The Beginning of the End

Book: Batman: R.I.P
Pen: Grant Morrison
Pencil: Tony S Daniel

How’s that for a provocative title? Grant Morrison, like all great comic writers, had a definitive end planned for his run. It is how he reached there that would, in equal parts, thrill and frustrate, the readers. It is so easy to say that he suddenly arrived at the titles and then figured out a storyline. But that would be a disservice to his considerable talents.

It’s a much-repeated joke that Batman’s superpower is his preparation. He is ready for anything his foes might throw at him because he has thought of that before and planned for it. He is not just the world’s greatest detective, he is also the world’s greatest strategist. And that is what Morrison counts on.

The prologue introduces the Joker. Well, as much as one wanted Grant Morrison to go for new or obscure villains, one cannot have a Batman RIP storyline without his greatest adversary. We enter straight into the business end of things. The Black Glove has been teased for some time. In the second page itself we see who he is. And then we find out the simple, yet dastardly, plan they have in mind.

Batman is in love. With beautiful model cum African heiress Jezebel Jet. She has discovered his true identity. Bruce wants to keep her safe but is unsure how when they both receive an invitation to an event hosted by the Black Glove. Before they decide on the next course of action there is an attack on the Batcave.

Now comes frustrating Morrison. Bruce wakes up in an alley with no memory of who he is. He is helped by a homeless man who takes him on an ‘odyssey’. He becomes the Batman of Zurr-En-Arhh. Remember the Black Casebook? Which had outlandish stories from the 50s and 60s? RIP is replete with references from that. Including the above version of the Caped Crusader. In fact, the book finds itself being a character.

The Black Glove is attacking Batman’s mind, ensuring he goes down a spiral of self-disintegration. The Joker has been invited to witness the historic event. He does not take kindly to the insinuation that someone could do what he was never able to. He predicts accurately what would happen. Turns out that going after Batman’s mind was actually a brilliant plan. Too bad the dude had prepared for that also.

The latter half of the book is a mixed bag. There are some head-scratching scenes, but there are also some that bring on the goose bumps. The grave sequence is as thrilling as anything you see in a popular comic book. And Grant Morrison can really up the ante in terms of pace, if he wants to.

Batman RIP could have been right up in the annals of Batman lore if Morrison had gone more mainstream. But then he would not have been Grant Morrison if he lost all of the weirdness.