The Black Casebook by Various, Introduction by Grant Morrison

The Black Casebook collects the stories that inspired Batman R.I.P.

In "A Partner for Batman"- when Robin is injured on a case and breaks his leg, he doesn't want to be laid up. And he's dismayed that Batman is going to train a Batman-type crime fighter. But soon everyone seems to be saying that this new man, known as "Wingman", is the perfect partner for Batman. But does Batman really have plans to replace Dick Grayson as Robin?

In "Batman- Indian Chief", Batman and Robin encounters an indian chief who fights the villainous Indian Black Elk as "Man of Bats", accompanied by his son, who dresses like Robin. But because Black Elk injured Great Eagle, thinking he was "Man of Bats", if Man of Bats appears, injured, Black Elk will know who he really is. Can Batman and Robin take the place of "Man of Bats" and help them with their dilemma?

"Batman of Many Nations" Brings together a group of men from other nations, each of whom have based their crime-fighting careers on the career and exploits of Batman, but each of them would love to visit him and learn how to do their jobs better. So when they get the chance to visit Gotham City and work with him tracking the mob boss "Knots" Cardine, will he be able to live up to their opinion of him, or will he fall down on the job?

"The First Batman" tells the story of Thomas Wayne. Bruce's father, and a doctor, who donned a bat costume to attend a ball, and got involved in fighting criminals under the command of Lew Moxon, a bank robber who Wayne helped put away for ten years. When he got out, he vowed revenge on Thomas Wayne, which meant Joe Chill was Moxon's hired gun. But can Batman uncover the truth and bring Moxon to justice?

"The Club of Heroes" has Batman reunited with the Batmen of Many Nations and Superman to form a heroes club. Each agrees to do as many heroic deeds as possible, and the one who does the most will become leader. Batman and Superman try to do deeds on the sly to let one of the other heroes lead. But when Metropolis is in trouble, a new hero arises to save the day- Lightning Man! And Superman is nowhere to be found. Can Batman discover the secret of the new hero's identity and find out what illness has overcome Superman?

"The Man Who Ended Batman's Career" has batman being hypnotized by a criminal doctor who makes him afraid of Bats! Batman becomes so averse to them that he cannot even stand to look at his own costume, and so must fight under an assumed identity- Starman! But when Starman is caught by the same Doctor, what is to prevent the Doctor from finding out his true identity by threatening him with a bat? Can Batman overcome his aversion to bats and save the day?

"Am I Really Batman" follows a bat-suited figure as he tries to convince people that he is really Batman after waking up in an insane Asylum in a padded cell. Everyone tells him he isn't really Batman, that he's just a crazy man who has himself convinced that he is Batman, but he's desperate to prove he's the real Batman. Who is he, and can he convince others that he's the real Batman?

"Batman- The Superman of Planet X" takes Batman to the planet of Zur-en-arrh, where the inhabitants have very advanced science but are extremely physically weak compared to earth humans. The Batman of that planet needs our Batman's help against alien invaders he cannot fight. But can Batman use the futuristic science and his own super-powered strength on that planet to drive the invaders away for good?

"Batman meets Bat-Mite" introduces a strange fan of Batman from another dimension who wants nothing more than to see Batman in action. He thinks it's fun to interfere to make Batman have to work harder to catch the crooks, and also have to come up with explanations for Bat-Mite's warping of reality to accomplish his goals. But what will it take for Batman to be able to make him go away permanently? Or can he?

"The Rainbow Creature" has Batman in South America, where he has helped the President of a small country defeat a dangerous rebel named Diaz. Diaz and his troops are in hiding, but when a strange rainbow beast, exhibiting very strange powers, appears, Batman must discover how to fight it before the rightful President can be overthrown!

In "Robin Dies at Dawn", Batman finds himself on a strange alien planet where he witnesses Robin killed by a strange animated idol. But soon that is shown to be a hallucination showing the effects on lone astronauts in space. But when the dreams he had endanger Robin as Batman fights criminals in Gotham, how can he shrug off the effects of his hallucinations without endangering Robin's life in the here and now?

"The Bat-Man Creature" has Batman called to the scene where two animal-like men are robbing a bank. One is like a lion, one like a gorilla. The two men lose him, but when he tracks a bull-like man and a cat-like man back to their lair, the man who created the ray that turns animals into humans turns it on him, turning Batman into a Bat-Beast. Can Robin and Batwoman save Batman?

This was a seriously weird collection of stories, and the idea that all these stories had occurred within 15 years of Batman's career instead of within 60 years of Batman being published was what inspired "Batman, R.I.P.". i.e. what toll would those take on Batman's sanity and will?

Strangely, all Superheroes have these sorts of stories languishing in their closets, mostly from the 50's and 60's, when the stories got seriously weird. And make no mistake... these are well out there on the lunatic fringe. It seems strange that Batman is so well known, when in more modern stories, Batman has morphed into more a violent vigilante in the eyes of the world.

Well, for a group of stories that are almost totally unlike any Batman story you have probably read before or will again, this graphic novel fills that niche admirably. But a lot of the stories will have you scratching your head and saying "What were they thinking?" Recommended.