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A review by dr_matthew_lloyd
Batman Incorporated, Volume 1: Demon Star by Frazer Irving, Andres Guinaldo, Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham
2.0
I found it really difficult to follow what was going on in this comic book. Each part seemed to jump from one story to the next with little coherence, and added little to the story I'd read in [b:Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Born to Kill|13228177|Batman and Robin, Vol. 1 Born to Kill|Peter J. Tomasi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343869393s/13228177.jpg|18420067]. Things just seemed to happen in sequence, but with no obvious narrative logic to why these things were happening, or in this order.
I think perhaps the most disappointing thing, though, is that I expected Batman Incorporated to build on the world of Batman and add to it, making the operation clearly global and showcasing the other "Batmen", especially Knight and Squire and Batwing (although I'm aware that Batwing has his own series in which he is showcased). But this volume was just about Batman and Robin, raising the question why this story is here, instead of in Batman and Robin. Or, indeed, why the stories don't intersect, with Batman Incorporated focusing on the global operation and Batman and Robin focusing on (gasp!) Batman and Robin.
The overall plot comes across as fairly misogynistic, too. Yes, I know Talia Al Guhl is a baddie and that she's never going to have been the most upstanding mother, but pitting mother against father over the soul of their child, and then completely excluding any other female characters? Apart from a handful of appearances from the largely pointless members of Batman Inc. It just felt pretty horrible.
Good art, though.
I think perhaps the most disappointing thing, though, is that I expected Batman Incorporated to build on the world of Batman and add to it, making the operation clearly global and showcasing the other "Batmen", especially Knight and Squire and Batwing (although I'm aware that Batwing has his own series in which he is showcased). But this volume was just about Batman and Robin, raising the question why this story is here, instead of in Batman and Robin. Or, indeed, why the stories don't intersect, with Batman Incorporated focusing on the global operation and Batman and Robin focusing on (gasp!) Batman and Robin.
The overall plot comes across as fairly misogynistic, too. Yes, I know Talia Al Guhl is a baddie and that she's never going to have been the most upstanding mother, but pitting mother against father over the soul of their child, and then completely excluding any other female characters? Apart from a handful of appearances from the largely pointless members of Batman Inc. It just felt pretty horrible.
Good art, though.