Batman RIP From DC Comics
In the comics world, Grant Morrison is the current caretaker of Batman. For the past few years, we have seen Batman stripped down to his core, and revamped for the ‘modern comics era’.
Whatever that means. Numerous writers and artists have had their own take on the character.
- Neal Adams/Dennis Oneil
- Paul Dini/Bruce Timm
- Chuck Dixon/Graham Nolan
- Doug Moench/Kelley Jones
The lists goes on and on. One significant factor in all these combinations is the combined efforts of an artist and writer.
That has always been Grant Morrison’s greatest weakness. His structure and ideas are always out of the box, creative, and dynamic. In Batman RIP he is partnered with Tony Daniel to produce his ‘definitive Batman epic’.
I think it’s lacking in several counts. One can just look at Batman and Robin #1 and #2 to see the appropriate key artist/writer combinations in place. How can you go wrong with Frank Tieri?
Frank Quitey's Pencils on Batman and Robin #1
When partnered with Cameron Stewart, or Frank Qutely, Morrison’s work truly shines. There seems to be moment where the pictures speak louder than words. With Tony Daniel, I find several key sequences in Batman RIP to be subpar, and lacking in their execution.
Tony Daniel on the defacto angry Batman in rain
In Batman RIP, Tony Daniel’s pencils seem to be appropriate for a standard superhero comic. But when partnered with Morrison, it just doesn’t seem to fit.
Call it a lack of finesse, or just lack of implementation. The story seems to be muddy in several areas.
For a quick reference of the story and execution, I recommend the comics fan check out the following annotations on Batman RIP:
Up to speed? Good. Another quick summary: Batman approaches an evil mastermind who has been secretly manipulating Batman his entire career. This mastermind, known as “Dr Hurt”, had previously brainwashed Batman, and was waiting for the appropriate time to “break him”. Did anyone read Batman KnightFall or Batman The Cult? You don’t fuck with Batman. He is always one step ahead, and usually wins in the end.
What made this story so innovate in its approach was that it attempted to put all 7 decades on the character into one giant tapestry of stories. Classics such as “Robin Dies at Dawn” are weaved into a complex story of mind manipulation and character analysis.
A couple episodes in here do have a perfect blend of writing and art. I think Tony Daniel is an extremely talented artist, and in key moments he shines. For example, The Batman of Zu En Raa:
Batman of Zur En Arrh
It’s here where the creative combination of artist and writer come together, and the story actually seems to be about something. Gotham City becomes a character in its own right, and Batman one of its many citizens.
In the end, the story seems to fall flat on the writing too. Who is Dr Hurt? We don’t know. Did Batman live? We don’t know. The reader had to read other stories to get the full story.
This is where DC Editorial is to blame as well. There is a lack of complete organization that helps the story to tie together. Only hard core Batman readers would know that the story truly continues in Final Crisis (and other related issues).
The things I do admire about this story are the ideas itself. I like the character study, I like the moments of true brilliance from Daniel and Morrison. It just wan’t enough. If there was more of a polished effort, this could have been rated as the next Dark Knight Returns. There are true innovative ideas in here that would have redefined the character for another generation. But it falls flat.
I still find myself re-reading parts of it on occasion. The visual imagery of an insane Batman in Arkham Asylum and Batman in a drug addled states provide some compelling character study points.
Stay tuned for more thoughts on Morrison’s run. There’s plenty to cover!
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