Well, it had to happen. After Grant Morrison’s Batman and Robin stint began brilliantly with its first six issues, we had to return to Final Crisis. I guess it was inevitable since it was, like Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis, a story which had major repercussions across the DC Universe and Superman did sort of appear at the end cradling Batman’s burnt corpse. While we know that the real Batman is currently back in time someplace hanging around with Anthro and some Neanderthals, Dick and Damian spend their time trying to resurrect who they believe to be the real Batman while the mystery of Oberon Sexton continues to unravel. It’s a shame that with these stories, we are already a third of the way through Morrison’s Batman and Robin run. It’s definitely my favourite part of his run and I really wish there was more of it. But as is always the case with Grant Morrison, you can be sure that you’ll never forget them…
Batman and Robin (vol 1) 7-12 was published from March to July 2010. The stories
were written by Grant Morrison with art by Cameron Stewart, Andy Clarke, and Scott Hanna. I’ve read the issues in the Batman Vs Robin hardcover.
Blackest Knight --- Written by Grant Morrison with art by Cameron Stewart
If it wasn’t obvious from the pun in the title, this story takes place around the same time as Blackest Night, you know, that overlong and pointless story where every dead character comes back to life as zombies just to annoy people? Yeah? Well instead of conforming to the usual cliches of multi-issue crossovers that bore people to death, Morrison opts for a Frankenstein-like resurrection! In London, Batman teams up with Squire of the Knight and Squire duo to take out some of King Coal’s bombs across the city before finding the last attached to a screaming Pearly Price, another English villain with a bizarre accent. Anyway, Batman interrogates his boss in the Pearly Crime family about King Coal’s plan involving an abandoned mineshaft, but the villain only reveals Coal’s obsession with an underground pit of sorts. I think we all know where this is going. Anyway, meanwhile Damian is going through his usual operation of having all of his organs replaced by Talia’s machines. With Bruce Wayne dead (so everyone thinks), Talia plans for Damian to become a new and more vengeful Dark Knight that will truly clean up not just Gotham, but the world. Back with Dick and Squire, they reconvene with Knight in the underground tunnels where they’re attacked by King Coal’s men. Suddenly, Batwoman appears from a random coffin, and everyone instantly accepts her presence. There’s not much shock or surprise when she suddenly bursts out of a box, but what the hell. Either way, she tries to convince Dick not to use the secret of the tunnels, but it is already too late. If it wasn’t obvious enough, the mineshaft holds a Lazarus Pit and for a dramatic end to the first part, the original Dark Knight explodes out of the water and is seemingly returned to life. Or is he? Apart from a brief introduction to how Batwoman gets here as she has been investigating the Crime Coven, much of the second part features our heroes fighting against a crazed Dark Knight. This isn’t totally out of the blue as everyone who uses the Lazarus Pit becomes temporarily crazed, but it becomes quickly clear that it’s not the real Batman. In fact, it’s a clone created by Darkseid in his evil Factory from Final Crisis. Before his death, Darkseid demanded that all Batman clones are destroyed but one. Why does Darkseid decide to leave one? Beats me. And why Batman of all people? I discussed this in my Final Crisis review, but there really isn’t any point in cloning Batman because, unlike Superman or Wonder Woman, he is just a human being. Sigh, let’s just move on from Final Crisis and I hope that (for the most part anyway) we never have to mention it again. Anyway, the Clone Batman easily beats (continued)
the heroes and critically injures Batwoman. While Knight and Squire dig their way through the tunnels, she dies in Batman’s arms. Good to see a death every now and then, but I only wish there wasn’t a Lazarus Pit several yards away to reverse it. Meanwhile, the Clone Batman has escaped from the tunnel before King Coal arrived, and he heads towards Wayne Manor. He surprises Alfred and then confronts Damian, back from his… rest, I guess. While a wheelchair-bound Damian fights a near-monosyllabic cloned Batman, Dick works out that Batwoman actually overdosed on morphine as she knew her injuries would kill her. Basically, she killed herself just stop the oncoming pain and so that Dick could resurrect her. Now that is ballsy, but it’s exactly what happens and as Batwoman is resurrected (and somehow doesn’t go loony). It doesn’t take long for the heroes to be rescued as King Coal, believing them to be dead and buried (literally) has escaped