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A review by glasstatterdemalion
Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus: Volume Two by Andy Kubert, Frank Quitely, Grant Morrison, Tony S. Daniel, Ryan Sook, Philip Tan, Yanick Paquette, David Finch
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
So following up from the last volume (which I reviewed here), Morrison shifts gears in this volume to play with different themes.
On the one side, we have the idea of legacy. Dick Grayson and Damian become the new dynamic duo in Batman and Robin, tying into a phrase/idea Morrison has been toying with all the way back in their JLA run in the 90's, that 'Batman and Robin will never die!' But more than just a simple changing of the guard, Morrison toys with the idea of what that really means. Each of the 4 issue arcs shows us different ways that the legacy of Batman has effected people, and how it could be co-opted, and also the possibility it could be outdated.
And on the other side, Morrison asks us to look to the past. The Return of Bruce Wayne flings Bruce through history as part of an epilogue to Morrison's Final Crisis event. The Return of Bruce Wayne drags an amnesiac Batman and the reader not just through the history of Gotham and the DC Universe, but also through the different pulp genre's that eventually coalesced in the modern superhero archetype. Similar to how they reconstructed a Batman by combing through his entire history, they reconstruct Bruce Wayne in-universe with the genre through-lines of superhero fiction.
On re-reading these comics, I do think that this in some ways was the highpoint of the run. I love the dynamics of Dick and Damian as partners, flipping the personality archetypes of Batman and Robin and basically watching the two of them have to get used to their new roles. The 4 issue arcs in Batman and Robin are fast paced and tight, constantly introducing new ideas and tying everything together for a great finale.
However, much of my problem with the first volume also exists here. Mainly, because they have to include The Return of Bruce Wayne in a way that lets the two stories play off of each other, both including information important to the other one and both foreshadowing the conclusion of this part of Morrison's run, they intersperse the issues of The Return throughout the issues of Batman and Robin, which breaks the flow of those issues in a way that doesn't feel natural. There's no real other way to include the issues together though, unless to bunch up both comics between completed arcs, which would also introduce problems.
Also, just a minor issue because a recap is included at the end of the last volume, but I do feel like a recap of the events of Final Crisis at the beginning of this volume would have been nice. Obviously no one is going to pick up the second volume of a series of omnibi and start there, but I just thought it was weird.
All things considered, probably a 7 or 8 out of 10.
On the one side, we have the idea of legacy. Dick Grayson and Damian become the new dynamic duo in Batman and Robin, tying into a phrase/idea Morrison has been toying with all the way back in their JLA run in the 90's, that 'Batman and Robin will never die!' But more than just a simple changing of the guard, Morrison toys with the idea of what that really means. Each of the 4 issue arcs shows us different ways that the legacy of Batman has effected people, and how it could be co-opted, and also the possibility it could be outdated.
And on the other side, Morrison asks us to look to the past. The Return of Bruce Wayne flings Bruce through history as part of an epilogue to Morrison's Final Crisis event. The Return of Bruce Wayne drags an amnesiac Batman and the reader not just through the history of Gotham and the DC Universe, but also through the different pulp genre's that eventually coalesced in the modern superhero archetype. Similar to how they reconstructed a Batman by combing through his entire history, they reconstruct Bruce Wayne in-universe with the genre through-lines of superhero fiction.
On re-reading these comics, I do think that this in some ways was the highpoint of the run. I love the dynamics of Dick and Damian as partners, flipping the personality archetypes of Batman and Robin and basically watching the two of them have to get used to their new roles. The 4 issue arcs in Batman and Robin are fast paced and tight, constantly introducing new ideas and tying everything together for a great finale.
However, much of my problem with the first volume also exists here. Mainly, because they have to include The Return of Bruce Wayne in a way that lets the two stories play off of each other, both including information important to the other one and both foreshadowing the conclusion of this part of Morrison's run, they intersperse the issues of The Return throughout the issues of Batman and Robin, which breaks the flow of those issues in a way that doesn't feel natural. There's no real other way to include the issues together though, unless to bunch up both comics between completed arcs, which would also introduce problems.
Also, just a minor issue because a recap is included at the end of the last volume, but I do feel like a recap of the events of Final Crisis at the beginning of this volume would have been nice. Obviously no one is going to pick up the second volume of a series of omnibi and start there, but I just thought it was weird.
All things considered, probably a 7 or 8 out of 10.