The Multiversity #1 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Ivan Reis (pencils), Joe Prado (inks), Nei Ruffino (colors)

The Story: It’s the Superman-Captain Carrot team-up you’ve all been waiting for.

The Review: At least, it arrives, a project long-touted and already somewhat overhyped. It’s not just the Morrison name, although there’s certainly that; it’s also the fact that he’s working on a project so aligned to his talents and interests, one that sprawls not only over the DCU proper but the entire Multiverse as well. Any good DC fan is sure to be interested in how the Multiverse’s current structure looks now and how it may be used in the future.

Personally, I’m bummed that arbitrary limitation of 52 worlds remains in place, although Thunderer (Earth-7), one of the many featured heroes, refers to them as “fifty-two known worlds,” suggesting unknown ones may pop up later. But even with the cap in place, Morrison has a massive playground to run wild in, using each Earth to site different themes of heroes, almost all of them with a sly wink. Earth-23 is home to an all-black Justice League; Earth-36, where Red Racer and Power Torch (Flash and Green Lantern doppelgangers) are lovers; Earth-11, in which all our favorite characters’ genders are reversed.

Batman Incorporated #13 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Chris Burnham (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors)

The Review: The sound bite going round the geek internet circles this week is Morrison’s “I think people will hate it” line, “it” in this case being this final issue of Batman Inc.  Most likely, the remark is both honest and facetious; Morrison has more than enough experience with the reading public to sense their reaction to his work, but he’s also not so self-deprecating as to think he actually wrote anything terrible.

The truth is Morrison’s name is so strongly associated with the revolutionary and epic that he can’t help falling short of expectations sometimes.  He really set himself up for a plunge from the moment he started claiming this series as his final Batman story, his last word on the Dark Knight.  Of course people were going to understand that as a guarantee of greatness.  And the premise did have all the makings for success: a worldwide threat that only a global flock of Bats can detect and counter.

If anything, the revelation that it was Talia who orchestrated Leviathan in her “spare time” adds a wildly hyperbolic dimension which only makes the story bigger, more spectacular.  It’s because of their respective statures in the world that you can accept the explanation of this entire conflict as a lover’s spat taken to extremes.  Within this framework, Damian’s role becomes even more symbolic.  He is the child-pawn which both his mother and father can use to manipulate and hurt the other, the prize in a custody battle between divorced parents.  His tortured death thus makes a strong statement as to the inevitably tragic result of this kind of contest.

Batman Incorporated #12 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Chris Burnham (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors)

The Story: Who knew that bats could be a man’s best friends?

The Review: As we wind down to the climax of this series, I don’t think there’s any ignoring the fact that it hasn’t turned out to be the Batman masterwork that Morrison wanted it to be (if you didn’t gather that already from last month’s horrendously misguided issue).  While you have to take into consideration that he’s struggled against unforeseen relaunches and subsequent outcasting from continuity, in the end, Batman Incorporated has been a disappointing venture.

Even so, because this is Morrison writing Batman we’re talking about, the series does have its moments, and none can be better than seeing the full wrath of the Dark Knight unleashed upon an impossible foe.  Stripped of most of his supports, in the face of an enemy several dozen times larger than himself, he rises to the challenge by becoming a one-man army.*  With this scene, Morrison gets straight to the heart of why we love Batman, someone who refuses to be crushed under a heel or give in to circumstances, however inevitable they might seem.

Batman Incorporated #10 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Chris Burnham, Jason Masters, Andrew Bressan (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors)

The Story: Who needs a corporation when you’ve got a one-man army?

The Review: I used to do workshops in improv comedy—something I highly recommend for anyone who has an opportunity to do it.  As intimidating and nerve-wracking as it can be at times to create something from nothing, to me it feels like the creative process in its purest form: using whatever came to mind as a spark, teasing out every interesting thread, molding it into something coherent by instinct.  There’s a lot of risk, but that’s what makes it so thrilling to do and see.

Morrison writes the same way improvisers act, with similar variation in quality.  When he’s good, his work has an in-the-moment, totally present feeling which is irresistibly engaging.  When he’s not so good, there’s a borderline random looseness which makes you feel that he’s writing himself into a corner that he’s not quite sure how to get out of.  In the case of Batman Incorporated, he’s not quite there yet, but you do sense the story closing in on him.

