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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

Batgirl #22 – Review

By: Bryan Q. Miller (writer), Pere Perez (artist), Guy Major (colorist)

The Story: An American Batgirl in London.

The Review: A downside to the vast concentration of American-based heroes in the DCU is you’ll rarely get the chance to see foreign characters show up, regardless of how great they are.  Among these unfortunate foreigners are Britons Knight and Squire, reconceptualized and popularized by Grant Morrison.  Despite starring in a recent miniseries by Paul Cornell and their obvious potential for stories, their appearances are sadly limited to the occasional guest shots.

Emphasis on sad, as Miller uses Squire, spunky sidekick to Knight, to great effect this issue.  He has no easy task following Morrison and Cornell’s lead in portraying the unconventional heroine and the quirky version of Britain she operates in, but he does a pretty superb job here.  He both captures the wacky spirit that makes K&S stories so fun (our villain du jour: “Calls himself the Orphan.  Always wants some more.”), and enthusiastically embraces the English way of things.

Thankfully, the issue never reads like a mishmash of clichéd Britishisms, as it likely would under your typical writer.  After Scott Kolins’ dreadful interpretation of Scottish talk in Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #1, it’s a tremendous relief to see Miller’s tasteful take on Squire’s dialogue.  She speaks in that wondrously understated, lucid way which clearly ID her as British, without ever going over the top—well, except for saying “Oy” a little too habitually for one issue.

Knight and Squire #6 – Review

By: Paul Cornell (writer), Jimmy Broxton (artist), Guy Major (colors)

The Story: An American Joker in London.

The Review: It’s almost a sure thing no one knew what to expect going into this series, and certainly as it’s gone on, it’s become even more unpredictable.  As it turns out, Knight and Squire aren’t simply Batman and Robin with charming accents.  For a while, their style and philosophy toward crime-busting has come off so lighthearted, they came fairly close to parody.  But this issue proves they are more than up to the job of taking down the big-name villains.

Regardless of which Dynamic Duo you’re talking about, sooner or later, it had to come down to this: a face-off with the Joker.  I don’t think many of us anticipated the original to show up (how does an infamous psychotic manage to bop his way across the pond anyhow?), but Cornell uses him to show not only what K&S are made of, but the overall philosophy of the British culture.

A lot of praise has to be given to our heroes for stepping up to the plate despite confronting a foe with far greater malice and danger than they’re used to—in comparison to a resurrected Richard III, anyway.  Especially admirable is Beryl’s design of a clever trap for the Joker in spite of her grief over her beau’s murder—it’s one of the best amidst a lot of examples in this issue of what the Brits lack in outright boldness, they make up for with formidable resilience.

Nowhere is that more evident than in Jarvis Poker’s subtle baiting of his former idol even in the death throes of his disease.  How fitting he ends up being the character that learns the most by the story’s end.  After all, he reflects the side of Britons that admires American independence, only to learn that a nation as big as America can afford it, while the citizens of an island nation must learn to get along—even heroes and villains.  The source of their indefatigable civility is the same thing, which allows them to overcome challenges: in Jarvis’ words, “Sacrifice.”

Knight and Squire #5 – Review

By: Paul Cornell (writer), Jimmy Broxton (artist), Guy Major (colorist)

The Story: The end is near for Jarvis Poker, British Joker, and Knight and Squire are determined to make it worthwhile.

The Review: It’s been fun reading the madcap romps of Britain’s dynamic duo among its unashamedly whacked-out world of heroes and villains, but this story has so far lacked a sense of direction.  Each issue is largely self-contained, with few events having much of an impact on the next story in line.  Considering the finite nature of a miniseries, it’s important Knight and Squire make a statement for its characters before disappearing into publishing limbo.

This issue reveals that Cornell has been doing just that all along, beneath the surface of the series’ self-deprecating humor.  In previous issues, we’ve seen how Knight and Squire truly are the preeminent heroes of Britain, facing and taking down the most dastardly foes the nation has to offer.  The comedy comes from how small scale these threats really turn out to be, and how both sides, good and evil, value civility above all else in their fantastic doings.

