You’d have thought Batman R.I.P. would have been about the death of Batman, but no, Caped Crusader opens up at the Dark Knight’s funeral.

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

Do WHAT now?

Yeah, that was my reaction.

All of Batman’s friends and enemies — including Joker and Harley, yay! — show up to pay their respects. Things start to get a little questionable, though, when his funeral attendees begin telling stories about his life and death that even the most novice of Batman fans — hi! — can tell is a bunch of BS.

So what’s going on?

Well, of course I’m not going to tell you, but if you’ve read The Dark Tower, you’ll be interested in the ending.

I liked the art and storyline, and liked the sort of tribute it paid to previous Batman stories. This deluxe version even includes a few old school Batman comics after the book is over. I liked R.I.P. even more, though, but I’m not sure if it’s because Mr. Wayne’s character design was super hot or what. I did, however, like that Caped Crusader showed a lot more of Batman’s and Bruce’s history, and incorporated the death of his parents as well. Obviously this is a big part of who Bruce/Batman is, but I still liked it.

I give both of these graphic novels five freaking stars!