Batman Incorporated #4 (DC)

writer: Grant Morrison
artist: Chris Burnham

Those who worry about the continuity issues between the New 52 version of DC and what came before must still have a problem with Batman Incorporated, which in its original incarnation was Grant Morrison's concluding arc in his grand vision of the Dark Knight.  The series relaunched as part of the second wave of the New 52, and as such is about a year behind the average numbering for the publisher's books.

This is fine, because in any incarnation the series has always been the most accessible Batman from Morrison, even if certain elements demand that you know a few things, such as who all those allies are that've been featured in recent issues.  They're actually the manifestation of the title cooperative, formally known as the Club of Heroes but now so mainstream that Batwing has his own book.  Still most of them have only made sporadic appearances, and the focus remains on Batman and his current Robin, who happens to be his son by way of Talia Head, daughter of Ra's al Ghul.  Talia is the main villain in Morrison's endgame, and is reshaping Gotham in much the way Dr. Hurt attempted to in "Batman R.I.P.," but in that instance mostly in the Dark Knight's head.

Robin, Damian Wayne, has reshaped himself into Redbird (as far as I know a name last known in the franchise as Red Robin Tim Drake's one-time version of the famed Batmobile), who's on the cover alongside Wingman (not a reference, sadly, to How I Met Your Mother), one of the several aliases sported by Bruce Wayne in the issue.

The dynamic between the two, whatever they happen to be calling themselves, is something that has proven crucial to Morrison's Batman.  He previously worked on the first incarnation of Batman and Robin (which actually originally featured Damian and the first Robin, Dick Grayson, who is currently known as Nightwing; clearly identity has been pigeon-holed, correctly, as the dominant theme of this franchise), but it hasn't always been obvious that this would be how he ended his run, even though he's made one visit (and will again) to a point in the future where Damian has accepted the mantle of Batman for himself (must-read: Batman #666).

The series will run for twelve issues (Morrison is withdrawing from Action Comics sooner), which makes it almost sad that we have less than a year to go until it's all over.  Some fans are excited by the return of the Joker (in Scott Snyder's latest crossover event, "Death of the Family").  To me, Batman is still defined by Grant Morrison.  This is an issue that will make you dread the end of this era.