Told you a subsequent announcement would make me look stupid. So: Grant Morrison will be writing Batman Inc as of November. Some thoughts:

- I like the team book idea, and I like that he’s been inspired by watching the excellent The Brave and the Bold cartoon. But.

- If Morrison’s only doing a team book, and all the other books are in the hands of other writers, is he relinquishing control of the overall direction? Or still running things in the background? Any MorrisonBatman is better than no MorrisonBatman, but I’d really rather this all be part of his Big Plan rather than simply him sticking around to play for a bit longer.

- Is Bruce Wayne doing a Steve Rogers, then, and not actually reclaiming his mantle just yet? Interesting, if so – I’d have no doubt that the idea’s been arrived at independently, but you do wonder if events over at Marvel have ever made DC think “Hmmm… let’s play this one a bit differently.” Of course, this is all just speculation – maybe he will go straight back to playing Batman, and it’s just that there’s going to be more than one of them.

- Seven Batman-led books, then. And people complain about Wolverine? Pssh. He’s got nothing on ol’ Bats.

Meanwhile:

[Cornell] added that his first arc [on Knight and Squire] featured Richard III brought back to life as a clone with an army of monarchs who try to re-conquer the world through Facebook.

Yeah, can’t wait for this one.

Okay, so it’s probably daft to write any sort of post speculating about future comics when SDCC has just begun in earnest – there’s probably an announcement about Grant Morrison’s future on the Batman titles just waiting around the corner to make this look stupid and redundant the moment I hit “publish”. Nevertheless, with a number of announcements already made by DC… I’m starting to get a bit worried.

Here, then, is a list of the various titles and their writers so far announced as starting – or continuing – in November, after Morrison finishes his current arc on Batman and Robin and the Return of Bruce Wayne miniseries, and the various Bruce Wayne: The Road Home one-shots (only one of which, Batman: The Return, is being written by The Bald One) have hit in October:

- Batman (Tony Daniel)
- Batman & Robin (Peter J. Tomasi)
- Batman: The Dark Knight (David Finch)
- Batman: Streets of Gotham (Paul Dini)
- Detective Comics (Scott Snyder)
- Batman Confidential (rotating creative teams)

So… whither Morrison? Not counting Confidential (which is out-of-current-continuity), that’s five books that will star Batman as the lead character, and Morrison isn’t writing any of them. Is there really going to be a sixth ongoing for Morrison to write? Or is he – shock horror – leaving after bringing back Bruce Wayne? If so, is it his decision to finish – leaving with his story wrapped up – or is he for some inexplicable reason being pushed? Why on earth is Batman and Robin, a book solely created for the purpose of Morrison telling stories about Dick ‘n’ Damian with an array of superstar artists (and, uh, Philip Tan), being allowed to continue without him?

One thing’s for sure – that lineup hardly inspires much in the way of confidence (David Finch? Writing? A “grim and gritty” Batbook? Please.) It’s clear that the reason the Batbooks are by far the best thing DC has to offer at the moment is for one major reason – Grant Morrison’s overarching story and overall vision and aesthetic for the series and character (and, alright, to a lesser extent the work Greg Rucka’s done with Batwoman). Take him away, and there’s basically nothing worth reading there. I don’t even trust anyone else to write Damian properly.

Is this how it all ends, then? Come on, SDCC. Bring us good news.

No, I’m not getting bored of these yet – so have another week’s worth of one-paragraph looks at Wot Seb Read This Week. Up this time, in a surprisingly enjoyable week, are X-Factor Forever, Joe the Barbarian, Superman 80-Page Giant, Siege and Green Lantern Corps…

(continue reading…)

If you’re not enjoying Batman & Robin, I really have to wonder what you’re doing reading superhero comics at all. It runs on sheer exuberance, expanding the “figurative exploration of the Batman myth” theme of Morrison’s earlier run on the main title in a way that is simultaneously more simplistic and accessible, yet also arguably deeper and richer. And while it’s liberated by the absence of its central figure, it’s steadily making itself more and more about him, heightening anticipation for his eventual return.

