Batman #17’s Bodycount and What Fans Really Want

What do fans really want out of their massive, multipart, multi-title crossover event stories? It’s hard to know.Responses on Twitter to the issue, and Death of the Family in general, have been split, with an edge toward the positive, but one of the things that you see over and over again is fans who feel that, after months of hype and build-up, the conclusion wasn’t “big” and “splashy” enough for their liking.In the early hours of this morning, I got an e-mail from Barnes & Noble, telling me that my pre-ordered copy of the issue was available for download to my Nook, and read the story immediately. Discussing it with a friend who hadn’t yet read it, the conversation was illustrative of what I’ve suspected since the issue leaked and some disappointed grumbling started to roll through the comics Internet.”I’ve evaded the spoilers thus far,” he told me. “Will I wind up being disappointed?””It depends on what you want from it,” I said, trying not to spoil anything in the much-hyped finale.”I just want a body,” he responded.