from the scene. Apart from having a vague link to the Lazarus Pit, what purpose did King Coal serve here? Really, Dick could have just known the Pit’s location from the start, or with Batwoman’s help. King Coal is here just a necessary villain, which I guess is rendered pointless when you have a mad Darksedian cloned Batman. And meanwhile, the same clone fights against Damian who, despite being partially crippled after being shot by the Flamingo, does well against the villain as his appearance begins to deteriorate and it becomes clearer that this isn’t Bruce Wayne. But luckily, Dick and Batwoman arrive just in the nick of time to take out the clone as its body basically just deteriorates into nothing. In the end, Knight and Squire, back in London, take out King Coal for some closure, while the Batman and Robin team is united once more, with a new hope that Batman is no longer dead. He is out there, somewhere. Although Blackest Knight may have moments that don’t make too sense or plot points that really don’t go anywhere, Morrison writes a story that succeeds in having quick pacing and as a result, it never feels boring. As I said, I think King Coal really doesn’t need to be in this story, as the cloned Batman makes for a far better and more threatening villain. I guess it gives a reason for Knight and Squire to appear, who are as good as ever here. Linking the story to Final Crisis, although inevitable, proved to be a problem as it’s a story that doesn’t make too much sense and unfortunately, aspects of that leak into this story. Apart from that, it’s great to see some of the old faces from the Bat Family return as Batwoman makes a break from the usual adventures with Dick and Damian. Overall, Blackest Knight may not be the best of Morrison’s run, but it’s incredibly successful and not being dull or standard, making it another enjoyable read.
I actually find the art here, by Cameron Stewart, to be some of the best in the series. His smooth and dynamic sense of art reminds me of a both simple time in comic books and, as opposed to many other artists of the early 2010s, it doesn’t look over-exaggerated or scratchy. It tells Morrison’s story well and Stewart’s inks give it a simple, yet charming, appearance.
Story: 8/10
Art: 9.5/10
The Haunting of Wayne Manor --- Written by Grant Morrison with art by Andy Clarke and Scott Hanna
While we now know that Batman is alive and well out there somewhere in time, what does the general public think about Bruce Wayne? Obviously, he too hasn’t been seen in weeks. So, instead of Dick Grayson taking over the duties of Wayne Enterprises, it is down to ten-year-old Damian Wayne (who has somehow acquired a business degree
from Talia’s teachings). Meanwhile, Batman is working with Oberon Sexton to work out the next step of the Domino Killer, who has been littering dominos on murdered villains since Batman and Robin (vol 1) 1. Sexton believes that Bruce Wayne is in fact the Domino Killer as all the victims were members of the Black Glove, and Jezebel Jet’s recent death may have turned Bruce Wayne into a killer. A good idea, if it were true. Anyway, as the investigation continues, Dick, Damian, and Alfred head back to Wayne Manor and debug the whole manor (after Simon Hurt trapped it in Batman RIP) and they begin searching its history to find any trace of Bruce Wayne’s whereabouts in the past. While they learn of the ancestors of Wayne Major (including a black sheep devil-worshipper), Sexton receives another call from El Penitente, who rages at him for not killing Batman when he had the chance. It’s now time for the Third Hierarchy, El Penitente says. But as the assassins arrive, Sexton darts for it. Back in Wayne Manor, Dick works out that Darkseid’s Omega Beams must have sent Bruce back into the past but as he searches Wayne Manor, Damian comes close to beheading him with a sword. Was it not for a secret trapdoor, Dick would be dead? Instead, he falls into a hidden Batcave from centuries ago, with the word “BARBATOS” etched into the walls. On the surface, Damian freaks out over his actions as he realises that Talia has been brainwashing him since his birth to kill Batman and usurp his throne. Before he can even think about it however, Damian bumps into Sexton and the two hide as they are cornered by the Third Hierarchy. The revelation that Talia has been brainwashing her child is no surprise, but it’s a brilliant bit of character development because you can see Damian fighting against it. Since Batman and Son, he has become closer to Dick, and he doesn’t want to lose that friendship. And while the whole ancestry of Bruce Wayne become all the more confusing and uninteresting later, Morrison builds a great mystery here. But before we return to murky Gotham, we find El Penitente now ready for his return to Gotham. El Penitente is dead. Doctor Simon Hurt lives. Back in