Batman #657, by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert
With its third installment, Grant Morrison's Batman has finally grown on me. Morrison builds on the best feature of the previous two, otherwise disappointing issues, their embrace of all the strange, occasionally repressed corners of Batman's sixty-odd years. All the old stories are here, from Son of the Demon to Batman's gallery of rainbow-colored costumes, even the Spook from those 70s David V. Reed issues--although he won't be around for long, I'm sorry to report. Best of all, Morrison doesn't fiddle around with some tedious in-story explanation for why these pieces of forgotten lore have returned, the way a Mark Waid or a Geoff Johns would. He doesn't feel the need to ontologically justify them, he just puts them in his comic and uses them to whatever extent they serve his story, caring not a whit whether they were in-continuity or not--they are now.
But the third issue pulls away from its predecessors, finally offering more than the shallow pleasure of recognition for the longtime fans. After two issues of meaningless fight scenes and tongue-in-cheek set pieces Morrison has finally put something at stake for Batman, confronting him with the daunting task of raising a son he never knew he had. Damian (too obvious by half, Grant) comes across as a younger version of the old Batman--sullen, spoiled, nasty, and violent. Sure, the kid has been raised by terrorist assassins (the reference to living in caves draws a timely parallel between Ra's al Ghul and Osama bin Laden) but Alfred's line about "memory lane" tells us that the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree. Nor is he just referring to the younger Bruce Wayne: Damian's arrogance, aloofness, viciousness, and self-imposed isolation reflect the "sour-faced, sexually-repressed, humorless, uptight, angry, and all-round grim 'n' gritty" traits that Morrison is trying to purge from the adult Batman. If he can raise this kid right, Batman has an opportunity to correct his own--that is, his writers'--past excesses.
In an equally nice touch, though, he has to resort to the humorless, angry martinet because that's the only treatment the boy respects. Morrison has given Batman a complex challenge, to train Damian to be a healthier human being without backsliding in the opposite direction. It's a rich premise and I hope Morrison does it justice by keeping Damian around longer than the one remaining issue of this arc.
While Morrison's writing has finally picked up, Kubert's art still hasn't risen to match it. At best it's mere illustration, and not always effective illustration. Either he or the letterer forgets which of the Spook's spooks is the goon and which is the undercover cop, although Morrison's script probably wasn't much help in this regard. I do like the little mouths Kubert puts on their ghost costumes, though--an important detail that makes them overgrown trick-or-treaters rather than Klansmen.
He does a better job with the climactic fight scene, staging it against the Batcave's most iconic exhibits. I suspect that's by Morrison's design, as the composition of that final splash page is just too perfect. The page not only juxtaposes the fallen Tim Drake with the costumes of Thomas Wayne and Jason Todd (a juxtaposition that loses a little of its force, unfortunately, now that Jason isn't dead anymore--thanks for nothing, Superboy!), it drapes Tim with the most risible part of the old Robin costume, the green chain mail hot pants. Is that meant to be a further humiliation? A chilling replay of past failures?
Or is it a reminder that no matter how much these characters grimace, no matter how many depradations their writers inflict on them and no matter how much black their artists add or how much green they subtract, the somber heroes of "New Earth" will always be in continuity with the smiling four-color champions who apparently embarrass everybody at DC?
Everybody, it seems, but Grant Morrison.
I actually preferred the previous "mindless action" issues myself. By the way, will you by chance be commenting on the complete "Lost Girls"? Frankly, I'd rather hear your take on that than on a so far at-best-mediocre Morrison series. I personally found the "Rite of Spring" episode extraordinary; Moore at the top of his form. Have fun at ICAF! -Jose
Posted by: jose alaniz | September 30, 2006 at 07:56 PM
You know, I haven't read the complete Lost Girls yet and most of the reviews haven't exactly inspired me to run out and buy it. I was more intrigued by your presentation a few years back than I am by the word on the finished product. I'm sure I'll get around to it sometime, but right now I can't get past the lukewarm reviews and the sticker shock.
Shame we won't see you at ICAF (and that you missed PCA). We'll have to tap some up-and-coming young comics scholar to take your place at the table for the annual round of "I can't believe I read that."