Batman Incorporated #9 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Chris Burnham & Jason Masters (art), Nathan Fairbairn & Hi-Fi (colors)

The Story: Now is not the time for Batman Inc. to have its first public offering.

The Review: Although the fallout of Damian’s demise has spared no book in the Bat-family, I think consensus would agree that the most poignant, effective, and important scenes of the aftermath came in Batman and Robin #18.  Yet the Boy Wonder’s death must have at least an equal impact in the book where he actually died.  Pete Tomasi has already covered the grief and despair of the event quite masterfully; what emotions are left for Morrison?

Rage, pure and simple.  Yet as Bruce reels upon his son’s murderer, all the pain and anger fueling him proves unavailing and he’s forced to retreat with his remaining family with Damian’s body in tow.  But once the casket is lowered and the eulogy made, the build-up toward range starts again, with the first victim being Alfred.  In hindsight, of course, the butler’s decision to let Damian go does seem quite egregious.  Nevertheless, the wounded expression in his eyes as Bruce tells him, euphemistically, to “[t]ake a vacation,” is quite heartbreaking to see.

Action Comics #18 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Rags Morales & Brad Walker (pencils), Cam Smith & Andrew Hennessy (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Does anyone know which dimension we’re in?

The Review: Morrison is a complicated writer.  We all know that and many of us even love that.  But there are times when he’s complicated with purpose, and there are other times when he’s just complicated.  Unfortunately, I think his stature has gotten to a point where DC just greenlights pretty much everything he produces without much interference (quite a contrast to the treatment given other, lesser-known writers, if rumors be believed).

I don’t mind it when content and substance have layers that require a little more effort on your part to parse through and appreciate.  I cannot, however, abide needlessly confusing structural choices.  By far, Morrison’s worst problem is that characters frequently don’t seem to actually respond to each other’s lines.  Take Ferlin, son of Mxyzptlk and Nyxlygsptlnz, accusing his dad, “It’s your fault my dear mother’s blood stained this foul item I’ve treasured in her memory.”

Batman Incorporated #8 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Chris Burnham & Jason Masters (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors)

The Story: As it turns out, even the slightly bad can die young.

The Review: I guess I have little choice but to start this review by addressing the elephant in the room, this “death of Robin” thing.  While fans may protest when their pet characters get killed off, they have to make peace with the fact that even in stories, death is a fine and natural thing—when done to some important purpose.  In contrast, death for the sake of shock value or cheap emotional impact, without any groundwork along the way, is lazy and hackish.

In comics, death and resurrection happens on such a regular basis that we’ve grown pretty cynical about it.  No one ever dies nowadays without the readers thinking, Eh—they’ll be back.  With that kind of mindset, it’s easy to look at all the publicity that preceded Damian Wayne’s demise as a purely commercial move.  But once you examine the whole of Morrison’s story, not just within Batman Inc., but everything he’s developed since he first introduced the ten-year-old assassin, you realize that the doom of Damian was a very necessary, perhaps inevitable thing.

Action Comics #17 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Brad Walker & Rags Morales (pencils), Andrew Hennessy, Mark Probst, Cam Smith (inks), Gabe Eltaeb & Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Superman lives the worst days of his life all at once.

The Review: If you’ve decided to be a Morrison fan, then you’ve already resigned yourself to the serious highs and lows that kind of commitment requires.  Because when the man is on, he is on and you have the pleasure of reading something that can very well remain a part of comic book history.  And when he is not so good, it really is a crisis of faith, isn’t it—where you begin to reconsider whether Morriosn really deserves the reputation attached to him.

But I’m projecting.  My point is, you read Morrison knowing he aims high, so there will be falls along the way.  The worst is if he makes the descent at the end of an arc, when his trajectory should be in the opposite direction.  Most unfortunately, that seems to be the case here.  Though he spent the last year laying all kinds of bombs set to go off at this, Superman’s finest (thus far) moment, the release of energy here is chaotic and confused, with almost no sense of control.

Happy #4 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (Writer), Darick Robertson (Artist), Tony Avina (Colorist)

The Story: Nick Sax gets his thoughts together and goes to save the day for his daughter Hailey and other children.