But as Jarvis Poker’s melancholy, twelfth-hour reflections show, there’s a bittersweet taste to the laughs.  Because small as the scale is for British super-crime and its heroic responses, these things are still distinctly theirs, and they take incredible pride in their peculiar culture.  That’s why the appearance of the original Joker feels so invasive.  It’s as if Cornell has been soaking you for so long in how things must be done in this series’ universe that the injection of born-and-bred American character comes off foreign and—you have to admit—ugly.

In a way, it’s as much of a statement on American superheroes and villains.  Cornell writes a brilliant Joker, who is not only crazed and abominable, but very, very purposeful about how he channels those qualities.  At the same time, there’s an inherent disrespect of order and love of chaos in his personality, an exaggeration on American values of freedom and individualism.  Hence the contrast between Jarvis’ “agreement” with Knight and Squire on his meticulously plotted crime of the century, and Joker’s sudden, explosive entrance and spontaneous declaration of war on all British villains and heroes.

Knight and Squire #4 – Review

By: Paul Cornell (writer), Jimmy Broxton (artist), Guy Major (colorist)

The Story: Squire and Shrike’s first date gets more than the usual awkwardness when Knight’s armor accuses Knight of being an imposter—it’s not quite as complicated as it sounds.

The Review: Some of the most fun in reading these misadventures of Knight and Squire has been the chemistry between our eponymous heroes.  There’s no doubt their outlook on the work they do is drastically different from that of their American counterparts, Batman and Robin.  How can it not be, when their homeland’s criminals tend to be such civil buffoons?  But this issue shows that spiritually, the two sets of dynamic duos have a lot in common.

Robin’s initial conception was little more than as a colorful sidekick for younger readers to latch on to.  Later, the character became a more necessary part of the Batman mythos when portrayed as a balance to Batman’s darkness, an idea which got special attention during Tim Drake’s assumption of the role.  Paul Cornell uses that idea in retelling the origins of the current Knight and Squire.  Even though Knight’s self-destruction goes a different direction than Batman’s, both allow isolation to eat away at their souls, and are saved only by their younger partner’s friendship.

Cornell writes the tale simply, but with a lot of sentimentality, giving the series and its characters some much needed depth.  Not that the wacky plots and gags of previous issues haven’t been great—they have.  But to give Knight and Squire more ground to stand on even after this miniseries concludes, Cornell needed to show that they’re not just all fun and games with funny accents.  Knight’s one-off with his AI-driven armor sounds like yet another light premise, but becomes the most serious conflict of the series yet as Cyril battles his dark side—both metaphorically and literally.

It’s a shoo-in that character work gets strong treatment in this issue.  Cyril’s blunt recollection of his lowest moments and his confrontation with their return to life makes him seem all the more admirable for overcoming his weaknesses.  But Beryl continues to be the highlight of the series, as in this issue you get to see the many shades of her personality at play, from her bashfulness around villain-turned-hero Shrike, her temper when their first date goes awry, and her devotion to Cyril, even at his most despicable.  The final scenes between her and Knight’s armor have no dialogue, but the emotions running throughout are crystal-clear and quite sad.

Knight and Squire #3 – Review

By: Paul Cornell (writer), Jimmy Broxton (artist), Guy Major (colors)

The Story: England’s very own meta-science labs embark on a thrilling project to revive one of its most famous—or infamous, depending on who you ask—monarchs, Richard III.  Question is: will he be the benevolent statesman attributed to history or the Machiavellian schemer of Shakespeare?  Well, honestly, a benevolent statesman wouldn’t be much of a foe for our heroes, now, would he?

The Review: You got to love it when a publisher takes a gamble on a title whose culture is anything other than All-American.  That’s what made DC’s Blue Beetle with its Chicano/Latino bent and Marvel’s exceptionally British Captain Britain and MI: 13 so much fun (besides the tremendous quality of those series), but kind of niche reads.  You tend to appreciate them so much better the more acquainted you are with the culture.

