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BATMAN THE RETURN/BATMAN INCORPORATED
#1 |
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Comic Review by:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet |
Writer:
Grant Morrison |
Artists:
David Finch-Batman Return
Yanick Paquette-Batman Inc #1 |
Shipped on:
111710 |
Publisher:
DC Comics |
MSRP:
Batman the Return-$4.99
Batman Incorporated #1-$3.99 |
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(15% OFF during their 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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“I had my doubts about Bruce’s return, figuring it marked a return to the ‘old
ways’, pre-Morrison Batman, but I’m glad that the lunatic Scotsman has opted to
stick around and expand his ever-growing empire for another couple of years.”
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Bruce is back! I’ve been a staunch supporter of Mr.
Dick Grayson as Batman since the end of “Batman: Battle for the Cowl”, but it
does feel somewhat comforting to read about the adventures of the world’s
greatest detective once again. Say what you want about Grant Morrison and his
sometimes-convoluted, sometimes-inspiring, and ALWAYS balls-to-the-wall insane
tenure on the DC’s flagship property; I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t
been looking forward to this since it was first teased at the end of “Final
Crisis”, “Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne”, “Batman and Robin”, or anywhere
else.
“Starting today we fight IDEAS with BETTER IDEAS. The idea of CRIME with the
idea of BATMAN.” ‘The Return’ officially kicks off the “Batman Inc.” line of,
um…titles, er, Batmen? No. We’ll go with ‘stories’. “Batman: The Return”
officially kicks of the line of stories featuring Bruce Wayne expanding his
brand to essentially EVERYWHERE. It’s this mission statement that allows for
fans to have their cake, Bruce as Batman, and eat it too, as Dick will maintain
his role as The Batman of Gotham City. This is a development that I’m especially
excited about, since I thought that the natural progression from Nightwing to
Batman truly suited the young crime-fighter.
There’s a bit of intrigue involving a shadowy organization known only as
Leviathan. I can’t go into too much detail, mainly because there’s none to go
into. I can tell you that they appear to be very well funded, have agents almost
everywhere, and seem more cut-throat and ruthless than any other bat-villain
I’ve been exposed to (other than Mr. J, but he pretty much sets the standard for
all comic book villainy). Other than establishing Leviathan as a viable threat
for what will soon become Batman Inc. the issue is primarily set up for whatever
changes are coming down the line for each of the titles encompassed under the
bat-umbrella.
Dick and Damian are going to remain Batman and Robin. Bruce is going to be
Batman on a world-wide recruitment level. Stephanie is moving to England. Oracle
is going to become a techno-god when Wayne Enterprises releases a new version of
the internet. Tim Drake, well, they didn’t get to him, but I’m sure he’ll be
doing something cool. Everyone is pretty much confident in the roles they’re
supposed to play while Bruce is off gallivanting about the world recruiting new
good guys, and that makes me confident that this is all headed in a good
direction. I had my doubts about Bruce’s return, figuring it marked a return to
the ‘old ways’, pre-Morrison Batman, but I’m glad that the lunatic Scotsman has
opted to stick around and expand his ever-growing empire for another couple of
years.
David Finch’s move from Marvel to DC was somewhat of a shocker, but I guess
after you’ve illustrated pretty much everything one company has to offer there
comes a time when you want to draw new stuff. He’s the writer/illustrator of the
upcoming “Batman: The Dark Knight”, and this serves as the official-unofficial
preview of what you can expect come the debut of that title. His Batman is tough
as nails, chiseled from stone, and especially bad-ass; Finch creates an
atmosphere of urgent suspense, his attention to detail forces the reader to look
deeper into each panel, searching for clues or anything else they may have
missed. I wasn’t as excited as I should have been to see Finch make the move to
DC, but with this title I’m especially confident in his choice; after all, if it
means more super-cool drawings of the bat-family like these, how could I resist?
How could anyone resist?
Meanwhile, hot on the heels of “Batman: The Return”, Morrison dives right
into the next chapter in his sweeping Bat-epic with “Batman Inc.” The idea of
Bruce Wayne funding a worldwide army of Batmen seems like a perfectly logical
step in the hero’s evolution, taking the character beyond the streets of Gotham
City and into the dark, seedy corners that exist in so many countries around the
globe. Morrison gets right to it too, setting up a character called Mr. Unknown,
a Japanese crime fighter that Bruce has been keeping tabs on in hopes of
bringing him into the fold. Oh, and he dies by page two (SPOILER WARNING! HA!).
The appeal of this series more so than anything else for me, at least, is the
endless possibilities it presents by expanding on the idea of Batman. I like the
idea of Bruce extending his reach; I like the idea of new and different
characters modeled after Bats, and I especially like the fact that each of these
new characters is going to come with their own rogues’ gallery. Mr. Unknown is
no exception; Lord Death Man and his skeleton crew go to work on the Japanese
hero before readers even show up. They’ve located his hideout, destroyed his
toys, and trapped the costumed crime fighter; it would appear all is lost for
our new found hero.
This is, of course, only where the story begins, and it takes us in a surprising
direction courtesy of Morrison’s whacked-out imagination. Mr. Unknown has a side
kick, apparently, or at least a confidant that he trusts with his secrets. THIS
is the character to watch, even as he arrives too late to save his friend he
goes about fighting the bad guys the way any good hero would. Jiro Osamu is, or
more directly, WILL BE the new Mr. Unknown, and Bruce is right there to help aid
him in his quest to avenge his Sifu’s death. But will Lord Death Man’s
death-trap spring and take him out first?
Yanick Paquette’s art was the ONLY thing about this series I was skeptical of,
and I’m proud to say that I was wrong; very, very wrong. While some of his
previous works have been drowned in heavy black inks, his style here is less
bulky, more refined, and even a little subtle in places. I found myself drawn to
each panel and the finer details within. While I originally sold the guy short
based solely on my previous exposure to his work, I find him to be a perfect fit
for a globe-trotting Batman book. His handling of Catwoman is graceful and sexy
without losing any of the ferocity that makes her so appealing; the way he
renders Bats as a gruff and gritty warrior isn’t lost in the shuffle of new
stuff either. He pays a great deal of attention to detail, there’s very little
in the way of empty space, a fact I consider quite reassuring considering the
amount of posing and posturing that could have been done for a first issue. I
originally thought him to be a weakness, but now I consider Yanick Paquette to
be one of this book’s many strengths.
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All Books/Characters pictured herein are © Copyright 2010 by their respective
owners. No rights given or implied by Alternate Reality, Incorporated.
Reviews © 2010 Alternate Reality, Inc.
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