After seven long years, we reach the conclusion of the final act of Grant Morrison’s definitive Bat-Saga. Alas, nothing gold can stay, all good things must past, etc. The question you’re likely asking, the one that brought you to read this review; “Did Morrison finish strong?,” like everything Morrison has written, requires complex examination.
Even after careful consideration, the answer isn’t cut and dry.
Written by Grant Morrison
Illustrated by Chris BurnhamBatman saves the world and loses everything.
In a recent interview with Newsarama, Morrison made a few interesting statements regarding the finale of “Batman Incorporated”:
“I really think a lot of people will hate it, because it’s super bleak. It kind of – to a certain extent it destroys the concept of Batman.”
“Part of what the Batman run has been is recapitulating the years of Batman and the different ways Batman’s been dealt with…The stuff that Scott [Snyder] is doing, that John Layman is doing, everyone is starting to get bleak again. You cannot bring Batman into the light, is basically what I’ve learned.”
For a man who has come to define/redefine the Dark Knight for a generation of comic readers, these are heavy statements to make. In the days since the “Batman and Robin”-era of this run, other writers (particularly Scott Snyder) have supplanted Morrison as the Batman torchbearer. Indeed, whether due to the advent of the New 52 or Morrison jumping the shark, “Batman Inc.” has been the most hotly contested act of his three-part saga. When reading the finale of “Batman Incorporated,” it’s hard not to detect a bit of Morrison’s seemingly defeated mentality.
Lacking are Morrison’s trademark plot-twists, germinating from seeds planted in panels of years old comics. There are no mind-bending trips through space and time, no altered perceptions of reality. Instead, Morrison lays out an archetypal struggle for good and evil. In most respects, it’s a fairly by-the-book ordeal. While long time fans will find plenty to enjoy as threads are payed off and themes are reprised, the less invested reader may wonder what all the fuss is about.
For years, Morrison has cast Batman as a sort of god, almost the Fifth World version of Mr. Miracle, even. He is an idea, a concept that will always exist, will always conquer evil and death. Throwing away all pretense, Talia al Ghul becomes a cartoonish caricature, representing both of these abhorrent concepts. “A flamboyant enemy worthy of Batman…an empty, arbitrary suggestion of vague promises and unformed ideas.” In a way, these larger than life personifications strip away the intense emotional foundation Morrison has spent so long building up. When the final blow falls, it feels uncharacteristically hollow.
With everything laid out so, is there any question whether Batman will arise triumphant. (It even says so in the solicits!) Thankfully, as with the recent ending to Geoff Johns’ “Green Lantern,” the final showdown with the villain isn’t the centerpiece of the issue.
The meat of the story exists outside of the climactic struggle, in a conversation between Jim Gordon and Bruce Wayne that frames the issue. Bruce lays his soul bare, reflecting on “the hole in things” that has defined so much of this run. Gordon plays then role of meta-textual mouth-piece, discussing the never-ending nature of Batman. Utilizing these dear friends, Morrison manages to place a nice bow on the series, highlighting the core themes and regaining some emotional resonance.
Regardless of how the issue is perceived from a story perspective, the art is without fault. It’s hard to say anything new regarding Chris Burnham’s spectacular work on this series. It’s been a delight to watch Burnham grow as an artist, developing his style since filling in on Morrison’s final issue of “Batman and Robin.”
Burnham is allowed to completely let loose, heartening back to motifs and scenes from earlier in Morrison’s run while creating new iconic imageries. Bruce and Talia squared off against a spiraling oroboros or sharing one last kiss, with the backdrop of Gotham in flames, or the final panel (pre-epilogue) depicting a fantastic homage to “The Dark Knight Returns,” there’s an overabundance of panels deserving of the oft-overused descriptor; epic.
Continued belowIn many ways, “Batman Incorporated” #13 closes out with a whimper and a sigh. The climax and resolution is handled alarmingly quickly, feeling underdeveloped, still overshadowed by Damian’s death. While the core themes of the run are reprised, it’s done so half-heartedly, having already been covered in depth in Act 2.
When the curtains close and the dust settles, Morrison sets most of the toys back in their box. With reluctant resignation, the writer gives way to the inevitable, finally giving up the reins to the current regime. This is symbolized no better than with the awkwardly placed ‘Zero Year’ reference, or the final words of a particular Kane; “Don’t try to find me. I don’t exist.”
Even with its faults, a numeric score is pointless at this point. The quality of the issue rests more in one’s individual appreciation of what has preceded it. Plagued by delays, editorial interference, the New 52, “Batman Incorporated” crosses the finish line, a good bit later than it likely should have. Still, Morrison brings a satisfying conclusion to this run, suitably bringing the story full circle while leaving threads for future stories, should anyone be bold enough to follow in these enormous foot steps.
Congratulations to Morrison, Burnham, and everyone else involved in crafting a definitive chapter in the fictional life of a character that never dies, a story that never ends. “It probably never will.”
Final Verdict: 7.7 – Buy. Not a perfect finish, still a satisfying conclusion to a legendary run.
