Let me make one thing completely clear to anyone reading this review before reading the issue: it's not for the squeamish. Graphic violence and disturbing imagery permeate nearly every page of this book. It's why the book is as powerful as it is. Morrison means to shock, unnerve, horrify and convince you of this story's importance all at the same time. And in this reviewer's opinion, he succeeds at all of those things and then some. Read Full Review

I'm trying to keep this short and sweet because whether I write 1,000 words or 50 explaining why this issue rocks, it's still better if you just go read it yourself. A lot of major developments happen here in Batman #680 and instead of me rambling off a list of all the cool moments, I can just tell you this gets a big thumbs up from me and then let you find out why on your own. Much like The Killing Joke, this single issue of "R.I.P." also gives some great insight into the twisted relationship between the Bat and Joker. Read Full Review

As someone who has been reading comics for years, it makes a pleasant change to be genuinely interested and invested in an "event" storyline that promises major changes, as it would be all too easy to dismiss this arc simply for the amount of hype that it's received ever since it was announced. Batman's descent into madness has been a more complete and effective way to break Batman down than simply killing him, offering a unique exploration of Bruce as a character - and, unusually, creating a real feeling of jeopardy for the book's hero. His struggle against insanity and chaos has been genuinely thrilling, and this issue has been the most exciting of all, climaxing with a perfectly-paced sequence that makes me very eager to see how the final part of the storyline ties everything up. Like Morrison's Final Crisis, "Batman RIP" is one of those rare "event" comics that exceeds expectations, developing its concept far beyond the obvious route that might have been taken by lesser writers, Read Full Review

Visually, Tony Daniel isn't the best storyteller around, but he gets the job done, and while the coloring is somewhat muddy in the middle, the high contrast red and black ending of the book and the Batman's-eye-view as he collapses are very well done. It's a strong issue, and I wasn't lost by it, even having only a vague idea of what went on before. Batman #680 ranks a very impressive probably-Stephen-infuriating 4 out of 5 stars, because it made me care about a character I'm not emotionally invested in anymore, and made me remember what's really fun about comics... Read Full Review

Some details still don't quite make sense for me, but I'm sure they will if I decide to re-read the whole run someday. In the meantime this issue more than does its job of preparing us for a major showdown soon, one that doesn't leave Bruce completely on his own: Gordon, Talia, Damian and Robin all remain at large. I'm sure they too are smoking guns left on the mantelpiece for just the right moments to come. Read Full Review

So far it has been a tough read, but we'll see if Morrison can sort it all out. But I definitely wouldn't recommend this book to a new reader - heck, I've been reading Batman for years and I'm confused. Read Full Review

But hey, I'm buying it. That counts for something. Read Full Review

If a lot of this review sounds like I repeated parts of my review of the previous issue, but with some specific (and largely insignificant) details switched out, . . . well, thats sort of my point. Read Full Review

Next issue promises a big showdown and we know it won't end well. The reemergence of Damien into the storyline only confirms what we've all been speculating on for months. Grant Morrison has one issue left to end this on a strong note. If he pulls it off without bewildering his audience, this will have been worth the effort. And by effort, I mean the research and annotation digging 99% of us had to do. Read Full Review

In the end, not much happened until the last few pages, but it was still a much better outing than previous issues. Where the others seemed to be lacking any kind of editorial restraint or focus, this issue managed to combine the insanity of previous issues with a tempered direction and story progression that really worked in comparison. Read Full Review

But there's always next issue, of course. And whoever lives to see it. Read Full Review

So in the end, I have kept reading in the hopes that Morrison would eventually tie it all together and blow my mind. But with one more issue to go in this story, I just don't see any way that it can be worth all the time (two years!) and effort (and it has been an effort) and money (approximately 66 dollars so far) that I've invested in this thing. It's possible, I will admit. But at this point it is so improbable that I dread next month's installment. Read Full Review