"Can't I JUST Read About BATMAN?!"

Author: Jett
January 19, 2009



As I’m sure most of you Batman fans know, there’s a big brouhaha over The Dark Knight’s current status in the DC Universe due to the fact that he’s dead.

Well, maybe not DEAD dead, but the burned to the crisp, corpse-looking dude in the Bat-Suit at the end of FINAL CRISIS #6 certainly makes it appear that he’s soon to be heading for boot hill.

Of course, we ARE talking about comic books here and all that entails, right? “The Omega Sanction?” Whatever. Anyway…

Because of the events of FINAL CRISIS -- and I guess the falsely publicized “BATMAN, R.I.P.” as well -- I’m going to have to endure a year or two of someone else other than Bruce Wayne prancing around Gotham as Batman…allegedly.

Been there, done that anyone?

Regardless, both FINAL CRISIS and “BATMAN, R.I.P.” are simply stunts just like the KNIGHTFALL saga, the return of Jason Todd, NO MAN’S LAND, and the like we’ve already seen. And frankly, it was these sort of “Big Events” that drove me away from the comics for a few years in the late 90’s on into the early 2000’s.

Look, we can argue all day long about what Batman “Is” and how realistic or unrealistic he should be portrayed. For example, the idea of Batman “dying” and coming back to life -- Omega Sanction or not -- makes me want to puke as it just doesn’t jive with my Batman sensibilities. Consequently, why should I have to read a comic book I have zero interest in -- FINAL CRISIS #6 -- so the events of “BATMAN, R.I.P.” can be, ahem, concluded?

That my friends, is BS.

“Jett, Batman IS part of the DCU and DOES mix it up with supernatural beings,” I’m being emailed quite a bit of late. I know that, and my response is “OK fine. But why should I have to buy comic books I don’t want to read just to keep up with the events of the Batman monthlies?”

I shouldn’t, and the only reason that I have to is because these are nothing more than stunts. Accordingly, I -- as a “Batman-only Fan” -- am pissed. And trust me, there are A LOT of fans just like me -- I get their emails by the hundreds daily.

Look here, I certainly don’t expect DC to remove Batman from the DCU and never again include him in stories such as FINAL CRISIS. But can’t one title -- one title that is “in continuity” -- be kept free of this sort of stuff? Like, say, DETECTIVE -- which quite candidly has been the best Batman monthly for the last couple of years. Just because DETECTIVE is in the DCU and in continuity, does it’s events have to be occurring at the same exact time as the rest of the DCU?

On the other hand, how about a Batman title that is not bound to follow the events of the greater DCU? Oh yeah, we already have such in ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN. Sadly, that particular book 1) Can’t meet deadlines and 2) Has pretty much sucked since it’s inception.



Look DC, the ALL STAR line was a HELL of an idea! How about putting a renewed emphasis on it because it can certainly be exactly the kind of monthly I and other Bat-Fans are clamoring for. (I won’t get into the fact that DC needs a new creative team on it right now, as that’s op-ed for another day.)

What about BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL? Unfortunately, that thing has been horrible since day one. Either cancel it or quit putting out crap stories like, well, ALL OF THEM!

All I’m asking for is one -- OK, maybe more than just one -- Batman comic book/miniseries that I can read on a regular basis and NOT have to deal with the sort of stuff that I’ve had to with this “R.I.P”/FINAL CRISIS nonsense.

Please DC, give me -- give US -- more stuff like BATMAN AND THE MAD MONK and THE LONG HALLOWEEN. And DETECTIVE -- before it was sucked into all of this FINAL CRISIS nonsense.

Can the fine folks at DC who are making all the decision receive this “Omega Sanction?” Perhaps they’ll get zapped into an alternate life where DC actively tries to keep “DCU Batman Fans” and “Batman-Only Batman Fans” happy.

One can hope, right?