batman is dead. How is the character going forward? We will get to that, but, for now, we take a pause from Grant Morrison.
Writer extraordinaire Neil Gaiman was tasked with an epic sent off to the Dark Knight. More accurately, an epic obituary. Batman’s chapter had to be closed like how Alan Moore closed out the Silver Age Superman with Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow. Since Moore would spit at DC if they approached him, the suits approached Moore’s friend and follower Gaiman.
Gaiman’s task was tougher. Morrison was nowhere near completing his saga, even though Batman was dead. He couldn’t write about what happened to the Caped Crusader, he couldn’t write what happened after. Which meant the story had to be out of continuity. Plus the title was already chosen for him.
The problem was solved by taking the question literally. What happened to Bruce Wayne? Gaiman invites us to a wake. It is a bar in Crime Alley. One by one the villains arrive, followed by others in Bruce Wayne’s life. Batman is the narrator and he has no clue what is happening.
Selina Kyle tells the story of how she met him and how they were together during his last minutes. Then Alfred had another story leading to Batman’s death. And each of the people in attendance started saying their stories. Before you scream Rashomon, the stories have nothing to do with each other, other than they all had Batman in them and they all touched upon him never giving up or giving in.
It is an extraordinary short story, and full credit to Neil Gaiman to not make it all about those versions. “You are the world’s greatest detective, Bruce. Why don’t you figure it out?” is how the first part of the story ends. And he does. Andy Kubert has delivered in spades with his art. The final page where the Bat Signal morphs to something else is pure genius.
Just like Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow, this book also does not offer a concrete end to a saga. In fact, it is even less effective as the story continues instead of being rebooted. But the tale is a gem and we are thankful that the opportunity was given to Gaiman.
