The Death of Batman?

There have been a lot of disconcerting rumours doing the rounds on the net over the past week concerning the possibility of DC killing off Bruce Wayne/Batman at the end of next year's big DC event - Final Crisis.
Most of the debate seems to have started when people started to notice the similarites between these two pictures...(click to enlarge)





Now, I think that's a bit of a flimsy starting point for a theory, but you have to admit, the similarity between the two images in undeniable. There's no mistaking that the artist specifically drew the scene to look that way. Whether this was just for a laugh, or as a cryptic clue to the fate of Batman, remains to be seen.
Still, Chris Chow over at Batman on Film noticed what could be even more subtle clues in recent DC issues. You can read them in his article here; http://www.batman-on-film.com/opinion_the-death-of-batman_c-clow_8-30-07.html

Personally, I think people are jumping the gun a little and seeing things that don't necessarily mean anything. I'm a little dubious that DC would kill off a character as big as Batman, especially with a new Batman movie due out next year.
Many people have been holding up the recent death of Captain America as an example of a title doing well without its main character, but I have a hard time believing that Captain America is as popular and well read as Batman is. I suppose if it's well written though, it could be a damn fine storyline. Where they'd go after the initial chaos surrounding his death has died down is anyone's guess.

Thinking about it though, it could be a really good opportunity to re-boot the Batman character. Batman, in the current DC continuity, is no longer an urban legend, he's a world-renowned superhero and member of the JLA. I think it would be great if they publicly killed him off, only for him to return as the thing in the shadows again. Build up the rumour of his return - low-level criminals in Gotham becoming frigtened again, seeing things in the darkness, rumours of the giant bat returning to Gotham circulating in the underworld. Something like that could be quite cool, if done properly.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see when Final Crisis comes out next year.