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lindakat's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it for the most part but I think there could have been so much more exploration into Batman's trip through time rather than just 'I don't have memories but here's a bat symbol that keeps following me so I need to piece together my life.'
Favourite story was when he was a cowboy though and I really liked the cameos the Waynes played, especially the Dr who was performing that mystical spell. Super creepy.
3.5 stars but cannot round to 4.
Favourite story was when he was a cowboy though and I really liked the cameos the Waynes played, especially the Dr who was performing that mystical spell. Super creepy.
3.5 stars but cannot round to 4.
mcbenzie's review against another edition
2.0
Time travel plus Batman should equal awesome in my book. They're two of my favourite tastes; surely they should taste great together? But I was left kind of cold by this tale of Bruce Wayne clawing his way blindly back to contemporary Gotham through various ages. I read it in the prescribed context - after Batman & Robin volumes one and two, and Time and the Batman - but the larger story Bruce's brief adventures are meant to convey seemed rather dull. Indeed, I didn't expect there to be a larger story, since Batman has lost his memories throughout his journey. Well, mostly lost - it's Hollywood style amnesia.
That said, I liked the (oddly caucasian) early human, Pilgrim witch hunter and old west incarnations, though they had their flaws too: witch hunter Batman was easy to confuse with his rival in their identical Pilgrim outfits, and old west Batman's only major contribution was to be impossibly cool by outdrawing gunfighters using only batarangs. The fragmented story these parts were supposed to draw together got entirely in the way of any kind of interesting vignette of Bruce Wayne dealing with another era: he never does any detection (except as a witch hunter) and seems like a ghost haunting his own story. The tension supposedly set up by the threat he represents - talked about constantly by Batman's modern friends in flash forwards - never feels real, either, so its resolution comes as a let down rather than a pay off.
The Return of Bruce Wayne is some fun, perhaps, and it's not not awful. I can't help but feel that maybe I'm missing something, though, and given my back catalogue of Elseworlds titles has much better versions of pirate and noir Batmen, it's hard not to see this as a lost opportunity.
That said, I liked the (oddly caucasian) early human, Pilgrim witch hunter and old west incarnations, though they had their flaws too: witch hunter Batman was easy to confuse with his rival in their identical Pilgrim outfits, and old west Batman's only major contribution was to be impossibly cool by outdrawing gunfighters using only batarangs. The fragmented story these parts were supposed to draw together got entirely in the way of any kind of interesting vignette of Bruce Wayne dealing with another era: he never does any detection (except as a witch hunter) and seems like a ghost haunting his own story. The tension supposedly set up by the threat he represents - talked about constantly by Batman's modern friends in flash forwards - never feels real, either, so its resolution comes as a let down rather than a pay off.
The Return of Bruce Wayne is some fun, perhaps, and it's not not awful. I can't help but feel that maybe I'm missing something, though, and given my back catalogue of Elseworlds titles has much better versions of pirate and noir Batmen, it's hard not to see this as a lost opportunity.
jakekilroy's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this a lot, but, honestly, it's kind of impossible to follow Morrison down the wormhole sometimes. Truly, I couldn't figure this out in a lot of instances, since, hey, it also involved time-jumps, time monsters, etc. It was rad seeing Bruce Wayne engage history, especially the bat themes and Wayne family and manor, but, goddamn, like taking drugs sometimes.
thecommonswings's review against another edition
4.0
Surprisingly linear compared to the other books in this saga, allowing Morrison to relax a little and create meetings with past D.C. characters without it ever spoiling the momentum of the book itself. The final issue is the most recognisably Morrisonesque but that’s fine, as it works nicely as an epilogue to the whole series. Far more straightforwardly entertaining than I was expecting it to be, which again is not a bad thing at all
beyadob's review against another edition
3.0
I sort of liked it, especially the art. However, I felt the story lacked motivation and direct appeal. It also felt convoluted and forced. The art was great though, and I loved the various Batman (Batmen?) they depicted throughout the ages.
Overall, I can't say I was impressed. It was good, just not excellent.
Overall, I can't say I was impressed. It was good, just not excellent.
tabman678's review against another edition
4.0
The Return of Bruce Wayne is tantalizing. It’s got this idea of Batman fighting his way through time after the events of Final Crisis and all the while he’s figuring out the hole in things.
