Posted in: Batman, Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: Batman, dc comics, deluxe, neil gaiman, whatever happened to the caped crusader

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader Gets Deluxe Treatment

Batman has been through a lot at DC Comics. He's been essentially working full time as a hero since 1939, without so much as a break. Until, well, Bane broke his back. He had an unplanned son, he died, he came back, he got rebooted, he got un-rebooted, he got left at the altar, and, recently, he almost died again. When a character has been part of pop culture as long as Batman has, it must be difficult to keep his adventures dynamic. Batman writers serve two masters when crafting stories about the Dark Knight: their corporate overlords who need to keep up enough interest to keep the comics selling, and fans who love the character and want to see him do interesting things. In a franchise like Batman, a lot of that involves creating the illusion that the character is in danger. Because everyone knows, due to the character's place in the comics literary canon, that no matter the cliffhanger, no matter the villain, no matter if he dies… Bruce Wayne will eventually be just fine and continue to the next adventure. In 2009, Neil Gaiman thought up a solution to the Batman-problem: tell a final, not the final, Batman story that could be read as a standalone tale, functioning as both a summary of the character's life and meaning, as well as a sendoff that, due to his place in pop culture, Batman would never otherwise get. That comic is Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, and it's a modern classic by anyone's measure. It gets the deluxe hardcover treatment from DC Comics this October.

The solicitation for Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, which was released along with the rest of DC Comics' October catalog, reads:

BATMAN: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAPED CRUSADER? DELUXE 2020 EDITION HC
written by NEIL GAIMAN
art by ANDY KUBERT, SCOTT WILLIAMS, MARK BUCKINGHAM, BERNIE MIREAULT, MATT WAGNER, and SIMON BISLEY
cover by ANDY KUBERT
ON SALE 12/22/20
$29.99 US | 128 PAGES | FC | DC
ISBN: 978-1-77950-490-6
New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman joins a murderer's row of superstar artists to lend his unique touch to the Batman mythos! Spotlighting the story "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" from Batman #686 and Detective Comics #853, in which Gaiman joins artist Andy Kubert and inker Scott Williams for a story that shines a new light on the Dark Knight, this title also collects stories from Secret Origins #36, Secret Origins Special #1 and Batman Black and White #2.

Batman himself will likely never see the light at the end of his troubles, and neither will Batman as a title. However, it's important for stories to end… or at least have an ending. Gaiman's beautifully written comic, which ends with a repurposing of Goodnight Moon that has undoubtedly drawn out the dorkiest of tears from those who have read it, gives Bruce Wayne a proper send-off. The story is so powerful that it doesn't even matter that Batman stories will continue. In fact, Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader addresses that cycle of death the rebirth that an icon like Batman endures. It is a timeless Batman story, and judging from how DC handles their Deluxe Hardcovers, it'll be a beautiful addition to any comics collection.

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