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A review by glasstatterdemalion
Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus Vol. 1 by Grant Morrison
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I read a good chunk of these issues in the old trade paperbacks back in high school/college, but when I saw these omnibuses (and being inspired by a Batman podcast I got recommended) I decided to dive in and read through Grant Morrison's whole run.
Morrison sets up a lot in this volume, basically laying the groundwork for how they conceive of Batman and establishing what they feel are the basics of the character, as well as the contradictions. We have Batman getting over what he feels is the weight of the darkness he's been under and rededicating himself to his mission. Not the mission as written by Frank Miller, or those influenced by his work, but the mission as the superheroic ideal, an unending fight to save the world from evil.
One of the running themes in this volume, and the run as a whole, is the question of 'what do eccentric men who have everything do when they get bored?' Obviously the question fits to Batman, but it also applies to the Club of Heroes, The Black Glove and it's patrons, and even Talia al Ghul to some extent. And with that, Morrison rather subtly sets up what may be the most interesting theme of the run: the great good that Batman is capable of, but also the inherent childishness of the worldview that Batman encapsulates and how it pulls others into it.
The other theme introduced in this collection is the idea of the ultimate unknown. An unanswerable question for the ultimate detective, an enemy that he can never see coming, a darkness that may or may not even exist. The Hole in Things.
My largest problem with this collection has to do with things that are kind of impossible to avoid given the fragmented nature of mainline comics. The first part of the omnibus includes the Grant Morrison bits of 52 that deal with Batman, which are each maybe 5 pages each. They're important for both plot and thematic reasons, but they are almost indecipherable without understanding both the history of Batman for the last decade and a half and the greater plot of 52. They also included the 2 issues of the crossover The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul that Morrison wrote, with recaps penned and drawn by Chris Burnham (which honestly is great, I wish more comic collections did something like that rather than just giving you the issues with no explanation), but the crossover is so disconnected from what Morrison is doing, and includes several plot points just to make sure they don't influence Morrison's book, that including it just feels weird.
The only other issue is that on reading it now I find the Black Glove to be so on the nose that it removes the threat of them. When I was younger it felt like they had depth, and the framing of the conflict between the Black Glove and Batman as an actual battle between good and evil in-universe felt like it gave a sense of grandeur to them, to contrast with the eventual payoff that they are, more than anything, just rich people with delusions of grandeur. But on rereading it now, they feel more like plot devices for the author, with the constant allusions to the horrible things they do in their free time feeling like a cheap way of establishing their depravity and their threat.
The art is a little all over the place. I don't dislike Andy Kuberts work, but it doesn't really stand out all that much. In contrast we have J.H. Williams III, who only works on the The Island of Mister Mayhew arc, but who is absolutely stunning as always.
5 or 6 out of 10.
Morrison sets up a lot in this volume, basically laying the groundwork for how they conceive of Batman and establishing what they feel are the basics of the character, as well as the contradictions. We have Batman getting over what he feels is the weight of the darkness he's been under and rededicating himself to his mission. Not the mission as written by Frank Miller, or those influenced by his work, but the mission as the superheroic ideal, an unending fight to save the world from evil.
One of the running themes in this volume, and the run as a whole, is the question of 'what do eccentric men who have everything do when they get bored?' Obviously the question fits to Batman, but it also applies to the Club of Heroes, The Black Glove and it's patrons, and even Talia al Ghul to some extent. And with that, Morrison rather subtly sets up what may be the most interesting theme of the run: the great good that Batman is capable of, but also the inherent childishness of the worldview that Batman encapsulates and how it pulls others into it.
The other theme introduced in this collection is the idea of the ultimate unknown. An unanswerable question for the ultimate detective, an enemy that he can never see coming, a darkness that may or may not even exist. The Hole in Things.
My largest problem with this collection has to do with things that are kind of impossible to avoid given the fragmented nature of mainline comics. The first part of the omnibus includes the Grant Morrison bits of 52 that deal with Batman, which are each maybe 5 pages each. They're important for both plot and thematic reasons, but they are almost indecipherable without understanding both the history of Batman for the last decade and a half and the greater plot of 52. They also included the 2 issues of the crossover The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul that Morrison wrote, with recaps penned and drawn by Chris Burnham (which honestly is great, I wish more comic collections did something like that rather than just giving you the issues with no explanation), but the crossover is so disconnected from what Morrison is doing, and includes several plot points just to make sure they don't influence Morrison's book, that including it just feels weird.
The only other issue is that on reading it now I find the Black Glove to be so on the nose that it removes the threat of them. When I was younger it felt like they had depth, and the framing of the conflict between the Black Glove and Batman as an actual battle between good and evil in-universe felt like it gave a sense of grandeur to them, to contrast with the eventual payoff that they are, more than anything, just rich people with delusions of grandeur. But on rereading it now, they feel more like plot devices for the author, with the constant allusions to the horrible things they do in their free time feeling like a cheap way of establishing their depravity and their threat.
The art is a little all over the place. I don't dislike Andy Kuberts work, but it doesn't really stand out all that much. In contrast we have J.H. Williams III, who only works on the The Island of Mister Mayhew arc, but who is absolutely stunning as always.
5 or 6 out of 10.