Posted by: Marc | September 30, 2006 at 08:44 PM
Blow off those reviews. "LG" belongs on the same shelf as "From Hell," "Watchmen," you name it. I got mine from Amazon.com for $47, with free shipping. That's not a bad deal when you consider you're getting three hard-bound volumes in a slipcase, with superior printing and production values (and then there's the work itself). Money well spent, my friend.
Posted by: jose alaniz | October 01, 2006 at 02:26 AM
Everybody, it seems, but Grant Morrison.
I'm not so sure about that. For a guy who claims to want to lighten Batman up a bit, he's already shot the Joker in the head and decapitated an amusing D-lister I wanted to see more of. While I definitely enjoyed this issue more than the last two, I see Morrison falling into the trap of commenting more on the problem than actually fixing it. Be the change you want to see in the world, Grant!
Aside from that, characterization for Batman's sons is all over the place in this issue. Is Robin offended by Damian's presence, or is he welcoming of the boy? Is Damian disdainful and resentful of his father, or is he respectful and admiring of him, even to the point of psychosis? What makes Damian switch so suddenly from rejection of Batman to murderous emulation? This is far sloppier work from Morrison than we're used to seeing.
That said, the story's only half-over, right? Or is next issue the wrap-up? Either way Morrison still has a chance to get the next one right, I suppose.
Posted by: Christmas | October 01, 2006 at 08:12 AM
Robin is offended (after his opening welcome is rebuffed) but he grows up and tries to accept the brat. Damian is disdainful and resentful about being moved around again until Bruce demonstrates his paternal authority, which unfortunately only reinforces Damian's perverse upbringing and causes him to swing around to his psychotic idea of filial duty. This isn't shifting characterization, it's conflict, and it would be a misguided criticism that holds characters to only one emotional state every 22 pages.
I agree that Morrison's commenting more than he's fixing--this is the signal mode of the new DC--but he's only just set up Batman's dilemma after two months of dicking around with ninja man-bats. If we never see Damian again after next issue then the arc will have been too abrupt, too second-order and referential. But if he lets the situation breathe then Morrison has found the perfect way of building his commentary into the story by confronting Batman with the daunting prospect of trying to raise himself.
Would've liked to see more Spook, though.
Posted by: Marc | October 01, 2006 at 11:52 AM
I have to say, so far I'm enjoying the run: just found a comic book shop within walking distance of the apartment in Edmonton and picked up the three Morrison Batmans, the latest All-Star Superman and an issue of the Busiek Supermn.
Sadly, however, I enjoyed both of the Superman books more than Morrison's take on Batman so far. Which is not to say that I didn't like Morrison's take on the character, because I did, but I don't believe based on reading these three issues that there will be anything even approaching a resolution in the fourth issue. It feels rushed, painfully rushed, as if Morrison had a year's worth of Batman stories in him and he's being forced to cram it all in four issues. Whether or not that's an accurate assesment of his mindset going in, I'm just not feeling the same sense of anticipation I get from the previous of SSoV or the All Star Superman issues: when Kurt Busiek can write a Superman story about yet another powerful alien who can give Superman a fight and end the story with Arion of Atlantis wearing Oscar Wilde's old clothes and I feel more satisfied with that, then there's got to be something wrong.
However, there's so much I like in this run that I'm having a hard time deciding what besides pacing is bugging me. I feel like I should like the Man-Bat ninja's more than I did, I feel like I should be rooting more for Batman and Damian to connect than I am. Still, the interplay between Alfred and Bruce is excellent, and I think I'd read the comic for another year just to see more of it, to be honest. I also enjoy the idea of Batman's 'war on crime' having been successful at last, but I can't shake the feeling that this will ultimately be an interlude that no one takes advantage of, much as later writers squandered all the possibilities of Morrison's runs on X-Men or JLA.
Posted by: Matt Rossi | October 14, 2006 at 11:28 PM
Hey, Matt. How's Canada?
I think what was missing from Morrison's Batman, until the latest issue, was any sense that something was at stake. The Joker scene, the ninja man-bats, even those clever pop art paintings were all too glib, too obviously either metacommentaries or strained attempts at doing something wild and over the top. It's an approach guaranteed to earn rounds of applause from self-conscious fans who read comics for doctrinal reinforcement and not pleasure, but it didn't make for a compelling story until Damian entered the picture and the metacommentary found its emotional, dramatic focus. I hope he'll stick around for more than one issue.
Posted by: Marc | October 15, 2006 at 12:49 PM