Grant Morrison's Batman Epic: A Primer (Some Spoilers)

 

I recently got fully up to date on Grant Morrison's current volume of Batman, Incorporated. I have to say, without reservation, that these are some of the best comic books I've ever read! When Grant debuted on Batman #655, neither the author nor his audience were fully aware of just how epic and expansive the journey ahead of us would be. We only knew that he was interested in "Building a Better Batmobile".

 
For a long time, the Batman titles were gloomily confined to the island that is Gotham City, where Batman would face the same old villains over and over. After Grant got his hands on the character, he was traversing the globe many times over and exploring outer space, cyberspace, and the far reaches of time. He was facing new and greater threats: impostor monster ex-cops, aged Nazi super spies, demonic ancestors, and dark gods. But there was one particular foe whose past connection to Bruce Wayne would bring him trouble in the worst way. This enemy would be Talia Al Ghul, the deadly daughter of the immortal master criminal and long time Batman adversary, Ra's Al Ghul.

For many years, Talia stood in her father's shadow, although she has been a force to be reckoned with since her very first appearance. Still, no one would have expected that Daddy's little girl would prove to be one of Batman's cruelest, cleverest, most cunning and manipulative opponents ever. Right out of the gate, Grant made it a personal affair; in his first issue, she appeared with her own private army of Ninja Man-Bats and a child that would turn out to be her and Bruce's 10 year old son, Damian Wayne! The opening arc "Batman & Son" planted the seeds for Grant to, over time, position Talia as a direct rival to Bruce in every aspect. As Batman began fighting crime on a global scale with Batman, Inc., it was revealed that Talia had been working counter to him all along through many intermediaries, the most recent one being her global terrorism organization, Leviathan. Indeed, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

The World's Greatest Detective is connecting the dots

This brings us to the current chapter of Grant's saga, Batman, Inc. vol 2 #8 "Robin R.I.P." I don't have to tell anyone who has already been following these books the significance of that title, but for those who have been living in a bat-cave for the past couple of years, Grant Morrison made a huge splash in the comics world when he 'killed off' Batman in "Batman R.I.P." and "Final Crisis". 

 

A little bit more background: Batman had not actually died, it just appeared that he did, which shook up the status quo for a good while. Former Robin, Dick Grayson took over the Batman role as New Robin, Damian Wayne became acclimated to crime fighting in Gotham City. This New Robin was instantly detested by readers due to his spoiled, petulant attitude, but as a testament to Grant's writing, the fans quickly grew enamored of the so called "bad-ass" Robin. Originally trained by the League of Assassins, no one could argue that this precocious young lad had no business in battle. If anything, he needed a proper outlet for his inherited, pre-pubescent rage. Right from the start, the new Dynamic Duo had indeed established a new dynamic: Friendly Batman, Scary Robin. Just when we had all gotten so used to it being the other way around! 

Anyway, the original Batman eventually returned to his rightful place and time (long story!), and for the first time, the Batman and Robin pairing became a biological father/son relationship. Damian was beginning to feel like a real member of the Bat-Family...just in time for Talia to put a huge target on his back.

This entire volume has focused on the main conflict between Bruce and Talia, with Damian caught in the middle. With Damian as the Breakout Star of this current era of Batman comics, Talia as the Breakout Villain both here and in last summer's film The Dark Knight Rises, and the Batman, who has long been officially known as one of the World's Finest superheroes and the World's Greatest Detective, these final issues are bound to be explosive!

Grant is bringing everything full circle in such a grandiose way; only he could have imagined it all. Every detail of these books is sublime: his masterful plotting, his sharp dialogue, his colorful characters, his imaginative settings, and--the most unique aspect of all, in my opinion--the many hints of esoteric symbolism that are scattered all about, enriching the reading experience. You can read Grant's work many times over and still discover things you never noticed before, or learn things you never knew.

Oroboro a.k.a. "Ouroboros" - Look it up!

This run has also seen its share of extraordinary artists: Andy Kubert, J. H. Williams III, Tony Daniel, J. G. Jones, Cameron Stewart, Frazer Irving, Yanick Paquette, and the list of talent continues. Just when I start thinking that Chris Burnham is a copycat of Frank Quitely, he pulls out some innovative angle or texture or layout trick that absolutely astonishes. The creativity of these guys is through the roof! Not to mention that the coloring of these books has also been brilliant. 

Frazer Irving can illustrate all of my psychedelic bat-dreams!

I am here to tell you that as of right now, Robin, Damian Wayne is DEAD!

But knowing comics as I do, death is little more than a rite of passage! Grant has me wondering if we might not be seeing more of this pair further on down the line...

Batman, Incorporated vol 2 #9 comes out March 27! Make sure you are on board for the final issues of Grant's run! Batman and Robin will NEVER DIE!!!

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