I'll start off by saying that I have no idea who lives and who dies so don't bother trying to read this and gather any more information than what's already been released into the comic news sites. I did however hear some interesting information from Dan Didio, DC's Executive Editor, during an interview with Newsarama regarding the upcoming arc written by Grant Morrison which will be taking place in the Batman comics over the next couple months:

"Batman doesn't die...how 'bout that?"

Well then. I guess the Batman fans can sleep well tonight knowing that their hero will NOT be getting killed off in the upcoming issues. Hey, Grant Morrison, what do you have to say about Batman R.I.P.?

"People have killed characters in the past but to me, that kind of ends the story! I like to keep the story twisting and turning. So what I am doing is a fate worse than death. Things that no one would expect to happen to these guys at all..."

"...this is the end of Bruce Wayne as Batman."

Oh, ok! Fair enough! Thanks Grant-

WHAT?!

So, from what I've gathered so far, Batman will not be dying but his days as Batman are numbered. That's a little bit disappointing to hear as a Batman fan. If it's someone else in the suit, it's just not the same. I'm not planning on jumping the gun and making any opinions before I read the actual comics but I'm finding it hard to not dislike this idea.

We'll all have to wait until Batman #676 to really understand and grasp the severity of these possible events. Until then, we cry.