Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel re-team to tell the exciting 2-part, untold tale of Bruce Wayne and his adventures between BATMAN R.I.P. and FINAL CRISIS! What happened to Batman and Dr. Hurt, for that matter after the devastating events at the climax of R.I.P.? And what secrets within this story point toward THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE?
From the journal entry-style narration boxes to the ever-present red and black imagery, DC wasn't lying when they labeled this a missing chapter of R.I.P. Yet even those that complained about the inaccessibility of the original story will be able to enjoy this straightforward installment. Having gotten used to reading Dick in the bat suit, it's both odd and exhilarating to read Morrison's interpretation of Bruce Wayne as Batman again. The dynamic between Alfred and Bruce is touching and a stark reminder of the vast differences between Dick and Bruce. Tony Daniel changes up his art style this time around, though not exactly for the better. There are inconsistent facial structures and Batman appears to have bulked up on steroid, but overall Daniel's storytelling abilities have improved considerably these past few years. Morrison's overarching Batman story is coming to a head in the next few months, and I can't get enough of it. Read Full Review
There isn't a lot of depth in this story and I'd definitely say that there is an air of toolittletoolate hanging over it as this story fills in a lot of the gaping plot holes left from Batman RIP and Final Crisis, but what it lacks in timeliness and relevancy, it makes up for in quality craftsmanship. As I said a few bullet points back, this is everything that RIP wasn't and while I thoroughly enjoyed this issue, it does make sad to know what RIP could have been capable of if Morrison would've tightened his focus as he does in this issue. Read Full Review
Six months ago, the idea of a two-part "R.I.P. The Missing Chapter" would've been nonsensical. Now? I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed this. Bring on the second half. Read Full Review
It's not bad - it just seems unnecessary, since Morrison already explained this, if not in so much detail. Read Full Review
Great start to an incredibly revealing two issue story. If you were confused by the events of R.I.P. or Final Crisis, at least with everything Batman related, this is a MUST HAVE. Aside from that, it was flat-out a great read too. I'm not saying I lost faith in Morrison as a writer during those two story arcs, but it's stuff like this that reminds me why I like him. Read Full Review
Batman #701 is a great issue, a satisfying coda to Morrison's reign on Batman. It turns out "killing" him was the best way to invigorate Batman yet. In seeing how much he could suffer--bending without ever being broken--we found the real man again. We now get a chance to spend some final days with a man we wish could survive his personal apocalypse. Read Full Review
What happened to Batman just before he crawled out of the bottom of the river where he was trapped and insane and left off to help the Justice League figure out a case during the Final Crisis? This is the story of the last hours of Batman before being teleported to the past by Darkseid. The fact that I forgot that there was a gap between the story of batmans death and the one he suffered by Darkseid is probably a sign that it really didnt matter. At the time Grant Morrison was all over the pace confusing readers with complicated construtivist stories. What this story is about is how Batman is pushed to the limits of human endurance and mental stability by his work. Surely, Superman could have found another detective such as Mr Terrific or Dr. Mid-nite to solve the case of the dead gods. But it would have robbed us of another one of these stories where Batman is an omnipotent god instead of a man who tries really hard. Daniel is a favourite Batman artist of mine. He makes the story even Read Full Review
Now it can be told--the first of the lost chapters of Batman: RIP, one of the holes in the thing, that ties that earlier arc into The Return of Bruce Wayne! Read Full Review
However, there's still a nagging sense that we don't actually learn a huge amount here that advances the plot currently running through the Batman books. Perhaps the concluding issue will offer some slightly more revelatory developments to justify this flashback more convincingly. Read Full Review
Batman #701 was solid read but it was nothing amazing. Morrison as always did a great job writing Bruce. The problem is that this issue lacks the depth I expect from a Morrison penned issue. A lot of this issue felt like a filler issue. Still if you have been a fan of Morrisons run on Batman you will probably enjoy reading Morrison write Bruce as Batman again. For those that have not followed Morrisons previous run on Batman I would say that you should pass on Batman #701 as this doesnt add anything to what is going on right now in the other Batbooks especially to Return of Bruce Wayne. Read Full Review
It's a good issue, but there's not much substance here. There's not even the usual Grant Morrison nuances in the writing or structure. It's like they dusted off some culled epilogue issue and pushed it out for a filler issue. It has its moments, but falls short of the standards set by most of Morrison's Batman and Robin issues. Read Full Review
Since nothing really happened, this is, unfortunately, an eminently forgettable and skippable issue. Read Full Review
This was far from a bad issue, I just couldn't help but feel a little underwhelmed. Makes me wonder if Batman R.I.P. at this point is better left as it was. Read Full Review
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