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After reading the HC, one thing I thought was really cool -- and unnoticeable when I was reading it monthly -- is that the first page of R.I.P. is actually the last page chronologically.

Spoilers (if one has to say such a thing in a thread discussing a book's story)

The first page (after the prologue) is Batman and Robin, in a dramatic pose, confronting, ostensibly, a criminal. Batman shouts, "You're wrong! Batman and Robin will never die!"

Then the tale flashes back to six months earlier (and we see the plot regarding the Black Hand unfold). Batman disappears in the helicopter crash, and they say he hasn't been seen since.

Then, six months later, we see Le Bossu in the middle of a heist, saying that no one has seen Batman in six months. He's torturing a cop, saying that no one can save him. "Even Batman and Robin are dead!" he screams.

Then we see the epilogue, which is Bruce as a little boy, coming out of Zorro.

So, because I never read it in one sitting until now, I missed the fact that Batman returned from the Black Hand adventure to stop Le Bossu, and his adventures continued on. Which is the whole theme of the story Morrison was writing - that Batman and Robin will never die, no matter what happens to them. Or more likely, the STORIES about these characters, Batman and Robin, will continue on.

Something I missed -- probably because I was looking for Batman to "die" because of the title of the story. But the story is really about how Batman is able to cheat death, both in the story and out.