This is a story I've been waiting for.
Having read both BATMAN, R.I.P. and FINAL CRISIS, and knowing how much they sync up, it seems like there was a little bit missing to get from RIP to FC. We were given a glimpse of what happened in between the two in the FC tie-in story in BATMAN #682-683, but there was still quite a bit of ground to cover. Now we have a pretty complete sequence of events, thanks to BATMAN #701. The issue starts quite literally right after RIP, and shows Batman returning to the Cave from his battle with Doctor Hurt and shows Superman informing of of Orion's murder from the opening pages of #1. Pouring over details about his latest case, Bruce also goes over in his head the threat that Doctor Hurt represents on a personal level, and reasons that it would be very unlikely that he survived the crash of his helicopter. This moment becomes unexpectedly creepy, if you're aware of the events presented last week in BATMAN AND ROBIN #13. There's also an important exchange between Batman and Superman that solidifies Batman's importance to the JLA, as if any DC fan could doubt that.
For the first half of a two-parter, I found this issue very interesting. It's dealing with the themes of a man who almost knows that he's not long for this world, and who wonders how things will function in his absence. Bruce takes the words of Doctor Hurt about wearing the cowl to heart, fully believing that the murder of Orion is his final case. Does he dare go through with it? Well spoiler alert, when Batman hears the call of duty, he won't let even the threat of certain death stand in his way. Grant Morrison continues to add to the rich tapestry he's woven with Batman over the last four years by showing a man who knows exactly who he is (the goddamn Batman), but who doesn't buy into his own publicity. Morrison's Bruce Wayne is a man that knows he's probably the most skilled human being alive, but that also knows his place, his morality, and the cost of what he does.
Tony Daniel's artwork is strong, although his stylistic changes since the conclusion to RIP is definitely noticeable. If DC ever decides to collect RIP and these two issues, the art style will show a quite noticeable change. Having said that, the work isn't bad at all. It's appropriately dark and atmospheric and retains the overall spirit of the original story.
If you're reading any Grant Morrison Batman work, even if you're just jumping in now, I would highly encourage you to pick this issue up. It fills in a lot of what you may not know if you skipped RIP and FINAL CRISIS, or if you're just late to the party. It's good reading about Bruce in the main title again, and it'll be interesting to FINALLY see HIS perspective as he disappears into the past. I imagine a lot of questions will be answered next month about his disappearance, and likely, his return
