Review: Batman #686

(****1/2)

Neil Gaiman’s Batman is here! Does it live up to the hype? Yes. Will it please everyone? I don’t think so. In fact, it’s a lot like Morrison’s run.

As you probably know, in the 80’s, Alan Moore wrote Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? This is Gaiman’s answer to that. Moore’s tale was supposed to be the Man of Steel’s last adventure. It was packed with action and memorable moments. Gaiman’s tale is, appropriately, more of a mystery. It’s full of absurdities, quasi-realities, and references to old comics. Sounds Morrisonian, right? As I said, this is a mystery. So I’m not entirely sure where this story is going, but this first part was thoroughly entertaining. It’s surprisingly lighthearted, full of humor, and it even pokes fun at the goddamn Frank Miller!

It’s nice to see Andy Kubert return to Batman. His work looks good as always. Maybe this means he’ll be back for some of the upcoming Morrison issues. Though there’s still more to come, Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader is a proper homage to seventy years of Batman.