Well, here we are. The end of Grant Morrison’s never-ending run on Batman finally came to an end in 2013, seven years after it began. Who could forget Batman 655, the first issue of Morrison’s run which introduced us to Damian Wayne? It feels like Damian’s Robin has already become part of the scenery at this point. With the last few issues of Batman Incorporated (vol 2), Morrison seeks to conclude the Leviathan story once and for all, continuing to ignore the mass of jumbled tape known as the New 52. Naturally after such a long run, it would appear difficult to keep that suspense going in order to conclude the storyline in a genuinely satisfying manor. Fortunately, that is why Grant Morrison is a writer known for insane endings.
Batman Incorporated (vol 2) 6-10, 12-13 were published from February to December 2013. The stories were written obviously by Grant Morrison, with art by Chris Burnham, Andres Guinaldo, Jason Masters, Andrei Bressan, and Javier Bergatino. I’ve missed out both Batman Incorporated (vol 2) 11 and the special mainly because they’re not by Morrison and therefore, not exactly relevant to the run. Sorry Chris
Burnham. Anyway, I’ve read the issues in the Batman: Gotham’s Most Wanted hardcover.
Garland of Skulls/Belly of the Whale/The Boy Wonder Returns/Fallen Son
So… a recap. While Talia is revealed to be the true villain behind Leviathan, that cult that wants to destroy Batman Incorporated, the Dark Knight himself works out that Talia is really out to take back her son, Damian. Therefore, Batman must make his choice. Batman Incorporated (vol 2) 6 begins the final stretch of the story, despite DC officially recognising that the first half concludes with that issue (it just doesn’t work, as you’ll see). Batman, with his legion of Batman Inc robots, throws himself into a Leviathan secret base, following the voice of Talia from his earpiece. It’s a very James Bond-like scene, with the villain taunting the hero, who obviously escapes unharmed from all the death traps. The main point is that it sets up the final drama, as Talia demands that Batman must make a decision. Must choose between saving Gotham, or Damian. And then, just to show how much Damian means to us all emotionally, Morrison writes a moment that is uncharacteristically soft. Back in the cave, a miserable Damian is cheered up by the kindness of Alfred, who has bought Damian a new pet cat. Naturally, the cat is a feisty and angry kitten and Damian, obviously, takes to it. Away from that lovely scene, Batman runs into Leviathan, the apparent second-in-command of Talia’s gang. A bloody fight between himself and Batman ensues, with heroes such as Knight and Squire helping out. However, none stand a chance against the augmented strength of Leviathan, who appropriately ends the issue by throwing the Dark Knight out of a six-storey building window. You see, that wouldn’t make sense for it to be the place to end the issue, would it? It’s only just the beginning. Although Garland of Skulls is mainly just a bloody battle, the scene with Damian stands out and achieves something that Morrison set out to do. When Damian was introduced to us in the Batman and Son storyline, he was a severely unlikable character. He showed little emotion or kindness towards anybody, including his father. Now, as we near the end, he’s a changed. Sure, he’s still obnoxious and would most probably behead someone at a moment’s notice, but he feels part of the Bat-Family now and that’s something which has never changed and never will. Unless he were to die of course, but that won’t happen. Batman Incorporated (vol 2) 7 begins darkly, with Knight’s death as a result of Leviathan’s power and Batman kidnapped by more of Talia’s Man-Bats. The happy mood in the cave is broken as Damian realises that his mother has created a monster in Leviathan, remembering that Talia’s aim was to clone him in order to create the perfect successor to the Al Ghul throne. That is Leviathan. Underneath the mask, it is a duplicate of Damian, but one far more dangerous. This idea is great and all, but why bother? You would have thought that with Ra’s Al Ghul’s advanced funds and science, they would be able to just brainwash Damian after his birth and make him into the perfect killing machine right from the start. Sure, it took Talia ten years to work out that her plan failed since Damian fell in more with Batman’s mould of vigilantism rather than the Al Ghuls, but still. Meanwhile, in a genius move, Leviathan are still using children to carry out their ground plan, and Talia and her forces invade the Wayne Enterprises building. Once again, they try to kill Batman, this time shoving him in a large safe and throwing it into a swimming pool. You’d think that everybody would learn from Batman RIP that the Dark Knight is unkillable, but what do you know, they’ll keep on trying. Elsewhere, away from the action, we get a consequential scene that proves important. Alfred, knowing that Damian wants to help his father, aids the young Robin in getting him out of the cave. Actually, Damian is so smart that he knows he can break out anyway. Like most other boys, the one thing that stops him are the words, “you’re grounded”. Either way, Damian escapes with Alfred’s help, despite knowing that Bruce would disapprove. Once again, it’s a nice scene which is very personal and shows how the characters have warmed to one another. Just in time too, for the penultimate part is bloody. Red Robin (Tim Drake) arrives at the Wayne Enterprises building only to find it under Talia’s control. That’s when Damian arrives and the two of them fight against the horde of Leviathan-controlled kids and agents. It’s like the good old days of Batman and Robin after Final Crisis, with Dick and Damian working well together as characters. And that’s when Leviathan arrives. The story becomes tense as Damian fights his augmented clone, but it is too late. After a bloody scene, Batman arrives to find Damian dead by Leviathan’s sword. Unlike his façade of a death at the end of Batman Incorporated (vol 2) 1, this time, it’s real. Honestly, if you look at the direction of the run, Damian’s death seemed like an inevitability. It’s because Morrison threw him so forcefully into Batman’s world, but as he remained there longer and became part of the family (especially in the second phase of the run), you became used to him. His violent death at the end of Batman Incorporated (vol 2) 8 marks a moment that Morrison has been building up to, and it’s not so much emotional, as shocking. The following issue begins with (continued)
