HOLY BILL FINGER! If this is what happens when DC kills Batman, then by all means, please, kill him every 30 days. Batman #686 (“Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?” Part 1 of 2) goes on sale February 11, just a few days from now, and while it’s great to see the caped geezer creak ever closer to issue #700, it’s even better when the road is paved with Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert.

DC’s promotional copy includes this phrase: “Delving into the realms of life, death and the afterlife, Gaiman leaves no stone unturned as he explores every facet and era of Bruce Wayne’s life.” But all you really need to do is check out the preview pages here. If you can’t spell “must have” from all the letters in the word balloons, you aren’t trying.

See how many geek references you can spot in just the sample pages. This two-issue story looks like a great treat for Batman fans, and fans who may have abandoned Robin’s bear in recent years.

DC has the menu of assorted cover gimmicks lined-up (one of them by Alex Ross even), but they don’t really need them. This’ll sell more than enough copies to cover Bob Schreck’s severance. I’m not even going to bother to wait for the inevitable trade; I’m on this Wednesday afternoon. Full color, 48 pages, $3.99. This is how to pry the rent money from my hands, DC.

(Artwork ©2009 DC Comics, Inc.)