Written by Grant Morrison
Illustrated by Yanick PaquetteBatman and Catwoman travel to South America to reunite with Gaucho, Argentina’s Batman Incorporated representative. But their trip may be cut short when an unexpected adversary sends things spiraling downward!
Poor Batman Inc.! What has been going on with you? Has Grant’s schedule making MCR music videos really thrown him off that much that the book has a two month delay by the third issue? So much for those “iconic” covers! Either way, the comic is back, Morrison-brand insanity ensues, and we have another fun issue under our belt.
Check behind the cut for the review!
Batman Inc. is probably the most fun Batman comic I have ever read. Seriously. For three issues now, the stories have been over the top in a playful fashion, and the excessively dark and moody tones of the book have been dropped in favor of something a bit more friendly (to those of us that are bored with “grit”). It has honestly been a very refreshing breath of fresh air, and if the series manages to keep this tone throughout while still hitting a lot of Morrison’s trademark storytelling elements, it could honestly be the most accessible Batman story since he started writing.
With the latest issue, we fly down to Argentina to reunite with El Guacho from the Club of Heroes. The issue begins right away with a very over the top action sequence reminiscent of some of the insanity present in the 60’s Batman cartoon, and it plays off very well. Morrison is very much trying to channel a specific theme here in the story, almost trying to play off of ideas often thrown around in exploitation films (or at the very least, parodies). Adding a series of Spanish text bubbles into the mix not only helps to fit the mood, but it adds a new element to the story that further pushes the global theme across (and, at the very least, warrants a trip to Google Translate). Morrison also begins to actively weave more of the conspiracy into the story that he previously introduced in Batman: The Return, and while this issue features Bruce travelling alone, it does have the added benefit of adding new characters to the story to help make DC a bigger world. See, one of the main issues with comics is that – despite all the countries we have on planet Earth, 90% of all heroes in DC or Marvel are American, due to the stories usually taking place in America. The nice thing here is that since Batman Inc. is meant to be a global tale, Morrison is just tossing in new characters (at least I assume they’re new!) in the same manner as Fred Van Lente (Power Man and Iron Fist) or Paul Cornell (Knight And Squire – featuring 88 new characters!) have been doing for their respective books. It’s nice to see an added flair of diversity, rather than the same old style of villains over and over again as other Batman books do.
I will note, though – on some level, the inherent changes to the story in relation to what was solicited does slightly bother me on some level. This has happened with my opinions in the past towards a different comic, but to be honest if I expect Catwoman to be in a comic, I’d like to see Catwoman in the comic. Furthermore, the “to be continued” nature of this issue kind of makes the next story impossible, which had originally solicited an appearance by Batwoman, whereas issue #5 has this month’s cover and a solicit that just frankly doesn’t match up. While this is a small complaint, and perhaps will have some kind of explanation eventually, it does hurt the comic a little bit knowing that the creative team is having a hard time hitting their own schedules.
Regardless of this however, the team behind the book is still going strong. As noted, Morrison is very much on fire with the book. His previous run on Batman had been rather dark and intensely mythological within the Batman realm, but Batman Inc. is much more fast, loose, and much more streamlined, for that matter, in terms of esoteric storytelling that we’re used to from Morrison. In that way the title ends up a lot more open. In reading the book, you don’t feel like you need to read annotations or Cliff Note’s just to get some of the more abstract elements, because here within the tale everything feels natural based on the cultural themes that Morrison is trying to evoke. Add into this the fantastic Yanick Paquette, and you get a book that absolutely kills it. Paquette has a great style that fits the book, as it’s very big and flashy while also reminiscent. The book features a lot of over the top action (and an air balloon!), and it’s becoming rather nice to see Bruce stay out of Gotham. All things considered, the pair are very much putting the fun back into Batman, and while an intensely choreographed and plotted out tale of mystery and intrigue is fun, seeing Morrison shift into a much more vibrant and wild fashion makes this latest chapter in the ongoing Batman saga he’s penning certainly one of the most fun to look forward to every month (assuming that the book stays on track, release date wise).
Continued belowWhile some prefer their Dark Knight dark and full of night, the bright sun and impressive visuals held in Argentina’s lush landscapes honestly bring the title to a new day. Paquette’s wide open and bright visuals really bring the title to a fresh new realm, and with Morrison penning a title that is much more free and loose with a character who is known for being the opposite, we honestly get the first fun Batman comic that DC has published under their main imprint and not for kids. Batman is allowed to be fun, and as we get to see more locations and other new characters for Batman’s global franchise, here’s hoping that even when whatever diabolical plan Morrison has up his sleeve comes out the book remains this enjoyable throughout the entire run.
Final Verdict: 8.8 – Buy
Also, this might seem off, but did anyone else’s copy come in really shoddy condition? Not only was a two-page spread ad screwed up in my copy, but the staples came incredibly loose. I can’t tell if this was just bad luck on my part, or if this is something most people are dealing with.
