Batman # 677 - Batman R.I.P.: Batman in the Underworld

I agree with Captain Blah. Morrison has filled the R.I.P. issues from cover to cover. When I was at the cons and heard DC execs proudly pontificating that Batman R.I.P. is something not to miss, I was way to worried that actually try and do something stupid like kill off Bruce Wayne the way Marvel killed off Steve Rogers.

The previous issue reveals a lot about what is going on in the Joker's mind. That was my clue that any death in this story arc probably won't be a real death unless it's a secondary character like Jezebel. Honestly, another girl knowing the details of Batman and the cave should be killed because too many people know.

The story continues to show the villains that are somewhat responsible for the chaos in Batman's life. The motley pack is ultimately led by Dr. Hurt but it's the hunchback Monsieur Le Bossu who is the commanding officer. It's a weird group of villains to say the least. A strange scuba man, a guy with a bucket helmet, a harlequinn (like we don't have enough of those), a masked wrestler (I'd be surprised if it is Bane but it could be), a chick that looks like the opera singer from The Fifth Element or one of those Star Wars ladies (I've never cared enough to remember the name of the race) and there's one more man with a painted white face and Grecian wreath around his head. They are called the Gargoyle Henchmen within the pages but then on the very last page it states "The Clube of Villains takes Gotham." So I personally have no idea what's going on with the villains.

I describe them because I'm not sure if that level of goofy supervillains is necessary in a story that already promises to be good by having The Black Glove as the archnemesis. There could be generic goons like the League of Assassins. Maybe their uniqueness will be pivotal to the actions. We certainly won't know until there's more.

Bruce's breakdown is tied to a previous story in this title where he went off to Tibet for a type of hardcore vision quest at Nanda Parbat. His mind was incredibly jolted during the starvation and meditation exercises. Robin has been unsure of Batman's stability since his return to Gotham.

Another reason why I think Batman should stop revealing his identity and/or taking people to the cave is because there is always a security breach. It opens up story plots but they're easy. In HUSH, his computer was tampered by a faithful and loyal friend/employee. Now subliminal messages are triggered which were planted years ago and the evil scuba man is seen coming out of the water in the cave (since when is there water in the cave anyway?).

I love the mental breakdown of Bruce. I'm sticking with the title because it is one of the better ones in DC and you don't have to deal with crossovers if you don't want to. I'm hoping Jezebel gets killed in the end because it's the formula for Bruce's tragic life.

This arc so far seems quite odd. Fast-paced and full of development on each issue Morrison is

obviously going somewhere with this, but where exactly?

Morrison drops a lot on the reader in a single issue, but after a close reading and a little thought,

you can see how massive this story is. In one issue, Batman brings Jezebelle Jet to the Cave, seemingly

loses it, the Black Glove strikes, and Thomas Wayne might be alive. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

When all is said and done, this arc may be seen as one of the best ever. What with Morrison's complex,

dark, and mysterious writing, and Daniel's perfectly complimentary art, if Batman really is going to

die, he couldn't ask for a more proper send off.