Batman’s violent attacks on Leviathan. This isn’t the same Dark Knight as before. He’s taken to Damian’s violence and hatred, more fuelled by vengeance than justice. But it still isn’t enough. Leviathan escapes from the scene, leaving Talia to berate him for not following her precise orders. Much of this final issue flickers between the past and the present, with the latter presenting the funeral. It conveys one of the few moments when Bruce shows anger towards Alfred. He doesn’t hold him responsible for Damian’s death, but he certainly isn’t pleased with him. It seems the whole world mourns for somebody, whether it be Damian or Knight. Batman is bruised and battered as he arrives back in the cave, alone (aside from Bat-Cow). He is left only to scream in anger. It’s a very miserable ending to the penultimate act. Nice to see that Morrison, even in his latter writings, likes to make things depressing before a happy end. These four issues supply an action-packed story, one which I think starts out quite predictable, but ends shockingly and personally. Of course, the biggest moment has to be the death of Damian, a character who much of the run is centred around. It stands tall obviously, but perhaps it isn’t helped by the fact that this was published in 2013. The era when characters remained dead for good (or at least a few years) was long over. While Morrison gave Damian a shocking and memorable death, his comeback appeared inevitable due to his popularity. You can’t really blame Morrison for that, more Peter Tomasi in his Batman and Robin (vol 2) run. Contained in Morrison’s Batman world, this is fine, however. He creates potential for a brilliant conclusion, with a Dark Knight prepared to fight the bloody fight. Overall, it is probably the most character impactful story of Morrison’s run.
Gotham’s Most Wanted/Fatherless/The Dark Knight and the Devil’s Daughter
For the last three issues of Morrison’s run on Batman, after being set up extremely well by the previous story, we’re taken on a very vengeful path that perhaps DC always wanted from the New 52 project. Morrison, that writer who loved to make those 1950s tales of Bat-Mite, giant insects, and alien invaders mainstream, opts for a very
different Dark Knight after the death of Damian. With Batman Incorporated (vol 2) 10, Batman unites an army of heroes outside the mainstream of Batman Inc, such as Azrael, while the GCPD, due to Leviathan’s power over the city, declare Bruce Wayne, his company, and Batman as enemies. Elsewhere, Talia prepares for the oncoming battle between herself and Batman, with her continually decaying father believing that she has overlooked one detail. Effectively, this issue is the calm before the storm. It puts in place the final details so Talia and Leviathan can finally take control over Gotham City. To be honest, the whole idea of taking over Gotham just to beat Batman is an idea which has been done to death. It’s happened in virtually every story where the police turn against Batman, most notably in the Batman: Arkham City video game, No Man’s Land, the Cult. They’re just some of the more well-known examples and while it can be effective for storytelling, it’s been done. If anything, Morrison has already done it before in his Batman run, specifically at the end of each phase. At the end of phases one and two, you get Doctor Simon Hurt invading Arkham and Gotham respectively, using the areas against the Dark Knight. Now it's happened again, only this time it’s Talia and she’s facing off against a Batman angrier and more furious than ever before. The splash page ending featuring Batman in new armoured gear is impressive and makes for a great kick-off to the action. Beforehand however, we’re presented with the true character of Leviathan. As the villain who brutally murdered Damian, not even a teenager, he is now totally under Talia’s control and acts as the only character he’s scared of. It works because it makes the villain into more than a simple killing machine. Batman Incorporated (vol 2) 12 is simply a huge battle, with Batman fighting against hordes of Man-Bats and, of course, Leviathan. Elsewhere, another aspect of the run is introduced. Previously, the Hood (remember that English vigilante from Alan Grant’s Shadow of the Bat) is revealed to be a spy working for the secret network wittily named Spyral. It’s a government-controlled organisation that acts as the mediators between the good and bad, e.g., Batman Incorporated against Leviathan. Typically for a secret organisation, their leader is only shown in dark lighting, but she’s a character instantly recognised by Nightwing. At the same time, Batman beats the hell out of Leviathan, and, despite his strength, the villain is revealed under the armour and masking to just be a complete Damian clone. It’s a sad moment because it displays that Talia really is the true villain here. Her cloning of her own ten-year son for battle is bad enough, but those actions are followed by Talia beheading that clone for failing to defeat Batman. It makes for a bloody and cruel end to Leviathan, but, for the final issue, it comes down to a battle between those who bought Damian into the world. Batman Incorporated (vol 2) 13 begins with how the New 52 run started, with Bruce Wayne being arrested by Gordon and the cops. From there, the story reverts from the past to the present, with Bruce telling the story of his relationship with Talia to Gordon, and