Book of Doom:
Batman #682

Another week, another issue of Batman.

Even though I haven’t read much of Grant Morrison’s run on Batman (and I’ve hated what I have read), I felt strangely compelled to choose Batman #682 as this week’s Book of Doom. Jim Doom and Doom DeLuise have been telling me this book is actually good, even though it seems like it’s stupid. Of course, they say the same thing about ASSBAR, so maybe they just don’t know what they’re talking about.

Anyway, this issue has a few things going for it. First, it’s only a two-issue story, so buying one issue is half the commitment. Second, it gives Morrison a chance to make sense of his entire run so far, including how it ties into Final Crisis. Plus it’s only $2.99, which sadly seems to be becoming rarer and rarer these days.

So will I hate it? Probably. But my expectations are so low at this point, it’s not going to take a whole lot to impress me. And that just might be the perfect circumstances for enjoying a Morrison Batman issue.

Written by Grant Morrison ; Art by Lee Garbett; Cover by Alex Ross; Variant Cover by Tony Daniel

Two issues of BATMAN in one month! Now that “Batman R.I.P.” has concluded, the aftermath begins! If you thought mastermind writer Grant Morrison surprised you with “R.I.P.”, just wait until you see what he has planned for this retrospective story. In his last hours, Alfred the Butler tells the life story of the Batman as you’ve never seen it before in this two-part adventure which bridges the gap between the events of “Batman R.I.P.” and FINAL CRISIS. Learn the secrets of Batman’s early years! Witness the nightmare of a Gotham City where Batman never existed!