Batman #683 Review

Creative Team
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Lee Garbett
Inker: Trevor Scott
Colorist: Guy Major

Story – Last Rites Part 2: What The Butler Saw

Review
This is the issue I have been looking for from Morrison. You know answers to all the questions he has yet to answer since the beginning of “Batman RIP.” It is fine to experiment but Morrison has gone a bit far with his experimenting that his stories in both Batman and Final Crisis were being a bit to convoluted and lose focus on just telling a good story of. But this issue was just some great writing by Morrison that tells a very good story that it kind of makes up for the last few issues.

I just loved how Bruce ruined all of Darkseid’s plan to make an Batmen army by using his own memories as a weapon. Only Bruce can turn his own memories into a weapon. It was great seeing that no matter how much Darkseid’s men tried to make Bruce believe in the fake world he was in was real that Bruce always knew it was fake. And it seems that the harder they tried the more Bruce would remember his true memories.

Lee Garnbett did a great with the artwork that help Morrison’s story flow really well. The final splash page was just awesome.

The only thing that I find wrong about this issue is that if you want to get the conclusion to Bruce’s “last” adventure as Batman you have to read Final Crisis #6. While I am already reading Final Crisis anyways it still takes away from what “Batman RIP.” At the beginning of the year Didio and Morrison marketed RIP as being Bruce’s last adventure as Batman and never mentioned that Final Crisis would be have to be read to get the conclusion of the story. Even the checklist to “Batman RIP” (view here) mentions nothing about Final Crisis #6 having to be read to get the final conclusion to “Batman RIP.” So as much as Didio and Morrison talk about how Final Crisis #6 was always meant to be read to get the whole story than they should have put that on the checklist and said that when Batman RIP and Final Crisis were announced since Morrison was writing both series. I would not be suprised if people who are on a budget and are only able to read a few titles a month to be pissed off having to go buy another title that is already nearing the end of the series and having to catch up with the series that is all over the place at the moment.

Issue Rating
Story: 8.3/10 – This was one of Morrison’s best issues he has written all year and hopefully Morrison starts focusing more on telling a good tight story in Final Crisis instead of continue to make a convoluted mess he is currently writing.
Art: 8/10 – Lee Garbett artwork helps Morrison story a lot. Garbett helps keep the flow of the story moving even in the slow points.
Overall: 8.15/10 – This issue of Batman was an overall well written issue though I would understand if there are many people pissed about having to read another title to get their conclusion to this story.