Written By Grant Morrison
Art by Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea
Who doesn’t like Batman? He’s one of my favorite superheroes (sorry Flash, Green Lantern, and Spiderman, Daddy still loves you though). Batman has gone through so much in his 70 plus years: Senate hearings, camp, Joel Schumaker, but can he come back from his own death? Guess we have to save that question for Batman R.I. P.’s author Grant Morrison.
The Book
Batman #678 takes place in the Batman R.I.P. storyline taking place in all of the Batman family of books. However, this book is easy to follow without the others. Just understand that Batman is supposed to die somehow. Now that you are up to speed, it is Grant Morrison, so welcome to a strange odd adventure that requires multiple reading to fully understand. I’m not saying it is a bad story, far from it. This is an engaging story, but the reader must invest time and full attention to enjoy. This is a strength and a weakness sadly.
While I love Grant Morrison’s storytelling, he can play with time and linear plot a bit too much at times. For another example, try Morrison’s Final Crisis. I understand the plot and it is good. It seems Batman has amnesia or something similar in this storyline. Believe me, I’m not spoiling anything by telling you that detail. Now, I’m lost at the last page of this issue. While not a total negative, it might turn off new readers and even this longtime DC fan.
I honestly think Grant Morrison wants to keep the reader guessing which is really good for a detective story. Now, this guessing is spilling over into basic narrative though. This isn’t a good thing. Stick with this story though, I think it may rival Secret Invasion and Final Crisis in scope. Besides, it’s Batman, who doesn’t like Batman? Seriously, if you want a more stand-alone Batman story, I do recommend Paul Dini’s Detective Comics run. It has wonderful storytelling and great pacing.
7/10 with hopes it will be 10 at the end.
The Artwork
In short, Tony Daniel knows how to draw superhero comics. I’m so glad he doesn’t draw Spawn anymore. Since Spawn isn’t a superhero comic, or a comic for that matter. Daniel’s style mixes expressive faces with fast action scenes. I love how he draws superheroes. I see a more penciled and stylized Neal Adams in his work. For a manual on how to draw Batman, check out Neal Adams. In the meantime, Tony Daniel does a great job with this story.
Tony Daniel’s artwork really grounds Grant Morrison’s erratic storytelling. I mean both of those as a compliment too. With another artist on this book, it might feel more Vertigo than DC Universe. The mix of Morrison and Daniel bring smart storytelling to the Dark Knight.
9/10
Overall ( Not an Average) 8/10
The Review
The Story 7/10
The Artwork 9/10
Overall (Not an Average) 8/10