“To Quote a Phrase” is a feature where I spotlight memorable quotes from comic books. Today, we look at how a bold declaration from Batman wrapped itself around the classic storyline, R.I.P.
While they are far from the only writer to do things like, it is always amazing to watch how Grant Morrison is able to take such a broad picture of their work right from the start of any given run. For instance, their JLA run all built to a major ending that was set up very early in the run (heck, you could make a good argument that it was set up in the storyline by Mark Waid and Fabian Nicieza that led INTO JLA). Similarly, their Action Comics run was very well planned from the start. So obviously, it should not be a surprise at all that their Batman run was all very well-planned, but it was still really cool to see all the details come into focus in retrospect.
One of the examples of how well-framed their work on Batman was is a classic Batman quote that essentially wrapped around the iconic “R.I.P” storyline, giving it a bold opening, but any even bolder ending to what turned out to be the first chapter of Morrison’s classic Batman run (Chapter One was Batman #655-681/Final Crisis, Chapter Two was Batman and Robin and The Return of Bruce Wayne, and Chapter Three was Batman Incorporated).
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How Batman’s Bold Declaration Kicked Off a Classic Storyline
“Batman R.I.P.,” as noted, was the conclusion to Morrison’s first chapter of their epic run on Batman, and it followed a few major plot points from earlier in Morrison’s run. The first, amusingly enough, was something that wasn’t REALLY part of Morrison’s overall plan (and sort of speaks to their brilliance in terms of having detailed plans for their run, and yet also the ability to improvise in a major, major way), which was the introduction of Damian Wayne, the son of Batman and Talia al-Ghul, who was trained by the League of Assassins since he was a young boy, but he has now turned on his mother, and wants to be with his father.
The second was the introduction of The Black Glove, a mysterious organization that seemed to have controlled Gotham City from behind-the-scenes for decades, and perhaps had some ties to the major families of Gotham City, including the Waynes.
Finally, the third was the introduction of a new love interest for Bruce Wayne, Jezebel Jet, who discovered, at the end of Batman #675, she ostensibly discovers that he is Batman…
So the next storyline, “R.I.P,” opens with Batman and Robin flying into battle, shouting, “You’re wrong! Batman and Robin will never die!”
We then discover that this is from six months in the future, and so we flash back six months to see the Black Glove join together for a meeting…
So “R.I.P” is Black Glove’s final battle against Batman, and it does not work out well for them.
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How the Line Tied the Whole Storyline Up in a Bow
As noted, leading into “R.I.P,” Batman had been fighting against the Black Glove, and the Black Glove has struck at Batman through various methods, some physical but mostly psychological, all designed to destroy Batman’s virtue. So in “R.I.P,” they ramp up their attacks on Batman, including leaking fake diaries painting his dead parents as monsters. Batman takes Jezebel to the Batcave, and he bares his soul to her, but she questions if perhaps he has not just snapped and all of this is in his head (from Batman #677 by Morrison, Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea)…
Throughout the story, Morrison teases the reader with the question – could anyone go through the events that Batman has gone through over the last 60 plus years and NOT go insane? So that lends some dramatic tension to Batman’s seeming insanity.
Batman then seemingly DOES snap, taking on the identity of Batman of Zur En Arrh…
Eventually, the Black Glove capture Jezebel Jet and Batman goes to save her, but when he does so, he discovers, to his apparent shock, that she is one of the Black Glove herself! They have all been working against him!
Batman, though, has been planning for all of this, and his “insanity” was actually a protective personality that he had developed to deal with psychological attacks. He had known that Jezebel was evil this whole time (and if you go back to an early issue with Jezebel, there is a moment where, in retrospect, he clearly DID figure out something about her, as, again, Morrison planned all of this out so well). So he defeats the Black Glove, but in the end, Batman and Simon Hurt (who had claimed he was actually Thomas Wayne), crash in a helicopter, and he seemingly dies.
We then fast-forward six months, and we see that we’re tied in to the start of the storyline…
So that obviously sets up the whole “Batman and Robin Will Never Die!” line, as Bruce Wayne’s “death” led to Dick Grayson taking over as Batman and Damian Wayne became Robin, and it is THEM who shouted out “Batman and Robin Will Never Die!” So it’s both a classic moment, but it also sets up the next chapter really well, as Morrison then launched Batman and Robin starring Dick and Damian.
Okay, folks, if you care to suggest cool comic book quotes that you’d like to see spotlighted here, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com. There’s a decent enough chance that if you think the quote in question is super cool, than I, too, will find it super cool and feature it here. Not a 100% chance, though, of course. Let’s say roughly a 60% chance.
