History ComicBook / WhatEverHappenedToTheCapedCrusader

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: One of the Riddler's laments sounds like those of fans of the 1960s ''Series/{{Batman}}'' show.
-->'''Riddler''': No one ever hurt anybody. Not really. Nobody died. You look around these days — It's all different. It's all changed. The Joker's killing people for God's Sake! Did I miss something? Was I away when they changed the rules?

* Foreshadowing: During Alfred's story, there's a panel of [[spoiler:Bruce and his mom reading the Goodnight book together.]]

-->'''Riddler''': No one ever hurt anybody. Not really. Nobody died. You look around these days — It's all different. It's all changed. The Joker's killing people for God's Sake! Did I miss something? Was I away when they changed the rules?"

* SarcasmFailure: The joker experiences this on [[spoiler: finally killing Batman]].

** The ending is a ShoutOut to GoodnightMoon, supposedly a favorite of young Bruce.

* BookEnds: For Batman as a whole Joe Chill which he lampshades

'''''Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?''''' is a 2009 two-part Franchise/{{Batman}} story written by Creator/NeilGaiman and illustrated by AndyKubert. It was to be the 'last' Batman story after the character's death in ''ComicBook/BatmanRIP'' and ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' and ended up more a summation of the Batman myth and a meditation on his character and its various interpretations. It was highly praised on its release, but remains fairly obscure considering the author's and the character's popularity, probably due to it still being relatively new.

** Also decontructed in the trade paperback when The Riddler ponders why everything changed from the LighterAndSofter times to the DarkerAndEdgier times, such as TheJoker suddenly becoming a murderer.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Bat-Mite was originally to appear in the story.

* SeriesFauxnale: In the same vein as ''WhatEverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow', this was written as "the final Batman story." Given the nature of the story though, this can still be argued as the finale to the mythos.

* SeriesFauxnale: In the same vein as ''WhatEverHappenedToTheCapedCrusader'', this was written as "the final Batman story." Given the nature of the story though, this can still be argued as the finale to the mythos.

* LiteraryAllusionTitle: ''WhatEverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow''.

* SnowcloneTitle: [[WhateverHappenedToTheManOfTomorrow "Whatever happened to"...?]]

** Also decontructed in the trade paperback when The Riddler ponders why everything changed from the LighterAndSofter times to the DarkAndEdgier times, such as TheJoker suddenly becoming a murderer.

'''''Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?''''' is a 2009 two-part Franchise/{{Batman}} story written by NeilGaiman and illustrated by AndyKubert. It was to be the 'last' Batman story after the character's death in ''BatmanRIP'' and ''FinalCrisis'' and ended up more a summation of the Batman myth and a meditation on his character and its various interpretations. It was highly praised on its release, but remains fairly obscure considering the author's and the character's popularity, probably due to it still being relatively new.

The stories and illustrations pay homage to many of the major periods and styles of Batman and interpretations of his character and relationships. After full stories from Alfred and [[Comicbook/{{Catwoman}} Selina Kyle]], the book then gives us only glimpses of those told by other characters. One thing known is that all of the stories conflict with each other. For example, SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker's story has him killing Batman in a scene very reminiscent of ''TheKillingJoke'', Clayface's has him sacrificing himself in order to save Clayface and Franchise/{{Superman}}'s has Bruce insisting that Clark take him into certain death, so that he can capture the villain's attention and divert them from killing innocents.

Exactly what the truth of events is. It could all be a DyingDream, an actual dream, a psychic vision, pretty much any interpretation you can come up with is possible, though the book seems to subtly favour the DyingDream position. This interpretation would make it so that the spirit's final speech to Batman reveal that [[spoiler:whenever Bruce dies, his soul is reincarnated as a new Bruce in a new universe to become Batman again, as something has deliberately set this up and stopped his soul from entering Heaven or Hell.]]

* BarredFromTheAfterlife: When Bruce Wayne dies, he is reborn as himself in another universe, and the cycle continues infinitely, barring him from being anything other than Franchise/{{Batman}} even after death.

-->Joe Chill: "I was here at the start of it all, Miss Kyle. I'm not going to miss the end."

* BarredFromTheAfterlife: When Bruce Wayne dies, he is reborn as himself in another universe, and the cycle continues infinitely, barring him from being anything other than {{Batman}} even after death.

* EternalHero: Batman definitely counts as a multiversal version. The idea, manifestation, and embodiment of Batman is inevitable in any timeline. It's implied that all the Batmen in different universes have or will reincarnate into each other. In fact, that entire comic is pretty much one big depiction and analysis of EternalHero, as a side affect of trying to be the end-all be-all summation and eulogy of Batman in all his forms.

* WholePlotReference: Catwoman's tale of Batman's death is pretty much lifted directly from RobinHood. Batman points this out as evidence that it's nonsense.

* MythologyGag: The Comic Book. Even Batman laying in state shifts from Frank Miller's Batman to Neil Adam's Batman, etc.

* {{Thememobile}}: The Joker, Catwoman and Two-Face each show up to the funeral in one. [[MythologyGag They're the cars driven during the late 40's/early 50's versions of the character.]]

'''''Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?''''' is a 2009 two-part Franchise/{{Batman}} story written by NeilGaiman. It was to be the 'last' Batman story after the character's death in ''BatmanRIP'' and ''FinalCrisis'' and ended up more a summation of the Batman myth and a meditation on his character and its various interpretations. It was highly praised on its release, but remains fairly obscure considering the author's and the character's popularity, probably due to it still being relatively new.