The Fate of Batman

[anarky]

comicbookresources.com is reporting a rumor that Batman will die in the comics next summer, one of the Robins (not clear which one) will take his place, and the series will be rebooted at #1.

I cannot tell you how much I hope this is erroneous info or a red herring. It certainly seems like the dumbest idea of all time, with The Dark Knight coming out around that time.

Unless it's All-Star Batman that's being restarted. Bleh on that! Mr Miller's amazing when he's on top of his game. Trouble is, every company out there will allow him to get away with anything, and when's he's bad, he's almost Liefeldian.

[Rollo Tomassi]

Nope. Allegedly, this is what DC's Final Crisis is. The DEATHS of some major MAJOR characters. Basically, the DC Universe will move on without their A-Listers, who will get books that are in a nebulous non-continuity, so you can still read about Batman and Superman and the rest. But the main continuity is getting the shake up of all shake ups.

The one bright gleam of hope is that this IS a Grant Morrison idea/story/script, so I'll wait and see what happens.

And, you know, they can always retcon it if it sucks.

[anarky]

That's suicide.

While I often advocate killing minor characters if it serves the plot, Batman and Superman are far more than comic characters. Wonder Woman, eh, no one gives a shit about.

[jjreason]

I care about the Linda Carter WonderWoman - does that count?

[Rollo Tomassi]

They killed the Linda Carter Wonder Woman off decades ago. Whoever that uninteresting bitch running around in the comics is nowadays, I think they could kill her off at the end of every issue of Wonder Woman and no one would notice. Or care.

[Robin]

I surely hope you are mistaken, too, anarky.

[Batman]

Of course he's mistaken, old chum. No one ever dies... in comics.

[Rollo Tomassi]

But Robin, then you'd get to be the new Batman!

And Aunt Harriet wouldn't have to cover for you guys anymore.

[anarky]

This is the solicitation for the new Booster Gold, and I hope it's wrong, too:

BOOSTER GOLD #5
Written by Geoff Johns & Jeff Katz
Art and cover by Dan Jurgens & Norm Rapmund
"52 Pick-Up" continues! Booster Gold has been tasked with preventing the origins of the world's greatest heroes from unraveling. Next up is his greatest challenge yet: preventing one of the most horrific wrongs that's ever befallen a hero in the DC Universe.
Leaping into the pages of BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE, Booster attempts to stop a tragedy that he discovers never should've happened — the Joker shooting and paralyzing Barbara Gordon, Batgirl.

Please tell me they're not retconning The Killing Joke to bring back that fucking bad idea Batgirl. The only good thing she ever did was stand in front of Joker's bullet.

The preview at newsarama also makes it look like Barbara was still Batgirl when she was shot. The Killing Joke made it seem as if at least a few years had passed since she "grew out of it."

Fucking with The Killing Joke is like going back in time and writing fart jokes in all of Shakespeare's plays.

[RoIIo Tomassi]

Grant Morrison, you ass.

[Diabolical]

...for now.
Remember Knightquest/Knightfall?
That lasted.
At least Morrison didn't kill Batman like he originally wanted to.


Robin and Nightwing are also being canceled.
Coincidence?
Fuck no.
Nightwing will more than likely become Batman (because Robin is still too young), which will be 17 types of gay, and a blatant rip-off of Captain America.

[vynsane]

...for now.
Remember Knightquest/Knightfall?
That lasted.
At least Morrison didn't kill Batman like he originally wanted to.


Robin and Nightwing are also being canceled.
Coincidence?
Fuck no.
Nightwing will more than likely become Batman (because Robin is still too young), which will be 17 types of gay, and a blatant rip-off of Captain America.

no, it will be more a ripoff of 'prodigal', the storyline just after knightsend, where bruce had 'reclaimed' the bat mantle but needed some more time to recover from his injury. dick filed in for him as batman then. like, 15 fucking years ago. and people complain that spidey's stuck in a time-warp...

[RoIIo Tomassi]

I'm more ticked that Batman just gives up at the drop of a hat these days, which a serious hindrance to his overall character archtype.

Okay, he got his back broke and had to take some time off.

But then he JUST took a yearlong sabbatical and let crime run rampant while he "got his head straight" or whatthefuckever.

In the "comic timeline" he's only been busting heads for about a decade. And he was gone for a year of that? So now he's all "Oh eff this crimefighting nonsense...it's too HARD!" And then he's off to bat-pout in the batcorner.

So what if he comes back? At this point who cares? Batman used to be the guy who NEVER gave up, almost to the point of being psychotically determined about it. Now he's the femmie "Oh I broke my nail!" former version of himself. I cannot believe DiDio and WB let Morrison run with this idea.

Even if everything get's retconned or somehow Bruce finds it within himself to carry on the War he started. I'm never going to look at him the same. Because NOW and forever more, he's a quitter.

QUITTER. QUITTER. Quitter McQuittinpants.

[anarky]

Batman has been dead to me since Hush, the last good story told about him.

[jjreason]

I concur. I haven't been buying Morrison Batman other than the first issue and that prose-ish one some of the dorks here were wanking over. The next time I'm hankering for Batman I'll re-read the Loeb/Sale stuff.