A review of Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader Part Two!

Well, it certainly wasn’t as good as “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”.

But it was still enjoyable.

This much delayed comic started out back at the “Batman’s funeral” scene, where we got some more eulogies from beloved characters about our dearly departed Dark Knight.

I was particularly touched by Robin’s, which was very much one of a kid who had lost his hero and his father. I also liked the nifty throwback and explanation for the “Holy <insert object>”, which was equally touching. The staunch willingness to carry on in the last panel of his speech really encapsulated the character.

I also liked the Joker’s, as it was a perfect synopsis of the relationship between the two characters, and you gotta love Mr. J’s puppy dog expression at the end of his screed.

Clayface’s was a nice moment too, and I LOVED the Hatter’s little buttons: “Hat’s don’t kill people, People in hats kill people.” Oh, Jervis.

Superman’s eulogy, however, didn’t make much sense to me. Gotham had made…a treaty…and Batman had to leave for it to work…but Batman wanted to go back…anyway? What kind of treaty? A treaty between the criminals and citizens? One that required Batman leave? Why would Batman go back and ensure Gotham was unsafe again, if that was the case? Or was it a treaty between the criminals and Batman? How was that supposed to work? And why would Clark just drop Batman off at Gotham, and not try to prevent Batman’s death? He’s SUPERMAN, for crying out loud! I don’t see the point.

But never mind, as we get to Batman talking to his spiritual adviser (whose identity I won’t spoil) but I will say it’s nice to have her as the guide as she’s usually under represented in her importance to Bruce’s life. Bruce does a lot of telling us about what the core of Batman is, which seems a bit didactic to me, as the eulogies did a fine job of showing us what that is. We didn’t need Bruce to reinforce it. There’s also some nice talk about the afterlife, and your true reward for being who you are.

Then there’s a nifty “Good Night, Moon” motif at the end of the story. What is it with comics and that book? Opus used it to end their run too. I suppose it’s all about the innocence and end of childhood, and I find it pretty appropriate, since I have fond memories of the book myself.

All in all, I thought this two parter did a good job of showing the readers what’s critical and special about Batman and how it’s part of the core of EVERY iteration of Batman, no matter how many changes he goes through. A bit didactic, yes, but I thought it was pretty nice, and I thought it was more accessible and iconic than Grant Morrison’s stuff, or other recent Batman stories.

And the art was top notch Andy Kubert stuff as always, with some nice sketches in the back. I especially loved the “shadow Batman” and his body becoming one with the stars, and the Bat Signal bit.

So I recommend getting it.

Good night, comic.