Man, I am a glutton for punishment.
I
KNEW this issue was going to be confusing, misleading and otherwise a waste of time for me to read...just like the entire series. I almost...
ALMOST...bagged, boarded and boxed it to save myself the headache. But
NO, that
Alex Ross cover just SCREAMED for me to read it. So I did.
And, just like that slap on the forehead you give yourself for calling an ex-girlfriend, I wondered..."why did I do that?"
OK, so I think I FINALLY understand. Here's the long and short of it:
BRUCE created himself an ALTERNATE PERSONALITY to KEEP FUNCTIONING if he EVER goes OUT OF COMMISSION. Yes, Bruce Wayne figured out how to 'cheat' death. And that's it.
The real kick in the gonads comes in an ad in the book that reads something to the effect of "
See the Final Fate of Batman in FINAL CRISIS."
Um...what?
You mean to tell me, I could have read
ONE ISSUE of FINAL CRISIS to have this whole thing wrapped up in a bow and bypassed R.I.P altogether??? Isn't this why fans are mad at Jeph Loeb in HULK right now???
Grant Morrison has written some very thought-provoking and wonderful stories, however, this one has
TRULY been a wet firecracker to me.
Seriously, how can you miswrite
BAT-MITE?
Oh, and IF you want to hear more about my junior prom, pick up
FINAL CRISIS #7. EVERYTHING, it seems, leads back to this friggin' series. Ok,
not really, but you get my drift.
Shame on you, DC.