BATMAN ROT IN PURGATORY
Grant Morrison's Batman
Grant Morrison's Batman is loved and hated. I hate it, but I enjoy reading it and love having these trades on my shelf. It's not the Batman I prefer, but it keeps me intrigued and I keep wanting more. If you have no idea about Morrison's epic run on Batman and you want to dig in, then start with Batman & Robin and read on from there. The continuity lost will help. It does get confusing and deep, but if you don't understand it then you just haven't read close enough. You shouldn't need the "Black Casebook" to understand it. Just follow the hints in "Batman & Son": "I know there's a message here... If I just stare hard enough..." & then it will all make sense in a convoluted and psychedelic way. To make it easy for newbies, Morrison basically tried to bring everything from Batman's first in appearance in 1939 till now, back in continuity. For instance, the camp years were explained as being induced by forced consumption of hallucigens Batman had to endure by the Joker and Scarecrow, and Joker's emotional rollercoaster of being a homicidal maniac to silly harmless clown and back to maniac is expressed by an unpredictable, schizphrenic personality disorder, which makes him much more frightening. I assure you, love or hate Morrison's run on Batman, it's still a fun and wild headtrip, and while the Joker isn't centre stage as the villain, it's the freakiest Joker ever.
Without getting too complex in explaining Grant Morrison's Batman, it's best to take it slow and check out the trade reviews, starting with "Batman & Son," introducing one of the most likeable/hateable characters ever in the D.C. universe. Reviews to be updated monthly.
Without getting too complex in explaining Grant Morrison's Batman, it's best to take it slow and check out the trade reviews, starting with "Batman & Son," introducing one of the most likeable/hateable characters ever in the D.C. universe. Reviews to be updated monthly.
Reading Order
The reading order for Grant Morrison's Batman is simple. It is already in the continuity page with more detail, so here is just a little extra:
These aren't apart of it, but it helps if you want to see where the Batman universe was at before Morrison hopped on board and serves as a build up towards it.
Batman: Hush
Batman: Under The Red Hood (If you want, read "Infinite Crisis" after this)
Batman: Face The Face
Grant Morrison's run begins here:
Batman & Son
Batman: Resurection Of Ra's Al Ghul (Grant Morrison didn't write all of this one, but it does fit between "Batman & Son" & "The Black Glove.")
Batman: The Black Glove
Batman: Heart Of Hush (Not Morrison, but fits here, with writer Paul Dini doing Batman as well)
Batman: R.I.P
Final Crisis
Batman: Battle For The Cowl (Not Morrison's, but it shows Dick Grayson taking the mantle as Batman and Damian Wayne becoming Grayson's Boy Wonder side kick)
Batman & Robin: Batman Reborn
Batman & Robin: Batman vs. Robin
Batman: Time & The Batman
Batman: The Return Of Bruce Wayne
Batman & Robin: Batman Must Die
Batman Incorporated
Batman Incorporated Volume 1: Demon Star
Batman Incorporated Volume 2: Gotham's Most Wanted (The end of Morrison's run, nearly finished and expected in trade sometime between september and november)
These aren't apart of it, but it helps if you want to see where the Batman universe was at before Morrison hopped on board and serves as a build up towards it.
Batman: Hush
Batman: Under The Red Hood (If you want, read "Infinite Crisis" after this)
Batman: Face The Face
Grant Morrison's run begins here:
Batman & Son
Batman: Resurection Of Ra's Al Ghul (Grant Morrison didn't write all of this one, but it does fit between "Batman & Son" & "The Black Glove.")
Batman: The Black Glove
Batman: Heart Of Hush (Not Morrison, but fits here, with writer Paul Dini doing Batman as well)
Batman: R.I.P
Final Crisis
Batman: Battle For The Cowl (Not Morrison's, but it shows Dick Grayson taking the mantle as Batman and Damian Wayne becoming Grayson's Boy Wonder side kick)
Batman & Robin: Batman Reborn
Batman & Robin: Batman vs. Robin
Batman: Time & The Batman
Batman: The Return Of Bruce Wayne
Batman & Robin: Batman Must Die
Batman Incorporated
Batman Incorporated Volume 1: Demon Star
Batman Incorporated Volume 2: Gotham's Most Wanted (The end of Morrison's run, nearly finished and expected in trade sometime between september and november)