back to the fight. Around the world, Batman Incorporated does its best to stop the actions of Leviathan, leaving Batman and Talia to battle it out one last time in the cave. The fight is powerful and bloody, with Batman proving to be no match for Talia. However, that is when Spyral’s true goal is revealed. The organisation’s leader, one Kathy Kane, completes her mission by firing a single bullet into Talia’s head, killing her. It’s a quick and anti-climatic end, but it was always going to be. When you give a story like this or Batman RIP a sense of immediacy, the ending returns the calmness and we’re back to normality. As for Talia, the same could most probably be said of her. Although she dies, this is modern comics. She most likely came back. Her death here, however, is another surprise. Morrison has the power to kill off characters made several decades before and, in this case, it’s effective. This is where Morrison’s run ends. Batman simply accepts the death of Talia and, afterwards, spends the next how-ever-long attempting to resurrect his dead son. Meanwhile, Ra’s Al Ghul is out there, knowing of his daughter’s failure. He hatches his own plan to destroy Batman by using thousands of Damian clones created by Talia which are just hanging around in storage. A nice hint of future tales to end on. As for the story, despite its huge appearance, it’s a simple conclusion really. There’s some death, violence, vindication, and more death. While the set up was most probably better executed than the final three issues, they did a grand job in depicting an interesting fight with some shockers. I do feel that the inclusion of Spyral, along with Kathy Kane’s comeback, while welcome, feels like a late addition and overall, doesn’t do that much for the story aside from the spilling of some Al Ghul brains on the floor. It’s great to see Batman using some proper brute force as well, showing that previous events have taken their toll on the hero. Overall, it may be one of Morrison’s more regular stories, but it serves as a decent conclusion to an otherwise great run.
As for the art, I have to confess that, aside from Chris Burnham’s somewhat unique art-style, the rest of the visuals are not very noteworthy. Some artists, Jason Masters and Andrei Bressan for example, provide art for only a few pages and leave very little lasting impression. Burnham is the main focus here and his Frank Quitely-like appearance throughout gives the story a vibrant appearance. Perhaps this isn’t greatly suited to a tale such as this one, which features more blood and guts than I care to remember in any other non-Vertigo comic.
VERDICT
Overall, Batman: Gotham’s Most Wanted, despite its generic title, supplies us with the final piece of Grant Morrison’s run with a conclusion that, while sometimes ordinary and lacking in uniquity, is fast-paced and dramatic. The deaths of Damian and his mother stand out as the key moments as Morrison pens a conclusion which feels suitable and sad. The second half may focus far more on conflict, but the first is full of character and memorable moments. It might not be as plot heavy as previous stories, but it’s an effective end.
Stories: 9/10
Art: 7.5/10
As for Morrison’s run overall, it certainly stands tall as one of the longest Batman runs. Next to Tom King’s run in the 2010s, Morrison’s long stint is the best Batman run of the 21st century. It’s the only one which feels brave enough to conjure up the silver age past and instead of simply ignoring it or making gags about it, Morrison uses its storytelling potential and reconfigures it for the modern age. The inclusion of Zur-En-Arrh, Robin Dies at Dawn, and the Club of Heroes, along with new creations such as the Black Glove, made the first phase exciting. From Batman and Son to Batman RIP, Morrison writes truly great detective work, in spite of a dreary interlude in both The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul and Final Crisis. As for the second phase, it is perhaps my favourite since it focuses more on character. The relationship between Dick and Damian is brilliant. They contrast one another excellently as you warm to the two characters while they fight against Professor Pyg, the Joker, and Simon Hurt once again. As for the other aspect of the second half, the Return of Bruce Wayne is definitely one of my least favourite stories. It’s Morrison at his most pretentious and overall, that’s no fun to read. Lastly, the third phase may get off to a slow start with the first Batman Incorporated title, but the New 52 makes up for it with an action-packed conclusion. Like every other run, Morrison’s Batman stint has its faults, but there are some undeniably great moments which make it a classic. The introduction of Damian Wayne is one, but the immortalisation of the silver age is another. Although it stands as a modern classic, perhaps the greatest achievement of Morrison’s run is making the silver age respectable…
P.S – This wasn’t quite Morrison’s final Batman story. He did write a short story in Detective Comics 1027 (2020). It’s not really got much to do with Morrison’s run at all, more a love letter to the early days of Batman. In short, it’s about a vigilante named the Silver Ghost, also known as Detective 26. He becomes a detective vigilante in the aftermath of the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne, only for his final case to be Batman’s first. Much of the story takes place during Detective Comics 27 way back in 1939, with the ending showing a revelatory Silver Ghost that there’s a new vigilante in town. It’s a nice little read that contributes to Morrison’s idea of a large Bat-vigilante force, but it mainly serves the purpose of writing a classic memorable tale. The art’s also by Chris Burnham, so it fits at home with the rest of Batman Incorporated.
Next Week: Hawk and Dove by Steve Ditko (Showcase 75, Hawk and Dove (vol 1) 1-2). Written by Steve Skeates with art by Steve Ditko.
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