Nobody added a great comment to our discussion about the Batman: Black Casebook trade paperback, regarding the apparent crossover bewteen Batman: RIP and Final Crisis -- and it reminded me that I've been wondering lately, which book should I read first?
I'm reaching out to those who've read Batman: RIP and Final Crisis ... which one should I read first? Which one leads into the other? No spoilers in the comments, please, but I'd love if you'd use the handy poll below to let your opinion be heard!
I'll post the results soon. And thanks!
UPDATE: Overwhelmingly, the Collected Editions blog readers chose Batman: RIP to read before Final Crisis -- but Collected Editions respectfully disagrees. As I've noted on our DC Universe Trade Paperback Timeline, some events in Batman RIP may take place before Final Crisis and some during Final Crisis, but the end of Batman RIP can't be understood (even if it's mildly anti-climactic) without first knowing the details of Final Crisis. (The Mister Miracle issues from the third Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus help, too). Read our full post on the issue.
Trade Poll: Which to read first, Batman: RIP or Final Crisis?
January 29, 2009
The last two issues in the collection--technically not part of the "R.I.P." story--take place during FC, but the rest clearly takes place before. And those last two issues won't really spoil anything in FC for you.
ReplyDeleteThe reading order is as follows (from Newsarama):
ReplyDelete"So – story-chronology-wise, we finally have the throughline, that is, “Batman R.I.P.” -> Final Crisis #1-#2 -> Batman #682, #683 -> Final Crisis #6. Got it?"
Loving the blog by the way :)
@deathtotroybolton
ReplyDeleteThere's more to it then that.
Morrison came out and said that this is the correct reading order.
1) FINAL CRISIS # 1- 3
2) SUPERMAN BEYOND # 1- 2
3) FC: SUBMIT
4) FINAL CRISIS # 4 – 5
5) BATMAN #682 – 683
6) FINAL CRISIS # 6 – 7
http://tinyurl.com/dzf2e6
It kind of pisses me off that after so many X-Overs and "Must Read" lists, FC boils down to these few issues. I think I'll pick them up in a back issue bin at a con this summer and have them bound into my own Final Crisis collected edition.
Chris
The nice thing about Morrison's list (from his Newsarama exit interview) is that it only includes the books he personally wrote, but I disagree with his placement of the Batman issues because there is a page in Final Crisis #5 which clearly occurs after (and is a small spoiler to) the end of Batman #683.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess I would put them in the order of FC #4, Batman #682-683, then FC #5 -- unless there is a more important factor that I am missing.
But since Final Crisis #7 is very much about the jumbling of chronologies, I suppose the Batman issues could be read (as Morrison suggested) between FC5 and FC6 as a kind of flashback.
But to answer the original question of our anonymous patron, RIP should definitely be read before Final Crisis, although the direct link between Batman 681 and FC1 is not revealed until the one-page flashback on the penultimate (IIRC) page of 683.
In the Batman RIP collection, the two Last Rites stories are included. So does everyone agree with Mr. Fob that Last Rites doesn't really spoil Final Crisis?
ReplyDeleteAlternatively, does Final Crisis spoil Batman RIP?
It doesn't spoil much. What it does spoil happens very early in the story (I'm trying to as spoiler-free as possible)and the ending is not entirely unexpected if you've been reading Morrison's Batman.
ReplyDelete@collectededitions: If you want to read the two hardcovers without interruption, then you should read RIP first, because the majority of it takes place before FC. But be aware that both hardcovers (when read uninterrupted) spoiler each other!
ReplyDelete