PopSyndicate.com

Neil Gaiman comes not to bury Batman but to praise him.

Thanks to Grant Morrison, the last few years of Batman have been a bit of a mess.  Is Batman crazy?  Is his father alive?  Is Batman’s father really Alfred?  Is Batman dead and, if so, when exactly did he die?  What’s up with all the other Batmen running around?  What was that thing on Bat Mite’s back?  You could go on and on, listing out questions from Morrison’s run that, if answered, would hopefully shed some much needed light on a puzzling story. Gaiman’s first issue of “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader” was almost as dizzying as Morrison’s run, featuring multiple timelines and versions of characters recounting tales of different incarnations of Batman that just never happened.

The second part of Gaiman’s story continues with the funeral for Batman, as his friends, family, allies and enemies all gather in a rather small, dingy room to pay their respects to the Caped Crusader.  The first page continues to play with the various versions of Batman as in threeconsecutive panels we see Frank Miller’s Batman, Kelly Jones’ Batman and finally a more current Batman lying in a casket.  This isn’t the here and now asGaiman and Kubert are presenting a more timeless version of this story.  Witnessing the funeral from a more ephemeral or spiritual real, an unidentified guide tries to lead Batman to an understanding of the true events happening here.

Kubert’s artwork, inked by Scott Williams, produces a nice timeliness to this story.  His Batman changes in every page, flitting back and forth between different time periods and different artists who have worked on Batman.  As well as the artists mentioned,Kubert’s Batman at different moments recalls Dick Sprang, Brian Bolland, Bill Sienkewicz, Jim Aparo, Don Newton, Jim Lee, David Mazzuchelli, Dave McKean and others.  The slightly different versions and style blend together seamlessly in Gaiman’s story.  In a story about the idea of Batman, it only makes perfect sense to have different periods of Batman’s history visually represented in the story.

Gaiman’s Batman tale is about story; the telling of stories in general and the conclusion of Batman’s story specifically.  The first part featured one of Batman’s oldest villains and one of his closest friends and allies telling true but conflicting stories about Batman.  This issue continues that storytelling.  The original Bat Girl, the Mad Hatter and Robin all their stories about the last adventure of Batman and how he heroically sacrificed himself to stop evil.  Clay Face,Harvey Bullock andRas Al Ghul contribute their own remembrances of Batman’s last moments but within a few pages, none of the many stories we hear match up with what anyone else says.  Even Superman’s story is different and you knowSupeman cannot and would not lie about something like this.  In Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, Alan Moore prefaced his story with “This is an imaginary story… Aren’t they all?”  Who’s story is correct isn’t the question that this story wants us to ask but why can’t they all be the “real” story?  The life and death of Batman should not be contained to one actual moment in time and space.  The actual details are not what is important but the event is.

The last half of this story steps back from the funeral and has an important discussion between Batman and his spiritual guide.  Gaiman is retreading some of the same ground here as he did when he said goodbye to his Sandman in The Wake years ago.  Batman’s guide is much like Gaiman’s Death, a welcoming transition from this life to the next.  The final pages of “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader” gives every past version of the character a fitting goodbye while leaving the cycle open.  This is not the death of Batman but, hopefully, a transition to the next stage in the existence of the character.

It remains to be seen whether Gaiman’s story will have the lasting hold on our imagination as the Alan Moore tale that he borrowed his stories’ name from.  Moore’s story was more of an ending, a finishing point for a certain Superman, his friends and enemies and his story.  Unlike then, there is no JohnByrne waiting in the shadows to completely start over with Batman.  Grant Morrison, Judd Winick and Paul Dini are ready to continue the story but they’re not doing the full reboot that happened to the Man of Steel.  Gaiman’s “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader” exists outside of any continuity or crisis or reboot.  Gaiman’s funeral for Batman is a metaphysical rebirth both for the character and maybe even for the fans of the character.

Detective Comics #853
“Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?  Part 2 of 2”
Written by Neil Gaiman
Penciled by: Andy Kubert
Inked by: Scott Williams
Colored by: Alex Sinclair
Lettered by: Jared K. Fletcher

4