I guess this post should be prefaced with a warning of Batman comic spoilers, but news travels so fast that I'm probably one of the last geeks to actually read this latest shared universe twisting issue.

Every once and a while a comic book can completely sideline me, depress me and leave me in somewhat of a state of shock. Batman Inc #8 did all those things to me, along with leaving me with sorrowful curious thoughts as to what may have been if this horrible sacrifice had not befallen this character that I've grown to love so much in the past few years. I do not hold a grudge towards Grant Morrison, my favourite writer on the planet, for instigating this this tragic plot device. He'll not be getting death threats from me, and DC Comics won't be receiving notice that from now on I will never ever buy a Bat comic for the rest of my days (some rather unstable and semi-insane comic book readers have a habit of doing such things when something they disagree with goes down in one of their favourite books). Bad things befalling characters are a necessary turn in pretty much every story ever told. If stories had no conflict or villains or death or woe, storytelling might be quite a bit more dull indeed.

It's really quite a complimentary statement that I've been left in such a state after reading a comic book. Moments after reading the comic book in question I headed out to help by score-keeping at my friends roller derby event. Without kidding or sarcasm in the least, I had a genuine underlying sadness hidden underneath the surface on an otherwise fun night. As I've stated before, specifically in regards to the untimely demise of Blue Beetle a few years back, the face the comic books have the story-telling power to make one sad or happy or scared or excited is truly proof that it is an amazing medium to tell a tale indeed.

A death in a super hero comic book doesn't necessarily mean that you stay dead forever. In fact, in the DC Universe death seems to be a part time endeavour for almost everyone. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow and many other a hero have died only to reappear amongst the living sooner or later. I hope the same rings true for lil' Damien Wayne. Who will feed Bat-Cow?