Batman RIP: The Five Ws

Book: Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?
Pen: Neil Gaiman
Pencil: Andy Kubert

Whatever happened in Final Crisis? To all accounts Batman is dead. How is the character going forward? We will get to that, but, for now, we take a pause from Grant Morrison. 

Writer extraordinaire Neil Gaiman was tasked with an epic sent off to the Dark Knight. More accurately, an epic obituary. Batman’s chapter had to be closed like how Alan Moore closed out the Silver Age Superman with Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow. Since Moore would spit at DC if they approached him, the suits approached Moore’s friend and follower Gaiman.

Gaiman’s task was tougher. Morrison was nowhere near completing his saga, even though Batman was dead. He couldn’t write about what happened to the Caped Crusader, he couldn’t write what happened after. Which meant the story had to be out of continuity. Plus the title was already chosen for him.

The problem was solved by taking the question literally. What happened to Bruce Wayne? Gaiman invites us to a wake. It is a bar in Crime Alley. One by one the villains arrive, followed by others in Bruce Wayne’s life. Batman is the narrator and he has no clue what is happening.

Selina Kyle tells the story of how she met him and how they were together during his last minutes. Then Alfred had another story leading to Batman’s death. And each of the people in attendance started saying their stories. Before you scream Rashomon, the stories have nothing to do with each other, other than they all had Batman in them and they all touched upon him never giving up or giving in.

It is an extraordinary short story, and full credit to Neil Gaiman to not make it all about those versions. “You are the world’s greatest detective, Bruce. Why don’t you figure it out?” is how the first part of the story ends. And he does. Andy Kubert has delivered in spades with his art. The final page where the Bat Signal morphs to something else is pure genius.

Just like Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow, this book also does not offer a concrete end to a saga. In fact, it is even less effective as the story continues instead of being rebooted. But the tale is a gem and we are thankful that the opportunity was given to Gaiman.

DC Assemble! Morrisson says so!

Book: Final Crisis
Pen: Grant Morrison
Pencil: J. G. Jones, Doug Mahnke

Crossover. That word that brings both thrill and dread to the comic book fan. Thrill because it is an occasion to see multiple heroes and villains in the same story. Dread because of the sheer mess it would turn out to be, with hardly anyone getting enough page time.

Marvel does crossovers better because they can still make it palatable for the random reader. DC’s crossovers are bigger events, but is aimed more at the extreme fan. They are years in the making, run  bred.through almost all the individual titles and then culminate in in a story that is always less than the sum of the parts leading to it.

Once Grant Morrison’s run on Batman became acclaimed as a classic while he was doing it, there was only one person who was going to drive Final Crisis. If his propensity to refer to obscure bits from hidden comics of yore were not exasperating enough, he now gets the keys to all of DCs characters. Boy, doesn’t he act like a five-year-old playing with everyone’s toys!

It had to be Darkseid, of course. Honestly, there isn’t another villain who could have created havoc on such a cosmic level. However, the way in which he went about it was quite silly. Then again, I don’t have the benefit of reading a year’s worth of comics in every line to know if that was a necessity. He is going to alter reality and shape a new order. All the heroes in the DC stable have to come together to stop him. And just as a backup why not get the superheroes from alternate universes also, including a black Superman who is also the President of the United States? Ahem!

There is one very interesting character in Final Crisis. He is a detective called Dan Turpin. For a while Morrison teases us with a whodunnit, but then just leaves it. Which is a crying shame as superhero tales told from the POV of an ordinary man tends to resonate more with the non-superheroes who read the books. Instead the book then turns out to be all about Gods, beings more powerful than gods, beings who Monitor gods, lesser-known superheroes, wannabe superheroes, and Batman. Who else could figure it all out? Final Crisis, unfortunately, shows the Batman RIP book for what it actually is – a fraud. It is in Final Crisis that Batman actually goes RIP.

Final Crisis, as an individual book, is not at all recommended. It leaves you baffled, benumbed and bored. I look forward to continuing with Morrison’s Batman journey. Let the others go their separate ways

The Beginning of the End

Book: Batman: R.I.P
Pen: Grant Morrison
Pencil: Tony S Daniel

How’s that for a provocative title? Grant Morrison, like all great comic writers, had a definitive end planned for his run. It is how he reached there that would, in equal parts, thrill and frustrate, the readers. It is so easy to say that he suddenly arrived at the titles and then figured out a storyline. But that would be a disservice to his considerable talents.

It’s a much-repeated joke that Batman’s superpower is his preparation. He is ready for anything his foes might throw at him because he has thought of that before and planned for it. He is not just the world’s greatest detective, he is also the world’s greatest strategist. And that is what Morrison counts on.

The prologue introduces the Joker. Well, as much as one wanted Grant Morrison to go for new or obscure villains, one cannot have a Batman RIP storyline without his greatest adversary. We enter straight into the business end of things. The Black Glove has been teased for some time. In the second page itself we see who he is. And then we find out the simple, yet dastardly, plan they have in mind.