It’s very necessary that you’ve read all the other Morrison Batman stories and even still I’ve read it a few times and almost made a chart. But I enjoy the story much more than when I first read it. It aged much better than I initially thought.
Each issue has a different artist and brings Batman to a different time. Me personal favorite was the last issue or the Black Beard issue.
The art is good throughout though the styles are all different from one another. But Morrison has a good way of incorporating it into the story here.
It never ends. There is the monster and the man who stands in his way. There is the Detective and always a case. Batman never ends and that’s what this book says. He’s the ultimate survivor who fights his way through time and outsmarts gods.
Glad to have you back Bruce. Forever and always.
4 stars.
It’s very necessary that you’ve read all the other Morrison Batman stories and even still I’ve read it a few times and almost made a chart. But I enjoy the story much more than when I first read it. It aged much better than I initially thought.
Each issue has a different artist and brings Batman to a different time. Me personal favorite was the last issue or the Black Beard issue.
The art is good throughout though the styles are all different from one another. But Morrison has a good way of incorporating it into the story here.
It never ends. There is the monster and the man who stands in his way. There is the Detective and always a case. Batman never ends and that’s what this book says. He’s the ultimate survivor who fights his way through time and outsmarts gods.
Glad to have you back Bruce. Forever and always.
4 stars.
chomal's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. I was rather surprised how the comic turned out to be after been suggested to me as 'one heck of an awesome series'. I have read neither R.I.P nor Final Crisis so maybe it is disrespectful to review out of a veiled sight yet the whole series lacked substance and base, narrowing a decent concept to a messy frame. Grant Morrison could have done wildly better, at least expanding the series to few more novels retaining core events because super-fast story telling seems to have killed what was expected. Being a mystery fan I really loved how Batman time travels while being the savior he always is, yet the plot was hard to digest, bringing out sudden characters and feeding the complexity by throwing scientific litter in every corner as an attempt to nurture the sci-fi face of the story. There were times I was wondering 'from where did he/she appear?' due to confusing ways how roles were brought to limelight. But it should be admired how Morrison portraits Batman's determination and strength even when he is stripped down of his memory and drive. Wasn't up to expectations.
librarimans's review against another edition
3.0
This holds up as a much better read in trade form than it did in individual issues, mostly because the issues were often delayed and seemingly had no regular publication schedule.
the_graylien's review against another edition
5.0
There are those, like with many of the books of Grant Morrison's Batman run, that think this book is pretty good. There are those who hate what he's done with the character.
I think the high concept for this book was brilliant.
I'm not gonna comment too much on what it actually was because it ties heavily into "Batman: R.I.P." and "Final Crisis", but I really feel like this one was the last piece of the puzzle with that particular bit of the Morrison Batman story and one that excited and really entertained me.
Not only did Morrison's story wow the little kid in all of us by bringing cavemen, Lovecraftian beasts, pirates, cowboys, mobsters, and time travel into the mix, it wowed the more high-minded sci-fi nerd in us, too.
Again, on the art side of things, we've got pretty much an all-star jam (as we've sometimes had in the past as we've journeyed with Morrison's Batman). Frazer Irving, Yanick Pacquette, and Cameron Stewart put forth stellar work, just to name a few.
Recommended for Morrison fans, Bat-fans, and fans of great genre-hopping, centuries-spanning comics.
I think the high concept for this book was brilliant.
I'm not gonna comment too much on what it actually was because it ties heavily into "Batman: R.I.P." and "Final Crisis", but I really feel like this one was the last piece of the puzzle with that particular bit of the Morrison Batman story and one that excited and really entertained me.
Not only did Morrison's story wow the little kid in all of us by bringing cavemen, Lovecraftian beasts, pirates, cowboys, mobsters, and time travel into the mix, it wowed the more high-minded sci-fi nerd in us, too.
Again, on the art side of things, we've got pretty much an all-star jam (as we've sometimes had in the past as we've journeyed with Morrison's Batman). Frazer Irving, Yanick Pacquette, and Cameron Stewart put forth stellar work, just to name a few.
Recommended for Morrison fans, Bat-fans, and fans of great genre-hopping, centuries-spanning comics.
anitaraile's review against another edition
2.0
It was kind of confusing, but I liked enough to finish!