28 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Smart tribute to years of Batman creativity, July 27, 2009
This is a great comic book for fans of the Batman, for readers who will appreciate a whole range of allusions to various incarnations of this hero over time. It is a brilliant tribute to one of the classic comic book heroes. Those who do not know the history of the character may miss some of the references.
The use of alternate stories may trouble readers who want a straight-forward adventure story -- what Gaiman is providing is an imaginative tribute to the various ways this superhero has been imagined by his creators over the time. It is not a linear story with beginning--middle--end in that order but a series of possible explanations, a series of alternative universes, all of which are tied to the final visions of the hero on the edge of death. What is most amazing is that in the process of imagining all of these possibilities for the Batman, Gaiman is both faithful to various past creators of the hero and completely original.
In many ways, this is a postmodern Batman and a brilliant book by one of the greatest masters of the graphic novel.
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33 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dissatisfied with RIP and Final Crisis? This is for YOU!, July 29, 2009
Being a longtime Batman fan, this past year (comics wise) has been pretty rough on the Dark Knight. First we had Batman R.I.P. An interesting story and idea, but for one reason or another, just didn't sit right with me. Maybe I just need to hang in there and wait for Morrison to finish his run, but as of right now, I still feel a little screwed over at the moment. As for Final Crisis.... I HATED it. Not only is Batman only on a few pages, but then towards the end of the 6th issue, *SPOILERS* he appears out of nowhere, confronts Darkseid, shoots (doesn't even REALLY get the kill shot) and get blasted by Omega Beams. Sure, sure, we see that he's not really dead at the very end, but I was still really frustrated by this very lack-luster story (it's my opinion, I"m sticking to it). However, Neil Gaiman takes two issues and writes a wonderful wrap up to the close of the mess that Morrison has started (don't get me wrong, I love a lot of his work, but not lately). The only reason this book loses one star (and I was being generous) is because there's very little to the book. Two fantastic issues and three or so more stories by Gaiman that don't really relate all that well. But if you need closure after RIP and Final Crisis, this is the book for you.
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39 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, July 25, 2009
OK, I'm prepared for the gasps of shock and anger from the appropriate crowd, but honestly, I was really disappointed in this story. Maybe part of the problem is that I am just not that familiar with what is happening in the individual comic book series right now, but I do know that Bruce Wayne has apparently died. Gaiman was asked to write a swan song of sorts for Batman, and Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? is the end result.
I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I don't think this was it. Originally publihsed in Batman #685 and Detective Comics #852, basically, we are witnessing Batman's funeral (not Bruce Wayne's) and the remaining supporting cast of the series has come to pay their respects. Each person, including his Rogues Gallery, speaks about Batman and how he died, and how each person contributed to his death. Yet not one of these stories matches with another. And it appears that Bruce Wayne is viewing all of the ongoings as a sort of out of body experience.
I think the biggest problem here is that Gaiman was only given two issues to write this out in. I definitely think that the story could have benefited from one, maybe two, more issues of story. It seemed, at least to me, that Gaiman had more story to tell but had to compress what he had to make it fit into the space allotted. He tried to pay tribute to each of the most influential artists and writers of the Batman mythos, but with so many tributes crammed into only two issues and still needing to leave room for the 'big reveal' explanation at the end, what we're left with is a rather jumbled mess of a story.
Andy Kubert's art is quite stunning throughout. He makes an effort to replicate the basic art styles from each time frame that Gaiman pays tribute to, and does an admirable job. His unique style comes through the entire story, but you can also see the artistic influences of the time in his art. I found it a unique and fresh approach to the art. I just wish the story itself left me with the same feeling.
Also included in this edition are four other Batman stories that Gaiman has written over the years.
Maybe if I were more immersed in the Batman series right now, this story would have meant more to me. Maybe if I were a faithful monthly reader, I would have gotten more out of it. But I'm not a stranger to the Batman mythos, and this still felt like Gaiman couldn't quite decide where he wanted to take his story. Maybe he needed another issue. Who knows. I'm sure this story will appeal to the right person, whether that person is a Gaiman fan or a Batman fan. All I know is that I'm a little bit of both (more a Gaiman fan than a Batman fan) and I was left wanting something more out of this story.
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