You’ll certainly be reminded of this fact on reading Paul Cornell’s Knight and Squire.  Once done, you’ll never again take for granted how foreign our Anglican friends really are.  Again, it’s not that the issue is not enjoyable without a broad understanding of British tropes and quirks.  But you’ll be missing out on a lot of rather delightful details otherwise.  It would also help to have some familiarity with Shakespeare’s Richard III.

The first two issues had the usual Cornell zaniness, but lacked the sense of grounding this one does.  Cyril and Beryl’s personalities are given more page-time to play off not only each other, but other characters—the best of which being Cerys Tweed, member of The Muses, pop superstars and psychics.  Her appearance is kept to a page, but even in that span she comes across credible and fresh; her knowledge of marketing and public relations offers a new way of doing detective work.

Batman and Robin #8 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Cameron Stewart (artist), Tony Aviña (colorist)

The Story: Batman vs. Batman, Part Two: Bruce Wayne rises from the Lazarus Pit, but all doesn’t go according to plan. He’s confused and psycho and we get some tantalizing flashbacks that show us why. Problem is, he’s nearly unstoppable and not only drops the roof of the mine on Dick, Batwoman, Knight and Squire, but Batwoman is paralyzed! And then, things go from bad to worse.

What’s Good: This story could have been called “This isn’t the Batman you’re looking for.” It is a fun ride and benefits from Kate Kane’s guest-star role. The action is quick and forceful, with a raft of people trying to stop the newly-resurrected Bruce Wayne. The mystery deepens with great hints, and we get to see our favorite precocious 10-year-old out of critical care and under Alfred’s care as they both try to figure out how Dick has screwed this up.

Stewart’s art is moody and old-school. In fact, Stewart’s work reminds me a lot of Will Eisner’s original stuff on the Spirit: the thick, viscous drops running off resurrected-Batman’s cloak, the dynamic action poses when resurrected-Batman punches Dick and throws Batwoman and Knight off of him. The old school effect is strengthened by the lined shading on Dick’s legs on the first splash page – a style that was used a *loooong* time ago by Shuster in 1938. It’s a really cool feel and very different from most art that’s on offer on the comic stands right now. Aviña’s colors are also great, both the lurid green back-lighting around Batwoman’s flashback and the speckled colors of the cave wall to show texture where other artists might have used inked lines. Basically, Stewart and Aviña pass my art test: Did my appreciation of the art slow down my read? Yes.

Batman and Robin #7 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Cameron Stewart (artist), Alex Sinclair (colorist)

The Story: Blackest Knight, Part One: Pearly and the Pit: Last issue left Damian with five bullets in his body and no feeling anywhere. It also left us with the Red Hood’s rant that Dick was failing Bruce in not finding some Lazarus Pit to bring Bruce back to life. Now, Batman is in England, teamed up with Squire, beating up bad guys and on the hunt for a last, hidden, Lazarus Pit. There are explosive obstacles in the way and some surprise moments.

What’s Good: Morrison tackles one of the big plot holes in the whole death of Bruce Wayne event, which is: if there are a zillion ways to bring back heroes and villains from the dead, why aren’t they using one of them to bring Bruce back? The storylines of the death of Bruce Wayne and the Battle for the Cowl, to be realistic, had to ignore one of the central rules of comics, which is that no one stays dead except Bucky, Jason Todd and Uncle Ben (I’ll let you do the math). So now, Morrison is going to tackle this metaphysical and metafictional problem head-on (at the same time that Blackest Night is doing the same), so this will be a fun ride. On style, Morrison’s spare writing forces the reader to fill in parts of the story. He treats us like we’re intelligent and I like that. It also leaves a lot of room for the art to tell the story.

Cameron Stewart has some big boots to fill in this issue. Philip Tan and Frank Quitely both did superb jobs on Batman and Robin, and although the styles are different (most obviously, Stewart’s Batman appears shorter and heavier), he is up to the task. The early chase scenes are dynamic and clear as Batman surges through London traffic to meet up with Squire. Stylistically, Stewart is much less gritty than previous artists, maybe because they’re in a different city. The night action is bright and the walls and buildings and even the subway are all well-lit and clean. The coal mine was the big exception and it changed the mood for the better, getting Batman back to settings that suit him more.