I don't normally do these things it's always nice to read your comments but really this two part-er was incredible. I'm doing this with the issue directly in front of me. We open to Clark informing everyone of the situation, while Bruce instead just considers them the same problem in a bigger package this is a good window into their minds, Bruce thinks of the worlds as rather black and white even when the operative word is "worlds". Then into the narration, we automatically realize that the last words of the world's greatest detective are directed towards his closest friend a man who "can hear glaciers melting" and "the turf wars of dust-mites". The imagery on the spread following is great we see Bruce forging the Radion bullet. And we see withing the bat symbol Bruce's eyes, a gun, and Martha's fallen pearls. The idea of course will be echoed across the issue that he is preparing to do the one thing that brought about the tragic loss of his parents. Morrison is using this narration in a way that is nigh poetic. Bruce is speaking to Wally about how the bullet is literally not only the thing but the idea of a bullet it is in it's own way mythic. This is very much a commentary on these incredible things that Bruce is now facing these aliens and god's are our fiction and mythic ideas as much as they are his. The idea of an element that kills cosmic gods is both outrageous and much above the level of thing Bruce tends to deal with. At this point it is not only the missing chapter to R.I.P. but it has deeply linked R.I.P. and Final Crisis. Back to the subject of this commentary on the mythic ideas of The New Gods. It is a great finish to it with the statement that it is the same bullet that has killed the most famous men in history, it is this idea that it is not the bullet that is truly the thought but it is truly the death. It has nothing to do with the projectile but everything to do with the fact that Bruce has never needed a bullet because he has never intended to kill. This is powerful to me. The fight scene with kraken and his commentary on the several weapons of his villains all being unified within her strikes shows a tad bit of romanticism between him and this moment, he has lived it before. On his knees captured by the villain and so far he has always escaped. Now one of the most powerful part of this book for me was the moment with Jim on the rooftop it is a flashback and at first glance "Why did you have to choose an enemy that's old as Time and bigger than all of us, Batman?" " same reason you did, Jim. I figured I could take him" this is an apparent conversation about Darkseid but my interpretation is that this is a question of why he fights Crime or Evil. Because Jim isn't fighting Darkseid they both are fighting this idea that is so much older. Batman is now standing before Darkseid, our villain. Batman decides to tell his opponent how rare of a moment it is that he is holding a gun at all. And this New Myth that Bruce mentions of course is a close allusion to Rorshach's response to the world in Watchmen. A fun close comparison showing you that batman at all times is a speaker for man from the masses. Incredible job with shot of Batman close to being sanctioned. This great montage like sequence while the explanation of how the Omega Sanction works does a great job of explaining something that was fairly ambiguous at first. It creates a history around Batman for centuries it builds a mythos that did not previously exist. It makes one a wandering god. The the short reference to Neil Gaimans "Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader" was quite incredibly placed amongst thebats flying, the pearls and the Thomas Wayne/ Barbatos wall. This book was built as a well constructed tip of the hat to those of us that have been paying attention. There are no coincidences with the bat-mythos and this is very fun. Another incredible reference I saw was the gate which read "Willowood Asylum" and in my research came across a wonderful development. Thanks to the wonderful Timothy Calahan, https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDtsI0sCGlWfVEwEiaAw1_zOoG8hWZtYGSEcImT3xFkjyFvspVnAosQ9tZS8mszsjQC3JJFKay0HseCRFO_42NnU4iDRFzSp9y_gJBz2TY232GMUKMFeCq2sDR_7NmmeIUTTumOjtm3w/s320/World's+Finest+Comics+223-S%26B%2BDeadman.cbr+-+Page+16.jpg We then move to the Tape recorder from which or narration comes here again addressing Superman, with Rip Hunter and Red Robin. We now see Bruce with a green glow and Kirby Crackle. And his Funeral where he (a younger version) stands behind them telling them he isn't dead. And the hill where he and his Parents are all buried. And now Appearing amongst the Crackle tearing off his costume outside of a cave. He walks into the cave with bats scattering. He is seen by the old Anthro who is sketching the Anti-life equation and he falls with what looks like Martha Wayne's Pears which confuses me. Not only does everything the sanction touch turn to Myth but even Bruce is comparing himself to the Hero Theseus. In the end Bruce is every hero you have ever had. Not just you but Morrison is expressing the fact that Bruce will always be human and always be greatest human. He undoes his belt, leaves his final message on the recorder that being that when Bruce decided to walk this path he should have known that it never ends. This is why not a single news channel covered the death of Batman even when we were presented his charred body. This is because There is no way to kill Batman. Morrison can't do it and neither can Darkseid. This is possibly the greatest issue Morrison has written of Batman not including the fact that Tony Daniel was spot on with art duties. This was just everything You could have asked for.
Tell me what you think of this review and any suggestion of other books. My friend Steven Said he would start posting his reviews here and of Course Aris does he quick reviews on his blog every week. Now I'm gonna post a quick R.I.P. Missing chapter script I wrote for fun. It takes place between when Bruce "dies" and when Dick decides to be Batman. It will be posted later tonight. Cheers!