Gotham, Sexton and Damian fight against the Third Hierarchy, while Talia now has the augmented ability to control every muscle in Damian’s body. Hold on. It’s been established that there needs to be an heir to the Al Ghul dynasty and Damian, as a male, is that desired heir. But, with Ra’s dead and Talia basically controlling Damian’s body, why doesn’t she do it herself and become the leader of the Al Ghul empire. It just makes Damian pointless in the grand scheme of it, even if it does add to the drama between the two characters and how Damian has slowly been becoming more of a Wayne than an Al Ghul since the run began. Regardless, Dick continues his exploration and learns more of the mystery of Barbatos, a recent name for a devil-worshipping tribe. Back on the surface, the Third Hierarchy are taken care of, but Damian works out that Sexton is using a fake voice. Suddenly, Talia’s power becomes too much to handle, and Damian is forced to attack Sexton, and then Batman who appears from the underground after finding something big. However, with Batman now in the way of Talia, she picks a new fighter to use Damian’s body, Slade Wilson, AKA Deathstroke. Just moving on from that great ending to the second part, another thought has come into my head. Damian has obviously worked out that there is something sketchy about Sexton. Why hasn’t Dick? You’d think that he’d be able to work out that Sexton was just an act. I mean, nobody would look at him and think he’s a good guy. Anyway, much of the third part is, as the title of the book states, Batman vs Robin. However, Dick manages to hack the electronics in Damian’s body which causes Deathstroke to have a seizure. While this was going on, the Third Hierarchy broke into the Manor and found Dick’s discovery, a wooden casket which, they claim, holds the secrets of Barbatos. We’ll learn a lot more about this later in The Return of Bruce Wayne and I can’t wait for it (that’s sarcasm). To finish off, with the Third Hierarchy taken care of and the mystery of Bruce Wayne kind of solved (not really), Damian confronts his mother, who reveals that she is developing more Damians out back in her own cloning facility. She deems her original son an enemy of Al Ghul. However, the Dynamic Duo have bigger things to worry (continued)
about as Dick has worked out who the real domino killer is. He meets with Oberon Sexton to discuss his findings and when the Dark Knight works out that all the killings are a play on jokes, Sexton reveals himself to be the real domino killer, better known as the Joker. Let’s face, we all knew he was going to be a recognisable face and it seems that the Joker was definitely the best candidate for it. With Simon Hurt returning and the Joker back, Dick and Damian are heading into their own Batman RIP. But it will be a while before we get to that as the next few stories carry on the Bruce Wayne saga set up here. Here, Morrison delivers that part of the story bearably as it’s an old good fashioned mystery. It gets worse in future stories for reasons I’ll explain later, but for now, I like the scenes where Dick and Damian explore Wayne Manor. The whole Talia controlling Damian story is a bit bizarre and while it does have its problems, it does give us a reason why Talia keeps on experimenting on her own son. Also, what is Morrison’s obsession with cloning? He did it with Bruce Wayne in Final Crisis and now he’s doing it again with Damian. We’ll see where that goes…
Andy Clarke and Scott Hanna, lacking the smooth style of Cameron Stewart, deliver a style that reminds me of Frank Quitely. There’s a lot of shading and feathering to give the story an atmospheric and gloomy appearance, something which works great in the underground scenes. It may appear less polished and grittier than Quitely, but it works in being dramatic and reflective of the story’s tone.
Story: 9/10
Art: 8/10
VERDICT
Overall, Batman Vs Robin delivers two good stories which, despite some flaws and aspects which don’t work, deepen the mystery in Grant Morrison’s Batman run and creates two interesting mystery stories. Blackest Night is probably the weaker of the two, but it succeeds in conveying an action-packed and dramatic tale. The Haunting of Wayne Manor is more enjoyable in telling a compelling mystery and it features some very entertaining revelations. Both stories are never boring and that’s their greatest achievement. Morrison tells stories which aren’t standard or ordinary and that’s why his run will be remembered forever. But for the next adventures, it’s back to the past for what really happened to Bruce Wayne, and how he gets home…
Stories: 8.5/10
Art: 8.5/10
Next Week: Green Arrow/The Butcher/The Question (The Brave and the Bold (vol 2) 1-6). Written by Mike Grell and Mike Baron with art by Shea Anton Pensa, and Pablo Marcos.
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