Yet at the same time, if there’s one hope that comes out of this series, it’s that the status quo doesn’t simply revert back when Bruce Wayne reappears. At the beginning, that seemed like the expected state of affairs – Tim Drake was only temporarily relinquishing the Robin cowl to Bruce’s brat of a son for the duration of this series, and a year or so down the line the “proper” Robin would be back. But now, well, Damian’s not the only one wondering if “[his] father will let [him] stay on as Robin”. Quite against expectations, the little tyke has made his mark on the role, and unless Morrison decides to bring his story to an end (a possible end point is ominously hinted at by the reintroduction here of Talia), he’s rather sneakily (compared with the usual fanfare that accompanies a bona fide new version of a costumed hero) become an actual part of the mythos. Tim’s just going to have to find something else to wear when he gets bored of dressing like Dr Midnite’s younger brother.

Returning from his jaunt to his home isles, meanwhile, Morrison gets to pick up a character thread loosely dangled in earlier issues – that of Sexton Oberon, the mysterious masked detective known as the Gravedigger. What’s pleasing about this conceit is the way it works as in inversion of the way writers usually handle the idea of Batman-esque characters showing up – the focus is always on vigilantes that go around duffing up the bad guys, essentially replacing the “fighting” side of Batman; rarely does anyone bother, however, to put a new detective on the scene. There’s also, of course, another of those “who is it really?” questions, with dialogue from Dick planting the idea that it’s someone already known rather than a new character. Going by his mannerisms, speech patterns and dress sense, I’d guess at James Robinson’s version of the Shade, but somehow I doubt that’s the case. It’s another little mystery to chew on, though, not least because we’re still in the dark as to his ultimate motivations.

An inability to rely on the art (I mean, really, having Tan in between Quitely and Stewart was just asking for unfavourable comparisons) has sadly prevented Batman & Robin from retaining grade-A excellence throughout so far, and Andy Clarke probably falls somewhere between the quality scales of his predecessors – he’s decent, and at times great, but falls down on some instances of character work: when in-costume, Damian simply looks too much like Tim Drake, and his Talia is particularly odd-looking. Dick and Alfred fare rather better, and there’s a good atmosphere to the whole thing – as well as a cracking overhead landscape shot on the title page that winds up looking almost like a Chris Sawyer isometric strategy game, yet somehow still works – but there’s a jolt late on when a piece of storytelling, involving Dick and a trap-door, is rather unclear (still, it’s nice that for once in an issue of this comic, the difficulty in following isn’t caused by a balloon-placement error).

Concentrating more intently on the wider mythos-building, this issue lacks the giddy thrill of the previous arc – but it’s nevertheless exceptionally strong work once again. There’s a focussed excellence that seems to have been drawn out of Morrison by the switch to a dedicated series, as opposed to the patchy glimpses of genius that were witnessed in the pre-RIP issues of the main title, and it’s a shame its time is nearing the end – because unless he’s got another All-Star Superman or Seaguy waiting in the wings, it’s hard to imagine him topping this with his next work.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that in each of Batman and Robin’s three-part arcs, the middle issue is slightly weaker compared to its brethren. Issue #8 – part two of Blackest Knight – reviewed here but a fortnight ago, certainly wasn’t a bad comic by any stretch of the imagination; but the concluding part of what might just be the series’ best arc so far makes it look positively Liefeldian in comparison.

This is a stormingly good comic. For one thing, it reveals the truth behind #8’s feint – the suggestion that, having had one issue of a mindless Batman clonezombiething wordlessly fighting our heroes, we were going to get more of the same this time out. Not a bit of it. The creature coming to terms with the scraps and remnants of Bruce’s own memory being eaten away by the physical collapse of its brain is an inspired bit of writing, and if certain stretches of “dialogue” are perhaps retreads of the same sort-of-but-not-quite-speak that Morrison has used before in the likes of We3 or All Star Superman (”AAA. HEER. U. RRRR.”), it nevertheless makes for a compelling – and somewhat terrifying – menace.