The Review: Grant Morrison is a tough writer to follow and to review. One second he’s the weird man that brought us The Invisibles and Doom Patrol, the writer that goes to the far-end of his own imagination, bringing us concepts that are thoroughly out of this world, while the other he’s the simple, yet efficacious person who brought us All Star Superman and WE3, more simplistic stories that are still rich with concepts, but are more down-to-earth in their executions.

With Happy, Morrison goes with the second option, for as much as a conceptual story this is, namely, an imaginary friend tries to bring a hired killer to save a little girl. It is fairly straightforward in its storytelling. Here, he seems to go in the same way that he went with WE3, writing a story that accentuates the artistic talent of his collaborator, with Frank Quitely being replaced by Darick Robertson.

Batman Incorporated #7 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Chris Burnham & Jason Masters (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors)

The Story: Talia adds yet another enemy to her list: Greenpeace.

The Review: Does anyone get the feeling that Morrison has gotten marginalized post-DC relaunch?  Less than two years ago, he was the unofficial mastermind of the Batman universe (and the secret architect of the DCU at large) and now Scott Snyder has taken over his helm in the Bat-family of books (with Geoff Johns the openly declared architect of the new DCU).  Maybe that’s why both Action Comics and especially Batman Inc. feel so out of place these days.

Here you have Snyder’s Death of the Family rampaging across the various Bat-titles, wreaking havoc and making changes wherever it goes.  The struggle with Leviathan in this series is no less major, and frequently feels even more threatening (more on that later), yet its impact is being felt in no other title, recognized by no one else.  If it weren’t for the updated costumes, you’d never know this story is even taking place in the present DCU.

Action Comics #16 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Brad Walker & Rags Morales (pencils), Andrew Hennessy & Mark Probst (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: God among men versus god.

The Review: Mr. Morrison, I know you’re probably too wily and experienced to succumb to the temptation of perusing the internet for remarks on your work, but your probably know already the general criticisms about your work.  “Confusing” is the operative term you likely most often hear, but I think a more accurate description is “headache-inducing mind bogglement.”  Granted, you don’t want to alter your craft on public whim alone, but sometimes, the public has a point.

Because this issue is a prime example of what people are talking about when they complain about the obtuseness of your work.  Now, I know what you’re about to say: this is a story about time and space going bananas at the shenanigans of a fifth-dimensional being so of course the narrative will run off-kilter.  Unfortunately, that’s not where my point of contention lies.  Your reality-warping nonsense is your fictional style at its most classic and actually the best part of the issue.  The real problem lies elsewhere.

Batman Incorporated #6 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Chris Burnham, Andrews Guinaldo, Bit (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors)

The Story: Batman tries to stop a national meltdown and global tyranny; Robin adopts a kitty.

The Review: You know the great thing about the superhero genre?  Its very nature forces you to accept all kinds of things that defy logic.  The moment you wade into a story, costumed folks with unnatural powers are just the tip of the mind-boggling iceberg.  That gives writers like Morrison a huge opportunity to take advantage of your suspended disbelief and deliver the most ridiculous plot possible on the grandest scale possible.

The world’s greatest detective and the daughter of an immortal assassin acting out a custody battle via international guerilla warfare sounds like it fits the bill.  But is it really all about their son?  For all we know, this could all just be one massive hissy-fit on Talia’s part, a full-blown scheme to wound Batman’s heart one way or another (“Gotham.  Or Damian.  Whichever you choose, the other dies.”) as payback for rejecting her.  Remember: “Belladonna” is both a poison and a beautiful woman.

Happy #3 – review

Grant Morrison (writer), Darick Robertson (artist) Tony Avina (colorist)

The story: Nick Sax gets to have an important conversation with Happy the Horse while Mr. Blue men get closer to him.

The Review: For a while, this title seemed to be Grant Morrison doing his very best to parody Garth Ennis, incorporating a heavy use of colorful language, harsh reality and violence in every issue. The one thing that made this something more than a clever parody was the title character himself: Happy the horse. With an unfettered optimism and a sense of fun, the inclusion of Happy to the impossibly grim situation of Nick Sax trouble made for an entertaining comic, but in this issue, we get some very important revelations and answers that elevate the title a bit.

