It's interesting how similar this storyline - on the face of it - is to the recent death and return of Captain America.Since the writers of both series (Ed Brubaker and Grant Morrison) are comics pros and darned good writers, the similarity must be a coincidence - and comics history is loaded with similar events (Man-Thing and Swamp Thing, anyone?)
If memory serves, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne picks up from the climax of Final Crisis, wherein Batman was apparently destroyed by Darkseid's Omega Effect blast - but instead was sent back in time to the dawn of man.
It sounds like a problem easily solved, and Bruce (Batman) Wayne leaves a message on a cave wall designed to bring some time-traveling help - but that would be too simple. There's a lot more going on here that Batman (and we the reader) aren't aware of.
What we do have is a surprising and often brutal battle for survival, with Morrison providing lots of twists and turns along the way.
The art is by Chris Sprouse and Karl Story, and it's outstanding. Powerful layouts, great character designs, brutal fights and several outstanding splash pages - really impressive stuff here.
I should add that other than the "lost in time" element (and the hero's inevitable return), this story really has nothing in common with Captain America's recent return - other than great art and story, that is.
Grade: A
2 comments:
I will pick this up in the trade, but Red Robin has been focused on finding Bruce since #1, and #12 had a great conclusion that involved not only Ras al Ghul, but also Bruce as well.
Alana, thanks for the recap! I have to admit I haven't been following "Red Robin," though I like the idea that he would refuse to accept Bruce's death and focus his efforts on solving the mystery behind his disappearance. I'll have to keep an eye out for that trade.
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