Batman #700

I thought this issue would be a good start to review Batman (since I'm still kind of new to Comicvine).  

First, I have to say this: 700 issues is incredible. Batman has come a long long way. For years, many writers and artist have taken Batman into all sorts of new directions. From Year One that retold the story of Batman's beginning, To Death in a Family, where the Joker did the unthinkable when killing Jason Todd (actually fans of Batman killed him but you get the idea). In Knighfall where Batman was actually broken both mentally and physically and yet with willpower, he came back, to No Man's Land, after his city was devastated from a earthquake, he had to use all his skills to work to help restore the city. There was also the Hush arc which one person put almost all of Batman's greatest enemies since Knightfall to try to take the Dark Knight down which also brought out some surprising outcomes. There was even War games that put the entire bat family into a gang war with Black Mask as the mastermind in Gotham City with the cost of one of their own (which we found out later that Stephanie did not die). And then there's the One Year Later stories that after Batman and his family went on a journey to rediscover themselves, he returns to Gotham with more adventures up till Batman RIP arc. And on a minor note, we even saw the future with Batman Beyond.
But, I'm getting of the subject a little bit. My point is these stories help make Batman. With issue 700, this tells a story of Batman's Past, Present, Future, and Beyond.
 
Pros:
I'm going to say this first. The artwork in this milestone issue is outstanding. From the cover done by David Finch, the other four artists step up their games as each section is done well. Tony Daniel takes the first half of the art combining the Silver, Golden, and a little bit of the modern age. The second part, done by Frank Quitely and Scott Kolins, who also do the artwork for Batman and Robin, is great work as usual with semi dark environment and the other half as cartoony, yet good. The third part by Andy Kurbert takes us back to the future of Gotham City under Damian. Finally the last part by David Finch, shows us a unique turns of events for Batman's future.  As an extra, there's even an art gallery by other artists and a design of the Batcave as a bonus.
 
The story is very unique. Grant Morrison was a great choice to write the story for this milestone. I don't want to give it away, but I will say that it expands the Batman universe.
 
Cons:
Despite being the 700th issue, this issue isn't exactly for everyone. For new fans getting into the series, you may be confused of the story. While the story is interesting, it is kind of hard to get into at first. You might have to read it a couple of times to fully grasp it. 
On a minor note, this is not a tie-in to the return of Bruce Wayne for those who wanted to get some new information. Also, if you read Batman #666 you may be in for a nice surprise however,

 
Overall, despite some flaws, I would say this issue is worth the money. These days, most writers would be satisfied just to reach 10 issues. A lot would people would consider 50 issues to be an achievement as well. 100 issues must mean you're doing something right.  With Batman, 700 issues is just....wow. And with this issue, we see how no matter the time, there will always be a Batman. Kudos for 700 issues, and I hope you can make it 700 more.