One of these answers is just how Nick Sax became such a wreck. It is done in an intelligent way, showing various instances of his family and working life as a happy man before one single thing puts him in big trouble. The panels go at a steady pace, filling in with some choice dialogue from various moments that could be a little bit before and after what happens in these particular panels. This give us insight on how everything went wrong for Nick Sax just because of one mistake that attracted a boat load of trouble.

This answer gives way to another powerful scene where Nick Sax challenges Happy to finally see the harsh realities of life. As Happy sees this, it is disheartening to see the beacon of optimism that was Happy reduced to such a state. The comic makes us readers get plenty of truly emotional moments such as this, either through telling the tragic past of Nick Sax or the realization that life is not such fun after all by Happy the horse.

Action Comics #15 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Brad Walker & Rags Morales (pencils), Andrew Hennessy & Mark Probst (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Hey, even extradimensional beings can have a Shakespearean romance.

The Review: Sadly, one of my favorite moments from Morrison’s run on New X-Men was “Magneto” giving Jean a massive stroke on a planetary scale.  It was the most ingenious way to kill a being of her power I’ve seen.  That scene clued me into the scale at which Morrison develops his ideas.  He’s the only one who can embrace the sheer lunacy of the Silver Age and give it enough sense and logic to work for our highly technical generation.

In this issue, Morrison takes his ideas train into overdrive, almost flippantly tossing delightful bits of imagination at us.  Tesseract mines which release a new predatory environment when triggered may seem wonderfully bizarre at first, but they have nothing on the fifth-dimensional material which follows.

Batman Incorporated #5 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Chris Burnham (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors)

The Story: Future Damian recalls, with a sense of irony, being told Gotham would be all his.

The Review: Even though I can’t see you do it, raise your hand if you were also thrown for a loop at Batman’s unexpected pronouncement to Damian at the end of last issue.  I imagine there are quite a few hands out there.  Besides seeming like a needlessly cruel thing to say to a kid who rightfully protested that he’s sacrificed a great deal to be with his dad, I just didn’t really see how Batman, of all people, could give up like that.

Because that’s what essentially giving up Damian to Talia would mean: giving up to her whims.  I just don’t buy it.  From a narrative perspective, it doesn’t even make sense.  Batman, Inc. hasn’t even accomplished anything worthy of note just yet, the recent victory over the “biggest single haul of big name international contract killers the city has ever seen” notwithstanding.  They haven’t struck a blow against Leviathan in any significant way.  Are we really supposed to believe Batman would go through all that trouble just to spare them any work in the end?

Action Comics #14 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Rags Morales (pencils), Mark Propst (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Is the god among men ready to face the legions of heaven?

The Review: Like a lot of people, I imagine, I was immediately struck by the covers to this issue.  You have Superman assailed by a flock of angels—with wings and togas and flaming swords, the whole deal.  How can you look at that and not think, What the what? or some more vulgar equivalent?  That there, my friends, is the very thing that gives Morrison a big name among comic book writers: an unwavering commitment to the wondrously strange.

As it turns out—spoiler alert—these angels actually represent the Multitude, which has laid waste to various worlds, rebuffed only once by Jor-El of Krypton, and now targeting Earth.  True to any Morrison concept, the Multitude requires a great deal of abstract imagining on your part, for it is “all one thing—a single weapon with countless points aimed at us from a higher, 5th dimension.”  That’s comparatively tame when you consider some of the truly crazy ideas seen in other Morrison projects, but nonetheless, a worthy challenge for Superman.

Batman Incorporated #4 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Chris Burnham (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors)

The Story: It’s a battle royale between circus freaks, assassins, and costumed crusaders.

The Review: From the beginning, this title has straddled two very different kinds of stories, each of which is a reflection of the dichotomy that is Morrison’s genius, if you happen to believe he’s a genius.  The first kind of story is bombastic, unpredictable, firecracking bursts of sheer superhero excess.  The second kind of story is driven and invasive, and intensely cerebral in the way it plots its course and sticks to it, determined to see it to the end.

It stands to reason you’d notice the more frenetic aspects of this title rather than anything else.  Morrison fills the pages with action, every bit of it begging for your attention.  I know some folks have a kind of sniffy prejudice towards mainstream comics, but issues like this one show how a writer can take advantage of the zany side of superhero and elevate the ridiculous into art.  “World’s greatest assassins…meet Batman’s front line,” announces the Hood.  When the front line consists of an entire gang of Bat-men, you’re guaranteed craziness of the finest degree.