Batman is in love. With beautiful model cum African heiress Jezebel Jet. She has discovered his true identity. Bruce wants to keep her safe but is unsure how when they both receive an invitation to an event hosted by the Black Glove. Before they decide on the next course of action there is an attack on the Batcave.

Now comes frustrating Morrison. Bruce wakes up in an alley with no memory of who he is. He is helped by a homeless man who takes him on an ‘odyssey’. He becomes the Batman of Zurr-En-Arhh. Remember the Black Casebook? Which had outlandish stories from the 50s and 60s? RIP is replete with references from that. Including the above version of the Caped Crusader. In fact, the book finds itself being a character.

The Black Glove is attacking Batman’s mind, ensuring he goes down a spiral of self-disintegration. The Joker has been invited to witness the historic event. He does not take kindly to the insinuation that someone could do what he was never able to. He predicts accurately what would happen. Turns out that going after Batman’s mind was actually a brilliant plan. Too bad the dude had prepared for that also.

The latter half of the book is a mixed bag. There are some head-scratching scenes, but there are also some that bring on the goose bumps. The grave sequence is as thrilling as anything you see in a popular comic book. And Grant Morrison can really up the ante in terms of pace, if he wants to.

Batman RIP could have been right up in the annals of Batman lore if Morrison had gone more mainstream. But then he would not have been Grant Morrison if he lost all of the weirdness.

The Black Glove shows its Hand

Book: The Black Glove
Pen: Grant Morrison
Pencil: J. H. Williams III, Tony S Daniel, Ryan Benjamin

Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul was fun and all that. Now Mr Morrison has to get back to his day job. We have to start bringing the main villain into the story. And that is the Black Glove. But who is the Black Glove?

Time to go back to the Black Casebook. Batman and Robin get an invitation to visit a Club of Heroes reunion at a faraway island owned by the millionaire John Mayhew. Things did not go exactly like a college reunion. The awkward mood was there, of course. But then people started getting killed. And it is left to the World’s Greatest Detective to solve the case.

The Black Glove is a curiosity. The graphic novel, I mean. There are hints of what Morrison has up his sleeve, but there are also hints that he is trying to fill up the pages with random stuff. Not all which are necessary or would be tied up eventually. The first three issues were drawn by J.H. Williams III. And I can’t say I am a fan. He may be the co-creator of Promethea, but here he is on some acid trip. And bludgeons our sensibilities with some heavy-handed imagery. Images within a black glove? Really?

After a brief intermission for the Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul issues, we are back. With explanation for the three ghosts of Batman and the eye-candy art of Tony S Daniel. There is a seemingly unnecessary episode concerning Joe Chill, the guy who shot Thomas and Martha Wayne. But the cliff-hanger at the end is one for the ages – "How lucky do you feel right now, Batman?

Tony S Daniel ends his brief soiree with the resolution of above-said cliff-hanger. The money shot of Batman getting out of his predicament is awesome, even though it bends anatomy and physics! But who am I to complain. For the final issue Ryan Benjamin takes the pencil and it is angry Bruce all the way. The Black Glove comes to an epic last page with another person finding out Batman’s identity.

Now, re-reading what I have written, it doesn’t seem like The Black Glove is all that bad. There are a lot of interesting bits and one really has to pay attention. But the Mayhew section seems more and more unnecessary. Like Morrison wants to put in the Club of Heroes but has no idea how. So he makes stuff up. But then he did seven-years-worth of Batman. There are bound to be ups and downs. But now it is time to be worried, really worried. Because the next one is Batman RIP.

Loeb and Lee: The Art of a Coffee-Table Book

Title: Hush
Pen: Jeph Loeb
Pencil: Jim Lee

Oh, hush!

Rare is the day when I can let the silly side out. Can float over the floorboards instead of aiming for the rafters. Can do with the LCM instead of the HCF. Can attempt to be a wordsmith instead of a Wordsworth. Rare is a title named thus and my mood is thus. Later I will blush over this mush and try to flush it away.

But, for now, hush!

Operation Baldie is still on. But the learned geeks insist that I have to read Heart of Hush in between. And, so, I brush up on my Hush first.

Flush. With baddies. The Caped Crusader has a new antagonist. One that is playing the long, convoluted game from the shadows. It all began when Killer Croc orchestrated a kidnapping. Yup, the irony of that is not lost on Batman either. The next one was Catwoman, and Poison Ivy and the Riddler and the Joker. You get the picture. Someone somewhere is pulling big strings. The Rogues gallery of Bat-villains have come out to play and then some more. Even Superman gets a push. But who is this Hush?

Bush. Not beaten around. Before Jeph Loeb became the name in the credits of Marvel TV programs, next to the unforgettable Stan Lee, he was a name in comics. And, strangely enough his most famous works was in DC. Hush may not have the fame of a Last Halloween or a Superman for All Seasons, but it is still a book that can ambush you with its audacity. Loeb gets to play in the Bat gallery again and does he run amok. The frenetic action stops only for some steamy moments with the Cat and the Bat.

