The cover art of ‘Batman #682.’

‘Batman #682’

In issue 681, writer Grant Morrison concluded his “R.I.P.” storyline and cemented the story as a defining moment in Batman’s legacy.

DC made big promises about “R.I.P.,” specifically hinting that Bruce Wayne would no longer be Batman after the story’s end.

While Wayne’s true fate is still unknown, Morrison has described it as “worse than death.” Likely candidates to take over the Batman identity include original Robin and current Nightwing Dick Grayson, current Robin Tim Drake and Robin-turned-super-villain Jason Todd.

“Batman #682” will focus instead on retelling the early years of Batman — a story which is likely to have implications in future issues.

‘Astounding Wolf-Man #10’

Robert Kirkman’s “Astounding Wolf-Man” has moved quickly in its first nine issues, establishing a wide cast of interesting characters whose interactions with protagonist Gary seem to imply a rich backstory without spending pages explaining their lives.

No character has dropped more hints about a shadowy past than Zachariah, a vampire and former mentor of Gary who seems to be the tragic villain of the series. Issue 10 is dedicated to exploring Zachariah’s origin, which will explain the motivation for some of the stranger decisions he has made throughout the series.

‘Immortal Iron-Fist #20’

When the creative team behind the current run of “Iron-Fist” collectively left the series after issue 16, the comic’s huge potential for adding depth to the character suddenly seemed to be entirely at risk.

Luckily, writer Duane Swierczynski has kept the series top-notch by continuing to lean heavily on “Immortal Iron Fist’s” strength as a series — stressing the Iron Fist as a legacy rather than the title of one man.

Issue 20 concludes Swierczynski’s first storyline by pitting Danny against a relentless killer who has murdered every former Iron Fist except for one – Danny’s recent mentor, Orson Randall. Expect more stories of past Iron Fist heroics as Danny continues to search for a way to save himself.