Action Comics #13 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Travel Foreman (art) Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Who knew that aliens have ghosts of their own?

The Review: I have my grievances against Morrison as I suspect even his loyalists do.  I’m well aware he can be deliberately obfuscating and bewilderingly abstract.  I have recently heard his writing style described as “improvising,” which certainly feels true, but anyone who listens to jazz or has been to a Second City show knows that even the best improvisers risk falling flat from time to time.  But even then, you can’t deny they’re always striving for originality.

Who else, I ask you, will give you a sci-fi ghost story?  That’s exactly what you get in this issue; despite its trappings of aliens and pseudo-science like “ecto-technology…powered by pure consciousness,” it essentially is a tale of vengeful spirits targeting the living.  Morrison can often make what would otherwise be a rather straightforward story sound better simply by casting it in a different light.  Using Halloween as a backdrop for the hauntings of an imprisoned, alien mad scientist definitely gives off an interesting flavor, no?

Batman Incorporated #0 – Review

By: Grant Morrison & Chris Burnham (story), Frazer Irving (art)

The Story: Batman Inc. takes a lesson from high school cliques: membership by invite only.

The Review: I’ve never had the same problem with derivative characters the way some comic book commentators do.  I believe the prejudice comes from a belief that such characters represent laziness or lack of inspiration or something.  Frankly though, I don’t see how they’re any worse than song covers or interpretations of jazz standards, both of which I love.  There’s no harm in imitation so long as it introduces new ideas to stand on its own.

While none of the inductees of Batman Inc. will instantly become your new favorite character from this issue alone, Morrison gives each a reason to be liked.  More than almost anyone else in the biz, he’s the master of economy in writing.  In a few lines, even a few words, he can convey a character’s entire personality and something of their background as well.  Reveling over a fifteen-minute murder-solving, Knight (as in “and Squire”) crows, “I’ve done harder bloody crosswords.”  That one line says most everything you need to know about Knight, doesn’t it?

Happy #1 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Darick Robertson (artist), Richard P. Clark (colors) & Simon Bowland (letters)

The Story: An ex-cop-turned-assassin runs into trouble with the mob.

The Review: 

1. Morrison being foul. – On page one, we have the follow words (along with the number of times they appear): prick (1), cunt (3), pussies (1), dicks (1), assholes (1), shit (1), balls (1) & fucked/fucking (2). Then, by page 3 we have some hooker giving a weird dude in a bug costume a blowjob.  It’s like Grant Morrison had all these filthy thoughts pent up in his brain from doing Superman comics for the last year or so….and just HAD to spew them forth onto the page.  The whole point of creator-owned comics is that the creators can say/draw whatever they want and it’s nice to see a creator of Morrison’s caliber being completely raw.  Of course, it isn’t just rawness for the shock value…..this is a story about a down-and-out hitman and his trouble with mob.  There should be foul language, sex and brutal violence.

2. Filthy art. – Much as page one features all that profanity, it also features a nasty visual: a bum vomiting on the sidewalk as a dog lifts his leg and pees on the bum.  Again….it sets the tone for the issue/series.  It’s like Robertson saying, “This book is going to be kinda foul.  Just get used to it now.” and by starting off with a nasty image…..the rest of the issue isn’t as shocking.  But, “filthy” could also describe the artwork in general.  It’s very rough around the edges and that helps it convey the griminess of the settings and characters.

3. Clever protagonist. – After just one issue, you’ll love protagonist Nick Sax.  The trap he springs in the opening scene of the book is very bad-ass and sets him up as the kinda guy you would definitely not want to mess with.  Having seen that, it is totally conceivable that he could go up against the mob and survive the really horrible situation he finds himself in by the end of the issue.

Action Comics #0 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Ben Oliver (art), Brian Reber (colors)

The Story: Look out, Metropolis—this hick from the boonies is ready to rule this city.

The Review: Let’s not beat around the bush.  Zero Month, as the posters at my comic book shop call it, is a clear ploy to reignite the attention and enthusiasm DC had upon its initial relaunch.  I’ve already made it clear how annoyed I was at the number of series where their stories felt truncated or artificially altered to fit in a sudden #0 issue.  That said, it’s not a bad idea to offer an opportunity to explore the origins and backgrounds of these characters.

