Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

"Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" is a 2009 story featuring the DC Comics character of Batman.

The story is published in two parts, in the "final" issues of the series Batman (#686) and Detective Comics (#853), released February and April respectively.

Written by Neil Gaiman, pencilled by Andy Kubert, and inked by Scott Williams, the story is purported to be the "last" Batman story in the wake of severe psychological trauma that Batman endures within the Batman R.I.P. story, and his ultimate fate in Final Crisis.

The story's title is a reference to the backup stories published in DC Comics Presents from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s which revisited various long-unused Golden and Silver Age characters; these stories were all titled "Whatever Happened to ?" akin to writer Alan Moore's "last" Superman story "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?"

Neil Gaiman's two-part series about the death of Batman concluded last week. The story takes place during a memorial service for Batman, in which all the characters who knew him give different accounts of his death. Batman's ghost, meanwhile, observes the scene and has a conversation with his mother. Despite being a two-part story, it feels like two different stories. The structure and content between the two issues is considerably different, and the quality likewise becomes increasingly disparate.

The first issue was particularly enthralling for one thing alone; Alfred's account of the death of Batman. Alfred tells his audience that he and his actor friends became the Rogue's Gallery in order to keep Bruce Wayne out of depression. Alfred himself was the Joker, a completely unexpected and startling transformation. This was the most compelling twist on the Batman mythos that I think I've ever seen. If the entire two-part story was like this, I'd be giving it my full recommendation. Sadly, the quality of the Alfred account was not replicated, but the first issue was still enjoyable thanks to another well-told account from Catwoman, exploring her relationship with Batman and her abandonment of the costume scene.

The second issue is in complete contrast to the first issue. Gaiman abandons the fascinating stories and does the worst thing possible; he gives us a lecture. And to add the icing on the shit cake, he brought Batman's mother from the afterlife to give the lecture. An opportunity for some emotionally powerful dialogue between Bruce Wayne and his mother is gone to waste when Gaiman decides that the two family members should meet with complete apathy and discuss philosophy. Martha Wayne had no personality, her dialogue was mostly unmemorable.

And it isn't like we haven't heard these philosophy lectures from Gaiman before. The "What have you learned?" line is ripped from Sandman: The Dream Hunters. It's a great fundamental point about stories, but not one that needs repeating here in a Batman story. And as for Batman being a symbol of hope and passion for justice, name one important Batman book or film that didn't delve into that very position. In other words, this second issue is a regurgitation of everything we've seen before with Batman, yet ignores the one thing that hasn't been touched upon. Amazing.

Andy Kubert's art is very good, as usual. His work in this book is perfectly consistent. It's interesting to see the characters at the memorial service change faces between stories, depicting their different appearances over the years and in animation.

If I decide to pick up the collected edition, it will be for the first issue alone. If the comic is still in the shop, I might just pick that up cheap. There is nothing about the second issue that I consider worth buying.

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