artist: Chris Burnham
(via dccomics.com)
The most memorable single issue of Dark Knight adventures that Grant Morrison has written to date is Batman #666, which flashes forward to the future, where Damian Wayne has assumed the famous mantle. In many ways it's a preview of how Morrison would later write both incarnations of Batman Incorporated, having fun writing as normal a Dark Knight adventure as he can. This was more evident in the first volume, because in the second it's become more apparent that all of this is leading somewhere.
So it's only appropriate that we finally revisit that world of tomorrow. The twist this time is that it's a manifestation of Bruce Wayne's, the current and iconic Batman, fears of the future, specifically of Damian, the current Robin, inheriting the cowl. Much like the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths version of Jason Todd (who ended up being killed off in "Death in the Family" but later returned as the new Red Hood, a role he still inhabits), Bruce sees a bad future for Robin, and as much as he's been motivated since the events of "R.I.P." to expand his legacy to include the more active participation of others, he now seems just as concerned to make sure that his own son doesn't bring things back full circle, a Batman who functions alone, and thus more dangerously.
It's a great spin on Batman #666, and as I've suggested is a strong indication that Morrison has been deliberately unfolding the story begun with his introduction of Damian from the start, even when it's seemed like the story has gone off in other directions. That's a good argument for the Batman Incorporated reboot that occurred last year, because it allowed Morrison an opportunity to begin a fresh statement without undoing what he'd previously done, much as the transition to Batman and Robin helped put the focus back on Damian in the first place.
Batman Incorporated #5 may not be standalone essential like Batman #666, but in the grand scheme, it's essential to the greater arc Morrison has been weaving since Batman #655 in 2006.
Bruce is a pretty shitty father to let his son be Robin or Batman. But maybe it's better than being Ra's Al Guhl.
ReplyDeleteWhen that son had previously been raised by his mother and the League of Assassins (League of Shadows in Christopher Nolan's films), you would probably take some radical measures to get him back in line, make him your latest Robin, or at least agree to let him be the latest Robin (Damian was a bit like Tim Drake in that regard, or Stephanie Brown). But Damian becoming Batman is all Damian's idea.
DeleteBTW, volume 6 of the Scarlet Knight series features a look ahead at Emma's daughter Louise when she becomes the next Scarlet Knight. Now I can say I totally ripped Grant Morrison off, though at the time I wrote it I would have guess Grant Morrison was a hockey player.
ReplyDeleteJust for the heck of it while I was waiting for stuff to print I read that issue. Both the future Damien ones actually. They were good. The newer one was kind of a Walking Dead thing. They should do a whole spinoff series of that or one of those Elseworlds graphic novel dealies.
ReplyDeleteThough I have to wonder what major city would make a cripple their police commissioner? That's not the politically correct view of course. And I guess Ironsides hunted down criminals in a wheelchair. Or something. I never watched that show.
I think the idea was to introduce the possibility of writers somewhere down the line having the option to write a new Batman who is very closely associated with the first one, sort of like Batman Beyond.
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