Morrison wisely skips us past the “boy rocketed to Earth from doomed Krypton” stuff.  That bit has become so ubiquitous to Superman that even if people know nothing else about the character, they know that part.  Instead, he takes us to the real juicy point of Clark’s life, his early days in Metropolis.  When this series debuted, Morrison basically tossed a radically new version of the Man of Steel at us and left us to figure the how and why ourselves.  Now we can get a clearer picture of how Clark made his way to T-shirted vigilante, scruffy journalist.

Batman Incorporated #3 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Chris Burnham (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors)

The Story: It’s the douchey, pervy side to Batman you’ve never seen before.

The Review: You know one skill of Batman’s that doesn’t get utilized nearly enough?  His mastery of disguise.  You’d think writers would show this off more often, especially since if they want to shore up his cred as the world’s greatest detective.  Maybe they think the idea of Batman donning a wig and an accent is too undignified.  Maybe they think he can just as easily get the same intel just by beating it out of his enemies.

Fun as that well may be, it doesn’t come close to the entertainment you get out of Bruce, decked out in a cheap suit of noxious colors, and adopting the persona of one of those smart-aleck, sarcastic gangsters (as opposed to gangstas) that made up nearly the entire 40s pulp population.  You don’t often think of Batman as having a sense of humor other than a dry remark here and there, often at his teammates’ expense.  Here you see he’s got to have an untapped funny bone somewhere in his body, seeing how he throws corny wisecracks like baseballs.

Action Comics #12 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Rags Morales, Cafu, Brad Walker (pencils), Rick Bryant, Bob McLeod, Andrew Hennessy (inks), Brad Anderson & Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

The Story: Superman gets his hands bloody and finds a potential new career path.

The Review: Much of what this title has been about is building up the legend of Superman for a new generation of admirers, if there are any to be had.  While Morrison’s changes to his powers and mythology can’t be overlooked, it’s the re-definition of Superman’s character that’ll prove most crucial.  Quite frankly, the iconic hero of yore had become avuncular and preachy, too far prone to lecture us and remind us of our smallness.  It’s hard to connect to someone like that.

The new Superman is a guy who hasn’t got it all figured out just yet, so he can’t really hold himself above the people he helps out.  At the same time, the very core of his being gears so tightly to goodness that even by instinct alone, he just always does the right thing.  Who else would not only put himself in harm’s way to save the people who just beat him down seconds earlier, but doesn’t even hesitate to do so?  I mean, what a guy—what a hero.

Action Comics #11 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Rags Morales, Rick Bryant, Brad Walker (art), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Superman, at some point, you have to realize that a cat is just a cat.

The Review: Say what you like about Morrison, but he is a man with a plan.  Now, whether his plan results in something worthwhile is a completely different question, but you can always reliably depend on him to deliver a big revelation or moment which had its seeds sown issues earlier.  Not a lot of people can pull that off; indeed, not a lot of people have Morrison’s creative license to pull that off.

He’s certainly earned it.  This is a guy who has such awareness of everything he writes (his “inventory,” as writer Ron Carlson so likes to put it) that he can use a throwaway detail as the basis of an entire storyline, like the hamsters from last issue and their newest owner, Lois’ niece Suzie.  No one could possibly have predicted this cute-as-a-button girl would turn out not only to be precocious, but a member of an entirely new species, “A nutant.  Neo-sapiens—born one hundred thousand years ahead of our time…”

Batman Incorporated #2 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Chris Burnham (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors)

The Story: Talia will always her daddy’s little, assassin-killing girl.

The Review: It’s not easy being a spin-off.  Not only does it make that much harder to develop an identity of your own, but even if you do, you will always live with the stigma of not being the original.  In the world of comics, only several characters managed to step out from the shadows of their predecessors, and only in some exceptional circumstances.  And just like with most things in this world, it’s even harder for a woman to accomplish the same task.

Talia al Ghul has had a rough time breaking free from the pigeonhole of being one of Batman’s gallery of lovers.  If he’s the James Bond of the DCU (as early issues of this series’ first volume showed), then Talia counts among the greatest of his Bond girls, but then, you hardly ever remember the Bond girls, do you?  They come in, beguile our hero momentarily, then ultimately get crushed as he moves on to his next mission, with yet another dangerously sexy lady waiting.