Books : Batman and Son

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Rating:

- The first time a comic has ever made me cringe
As my title says, I was cringing while reading this book. The plot was boring, and Batman's son irritated me! The only part that caught my intrest, was how the new Batman called his cat "Alfred". Over all, I recomend you check it out from the library before you decide on buying.

Rating:

- Good introduction into a comic book novel
This is Grant Morrison's entry into the world of the Dark Knight. Well, not exactly, he had written Batman in the pages of JLA in the late 90s and did a fabulous job of it. Many people have referred to Morrison's Batman as the Bat-God or uber Bat because Batman managed to pull off feats that appeared to surpass all other heroes. And now he begins to write Batman on a "monthly" basis.

The premise behind this tale is explained by the title. It introduces a son that Batman was not aware of existing. This son was previously introduced in a graphic novel which had previously been retconned. BUT, this story from the graphic novel is not exactly utilized which is particularly irritating as Morrison has clearly done his research into the Dark Knight for other details to be non-contradictory.

The artwork is great. The initial 4 stories in the book are the Batman and son story. The remaining ones are part of this ghosts of Batman storyline that continued into the Black Glove storyline and R.I.P. Actually, the whole book plants the seeds for the currently storyline continuing in Batman.

What's good: The artwork. Some of the nice little touches introducing the aspects of Bruce Wayne which had previously been ignored or not touched upon in years.

What's bad: Morrison is routinely confusing. And the last part of the book will leave many confused unless they get the Black Glove hardcover and the R.I.P. storyline.

Rating:

- Overly Ambitious and Not Entertaining Enough
I can't tell you the thing I disliked most about this story without giving a major spoiler, so I'll just say that from the first time Damien goes after a villian, the Batman I know would have ended this game. It was convoluted and at times boring. There was no reason to change the basic storyline that had been established in "Son of the Demon", but Morrison does it anyway.

The Joker story and the Epilogue story were really just filler, but I liked the Joker story better than the other stuff in the book.

I could really have done without "Batman and Son."

Rating:

- Story of Love and Pain
The Batman has always been a study on how to interpret a superhero. Bound by his own moral code (which is really the DC comics code of "Thou Shall Not Kill"), this book sees Batman busting out and moving more into the moral ambiguity / no-man's land first seen with Frank Miller's take on the character.

Grant Morrison infuses a bit of Judge Dredd into Batman - ie. he allows a frustrated Batman to exercise his own (desperate) brand of justice, and by doing so, successfully evolves the character beyond the usual limits. But where the book needs to go is even further into the core character and his hidden feelings. Batman never really allows himself to drop too far, and maintains that macho facade - but for how long?

Andy Kubert's art is brilliant as always but the colours veer towards making the story glossy rather than dark. So the punches still feel pulled somewhat. A love triangle looms and Batman's twisted affair with Talia from the League of Assassins never quite goes where we would like it to go and really needs to be built on more. In short, BATMAN & SON provides the perfect conundrum for the ultra cool detective - but only if the authors turn on the heat.

Batman's son is quite a piece of work - and there's room for more. Not for kiddies. A promising chapter indeed.

Rating:

- Grant Morrison returns to the Caped Crusader
After writing Batman in JLA and the graphic novels Arkham Asylum and Gothic, Grant Morrison finally comes to the Dark Knight's regular monthly series. Although not his best work (for that, see The Invisibles, Doom Patrol, Seven Soldiers, All Star Superman......), Morrison's Batman is definitely engaging. The stellar artwork from Andy Kubert is also something to behold.

As always, Morrison opens with a bang as an impostor Batman shoots Joker in the head. From then on, Batman's life is turned upside down when Talia al Ghul, the daughter of Batman's deceased nemesis Ra's al Ghul, informs him that he is the father of her son, a rebellious and violent 13-year-old named Damian. The boy is thrust onto Batman and he proceeds to wreak havoc throughout the Batcave and seriously get on Alfred's nerves. He and Robin also strike up an instant rivalry. After a fiery confrontation in Gibraltar, Talia takes Damian back and the two disappear from Batman's life.

Morrison then takes an.... interesting break to delve into the character of the Joker, as he recuperates in Arkham Asylum. Written in prose and digitally illustrated by John van Fleet, this tale offers a revolutionary look at the Joker and his fluid sense of identity, yet still manages to fall short. I am not a fan of van Fleet's digital style and I don't think it meshes well with Morrison's prose, which I also think could be improved upon. Too much superficial musings, too little clarity.

The narrative returns to regular comic book form, as Batman and Robin investigate another impostor Batman, this one a former cop on Bane venom and Hugo Strange's monster serum. Batman has a vision of three replacement Batmen, the last covered in shadow. "The Third Man is coming," Batman is told.

The final issue in this collection shows Damian Wayne, now grown, taking over the role of Batman as he fights the Third Man in the streets of Gotham City. Damian's Batman is violent and dark (and bald), darker (and balder) than any incarnation of the Dark Knight has ever been. At the end, he kills the bad guy and averts the Apocalypse. Is this really the future of Batman?

Morrison's Batman is definitely fun to read. He's dark, as Batman should be, but not so dark that he comes across as a parody of himself. This Batman laughs from time to time, has some fun. He's not hammering "the mission" into the readers' heads ten times every page. It's fun, with enough meat to satisfy readers looking for more than flashy artwork and dynamic action sequences (of which there are plenty, one of which includes flying ninja Man-Bats. What more could you ask for?).

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