Plush. Interiors. Loeb does not have his regular contributor, Tim Sale, this time around. But Jim Lee does not want to be second best. He creates a book that is so gorgeous that one would buy it even without a story to go along with it. Of course, it is all muscles and curves, but what muscles and curves! And also…

Tush. This is not here for wordplay. But Lee does have an ass-fixation. Everyone, including Batman, has moments with their backsides facing the reader. Good thing the story is more in the swashbuckling vein, or else it would have been extremely distracting.

Mush. It does not end up being. Rarely, if ever, has the romance between Batman and Catwoman been explored this interestingly. In fact, despite the procession of bad guys, one waits for the next encounter between these two. Yet, Loeb pushes it forward with the seriousness of a marriage, rather than a one-night stand. He may be content to let Lee’s artwork take centre stage, but for 12 issues, he has enough twists for us to keep up with. Right till the last few pages.

Hush. Is. Lush. That is the one word to describe this book.

Raising the Demon's Head

Book: The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul

Pen: Grant Morrison and others

Pencil: David Lopez and others

Too many cooks spoil the broth. It is a saying that rings true in almost every field. Except comic books. These have different writers and artists for different issues. And those who follow it religiously rarely have a problem. It is when these single issues are collected as a graphic novel that the grapes turn slightly sour.

Resurrection is more of a crossover storyline than an individual episode. That meant there were too many different moods and styles. We had the Batman, Detective Comics, Nightwing and Robin lines, all coming together for a brief period. Too many cooks.

Talia is asked to prepare her son Damian for a ceremony to resurrect her father Ra’s Al Ghul, somewhere in Australia. Unfortunately, she is not told the full story. When she finds out that Ra’s intents to be reborn in Damian’s body, she helps her son escape. Meanwhile, Batman is investigating the disappearance of two ecologists and arrives at the same place.

Damian escapes to Gotham where he has another run-in with Robin. Before things got really ugly, a horde of ninjas attack the Wayne Manor. Luckily, Batman requested former-Robin-present-Nightwing, Dick Grayson to help out. If things were not messy enough Ra’s decides to take an early flight and is reborn in his decomposing corpse.

When the globe-trotting family finally comes together, Ra’s gives Batman a choice. He can save Robin or Damian. Ra’s would move into the other’s body. Batman proposes a third alternative. Which way will things turn out? Will the Caped Crusader save both his sons? Will the Demon’s Head finally rise from wherever he is?

For most part the artwork is consistent, except a segment drawn by David Baldeon. His style is too simplistic for such a serious tale. Despite three preludes, (Three!), despite not having a complete cohesion between its chapters, despite its rushed conclusion, you cannot tear yourself from Resurrection. And the reason is it is such a rollicking tale. If only there was one cook to write and one to draw, this would have ranked right at the top of Batman stories.

Enter the Bat-son

Book: Batman and Son

Pen: Grant Morrison

Pencil: Andy Kubert

How much can one avoid spoilers with a title like that? Batman has a son and the DC Universe will never be the same again. Grant Morrison has a creation that is likely to stand the test of time.

Morrison begins his Bat-saga with a bang indeed. Starting off with the misleadingly-titled Building a Better Batmobile, the book lands you in the middle of a Joker-Batman confrontation. You are lulled into believing the Joker is the main villain and stifling a yawn when things turn drastically. Batman takes a gun and shoots the Joker, exactly when Batman leaps on the former. What? You might ask. Trust me that is a panel that needs careful attention.

Once the Joker is neutralised, as per Alfred's suggestion it's time for Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy. Attending an exhibition in London, Bruce becomes enamoured with Jezebel Jet, an African supermodel-turned-ruler. However, it cannot last long as the place is attacked by man-bats. Yup, told you Morrison could go all weird. Despite being overpowered, Batman knows that he is being kept alive. And in walks Talia, the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul. And she introduces him to Damian, their offspring.

The dynamics between Batman and the present Robin – Tim Drake – undergoes a big change. The family situation at the Batcave is not very good. Damian turns out to be a terror and Tim is injured. But Batman also learns of Talia's plans. End of the first chapter, so to say.

Next is a long story with a few pictures. It is called The Clown at Midnight and we know that the Joker is not completely going to be away. Morrison shows his prose skills, but the art is not very accessible. We are back to comic format with the Three Ghosts of Batman, one of whom we already met – shooting the Joker. Bruce is reminded of his Black Casebook, where he kept a record of his strangest cases. Rest assured, this is not our Black Casebook graphic novel. The background of the Three Ghosts will come out later. We also see the first appearance of Zur-En-Arrh, in the form of graffiti. The book ends with a story set years in the future with a new Batman.

Damian, of course, is the big standout in this book. Would he be a wish-fulfilment for all the Bat-fans who don't like that Batman does not kill? Would he remain an annoying brat and face an end similar to Jason Todd? Would he end up being out of the canon? Grant Morrison screams a big Yes to all those questions. But we do not know yet what he has up his sleeve.

It is very hard to stop with Batman and Son. The rumblings of an epic may be distant, but it is there. But there is a cracking good story that you want to know more about. Strap on the seat belts. folks. The ride may be bumpy, but you have got to take it.