Not that the monster gets all the best lines, you understand. That this is an issue running on the pure unabashed joy of comicsness is clear even as the protagonists are fighting the rotting cloned corpse of their beloved father. The Damian and Alfred Show continues apace, and it’s startling just how much the former has become a three-dimensional and entertaining character since his father’s death; while the latter has always been a three-dimensional and entertaining character, and gets the line of the series (”Your delirious rampage is at an end, sir!”) while wielding a cricket bat. At the tail end of our jaunt to the UK, there’s even time to fit in a little bit of character work with the Knight and Squire (can we have their miniseries yet?), and Morrison also seems to have remembered to write Dick Grayson a bit more, with a couple of lovely moments here and there.

More than anything, though, this issue (and this series as a whole; and, come to think of it, Morrison’s entire tenure) is a comic about Batman – the idea, the legend, the icon – even though the character of Bruce Wayne doesn’t appear in it. Whether it’s the clone’s half-constructed memories (in a really quite excellent spread by Stewart that merges and splices various famed Bat-characters and imagery), or Dick growing into the role (a proper smile on his face as he swings in to rescue Damian and simply enjoys his team-up with Batwoman) even as he’s acknowledging that the time is near for him to hand it back, this is about Morrison finding putting the core elements of the mythos through a new and exciting – and ever-so-slightly cracked – looking-glass. And yet, that it’s still so purely and unashamedly enjoyable entirely on its own merits – and entirely devoid of any external context or prior knowledge – is probably its greatest strength of all.

My interest in DC’s straight-to-DVD animated features – New Frontier, Green Lantern: First Flight and the like – has been piqued recently with the release, to a generally positive reception, of Justice League : Crisis on Two Earths. I’ll hopefully be getting hold of it to review here at some point soon (along with, possibly, some of the other films), but in the meantime, reading about it gave me the impetus to look back over one of the comics upon which it’s loosely based – and an early work from one of my favourite creative teams, to boot – namely, this Morrison and Quitely standalone OGN from 1999.

Only the second collaboration between the pair – following 1996’s Flex Mentallo – Earth 2 sees a slightly rawer Frank Quitely than we might be used to nowadays. The traditional and thicker inking calls to mind his work on the likes of New X-Men and Authority – as does the occasional bluntness in some of his facial work, a feature that’s undoubtedly improved over the course of his career. But there are nevertheless some cracking examples of the unconvential storytelling and point-of-view placement that would later define his work, and he’s helped also by an excellent colourist in the shape of Laura Depuy. And the group plane rescue sequence that introduces the JLA to the action is wonderfully choreographed, and the sort of thing you could imagine opening a Justice League movie.

The story itself, meanwhile, is something of a fun romp – perhaps a shade lightweight (if well-suited to the book’s length, which feels roughly equivalent to a three-part miniseries) but nevertheless constructed around a cracking hook. It’s not just that it’s a parallel universe where everything’s flipped, as there’s a long tradition of that in the DCU anyway (whatever you might say about DC in relation to other comics publishers, alternate realities are something they’ve always done best) – but rather, the individual, smaller high-concepts and twists that Morrison is able to tease out of that larger premise. It makes sense that even a “good” Luthor would have a certain level of arrogance about him, for example; while the realisation that an “opposite” world would mean a reversal of standard comic book rules about just who tends to win is an inspired moment, shown best by the subtle hints about how even the “good” Commissioner Wayne may be susceptible to unchecked power. Still, the inevitable stalemate brought about by that twist does leave the book suddenly grasping at a fresh antagonist – for both sides – to give its final act some dramatic impetus, and the threat doesn’t wholly convince. But it’s a minor quibble in what is otherwise a terrifically entertaining little story.

Though often overlooked in favour of later collaborations, Earth 2 nevertheless stands as a fine example of what the Morrison/Quitely partnership is capable of. It’s a strong continuation of the lively, well-characterised and idea-driven tone of Morrison’s earlier JLA run, and as a spiritual sequel to that series, stands up there with its finest stories. Whether the film can live up to it (or whether indeed it takes much inspiration beyond the superficial) is another question, but there’s no denying that it’s a cracking bit of source material to want to draw from.