Part one of “What Happened to the Caped Crusader?” doesn’t disappoint thanks to Neil Gaman and Andy Kubert.
Story: Batman #686 begins with friends, and enemies, coming together to reflect upon the life of the Caped Crusader. Alfred is the host of the memorial service and plays meet and greet with all who arrive, like the Riddler, Selina Kyle, and the Joker. The meat of this issue are the two flashback stories of Catwoman, Selina Kyle, and Alfred that tell how they each killed Batman.
The two stories cause more confusion than a clear explanation of what is going on, but they are both crafted well. The first flashback is told by Catwoman and her relationship with Batman, while Alfred tells a story of how he helped fill Gotham with so many villains. Like I said, Gaiman causes confusion with these 2 conflicting stories, so it will be very interesting to see where he goes with this in Part 2.
Art: I don’t have much to say except that Andy Kubert’s art complements Gaiman’s writing style very well. He was able to pack each panel with an impressive amount of detail really bringing to life this story.
Overall: An excellent issue and Kubert and Gaiman do not disappoint. The only drawback with the issue is the confusion it creates because the direction it will go in is unclear. Don’t let that deter you though. This is still a must have issue.
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