Batman #686

Being new to comics I’m always skeptical of the idea of a “jumping on point” because this is usually stated by people who have read these books and known these characters for decades. The majority of what I know about Batman was gleaned from watching The Animated Series while doing my middle school homework, I don’t recall ever reading any of his books and the only thing I know (vaguely) about RIP is that Batman isn’t hanging around Gotham anymore. But I tried this issue, frankly, because I would buy anything by Neil Gaiman— including his published grocery lists.

As a newbie, I have to say that this really is a good jumping on point. The premise of gathering Batman’s inner circle—friends and villains alike—for his wake, created an interesting stage to look at his history and his future in two different stories. While the narrators of the two stories could not always be trusted, seeing these relationships explored from beginning to ‘end’ gave me a good understanding of the man and his world. The beautiful art also allowed me to get my feet wet in the vast Batman continuity through the different drawing styles and costumes.

When I began reading comics I said I would never read anything with superheroes. Then I said I would read trades, but would never buy things in issues. Then I said I would buy issues, but only minis or events. And after this, I think I’ll be buying an ongoing superhero book, in issues. Do I get to know the secret handshake now?