While Neil Gaiman & Andy Kubert's "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" was brilliant, it was an end to a character I don't want to see end yet. I want to see the original Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne, get old and still kick ass like he does in Frank Miller's world. I want to see him own Superman like he did at the end of the Dark Knight Returns.
Even if it means I have to watch him go from a young Batman who isn't quite comfortable in his own skin yet kidnapping a 14 year old Dick Grayson, all the way to a bitter, toothless geezer Batman killing a zombified Dick Grayson for being a pussy at the end of The Dark Knight Strikes back, then so be it. The movies are great, but I want my comic book back. I want Bruce Wayne back! I want Batman back!
Where's my goddamn Batman!?
Apparently the Battle for the Cowl is over and Dick Grayson is now Batman. Well, that's probably the way it should be, even though it took multiple, non-chronological cross-overs and various writers who would eventually cancel each other's work out to get this point. It's the right way to handle a passing of the torch provided, of course, that Bruce Wayne really isn't coming back. Yeah, right. I can only live in hope that Dick Grayson becoming Batman has planted the seeds for what Frank Miller's Dark Knight eventually does to him, but I'm not going to hold my breath - at least not while Batman is screwed with as much as DC is screwing with him. I've given up on so-called continuity crap. As far as I'm concerned, Gaiman & Kubert closed it out beautifully.
According to wikipedia, Frank Miller's Dark Knight exsists on Earth-31. I don't know or care how many Earths there are on the DC universe, or how many alternate universes their are in the Marvel Universe for that matter, but I think that Earth-31 is solely the domain of Frank Miller's Batman work.
If that's the case, then I think DC should spin off Earth-31 into a separate label, pay Frank Miller whatever he wants, and make Earth-31 his domain to do with as he pleases. In Earth-31, Frank Miller does whatever the hell Frank Miller wants with any and every character in the DC universe.
Books will come out whenever Frank feels like getting around to it, and will feature whoever Frank wants to work with. DC will not assign editors to censor him with translucent black marker, will not insist he adhere to their tired formats, or piss him off with creator's rights issues or artistic constraints so he bolts and goes independent again. DC will not interfere in any way.
Earth-31 will be Frank Miller's world. Superman is a government pawn weenie and Wonder Woman's-bitch. Green Arrow is a foul-mouthed, one-armed psychopath, and Superheroes will all be the vulgar, maladjusted freak shows Frank Miller has turned them into, ala the Dark Knight Strikes Back and All Star Batman and Robin. They will also age as Frank Miller sees fit, until they get old and bitter and eventually, maybe even kill each other.
The nuttier it gets, the more I'll like it!
I hated All Star Batman and Robin when I first read it. It read like a parody of a parody of a once great writer gone terribly wrong. But that was because I didn't get it. I wasn't ready. But I get it now, Frank! I want more! Why did you wait until I was getting into it to put the book on hiatus and go make that Spirit piece of shit!?
Are you dense? Are you retarded or something? Who the hell do you think you are, Frank Miller? We were just starting to like your goddamn Batman!
Please come back and give us our Goddamn Batman back!
But just in case Frank Miller doesn't hear, or just doesn't listen to my pleas, I have a back up plan. I have a plan and I'm ready to put it into action if Frank Miller doesn't give me more goddamn Batman, and make it goddamn snappy!
If it's war Miller wants -- I've got just the thing...
That's right. If Miller doesn't come to save me from the inconsistent, incomprehensible shit DC is pumping out lately (come on, does any one know what really happened in Batman R.I.P.? It sucked!), I might just become the goddamn Batman myself! After I've taken care of that useless Dick Grayson's milk-boy ass, I'm coming for you, Miller! You and your increasing nuttiness will make the perfect Joker to my Batman!
Thanks to E. Paul Zehr, I can train while I wait for Frank Miller to return with more of his insane shit. Whether Miller will be back before I've finished my Becoming Batman training, I don't know. But knowing Frank Miller, he'll come back from his self-imposed exile and not bother picking up where he left off anyway. He'll probably do something completely different just to screw his fans over.
I hope I'm wrong, but either way I'll be ready to kick his ass if need be when he does eventually resurface.
I'm waiting, Miller!
Give me back my goddamn Batman before I have to take matters into my own hands!
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