Batman Incorporated, Volume 1: Demon Star

Batman Incorporated (2011/2012) #2

by Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham (Illustrator)

Eisner Award-winning fan-favorite writer Grant Morrison concludes the Batman epic he began nearly a decade ago in BATMAN & SON, pitting the entirety of Batman Incorporated against the Levianthan organization headed by the Dark Knight's former romantic interest Talia al Ghul. As Leviathan enacts a plan that threatens the world, Batman and his allies must fight against the rising storm--but not everyone will make it out of the encounter alive.

Collects BATMAN INCORPORATED #0-6 (New 52)

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Fiction, Comic Book

169 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 14, 2013

About the author

Grant Morrison has been working with DC Comics for twenty five years, after beginning their American comics career with acclaimed runs on ANIMAL MAN and DOOM PATROL. Since then they have written such best-selling series as JLA, BATMAN and New X-Men, as well as such creator-owned works as THE INVISIBLES, SEAGUY, THE FILTH, WE3 and JOE THE BARBARIAN. In addition to expanding the DC Universe through titles ranging from the Eisner Award-winning SEVEN SOLDIERS and ALL-STAR SUPERMAN to the reality-shattering epic of FINAL CRISIS, they have also reinvented the worlds of the Dark Knight Detective in BATMAN AND ROBIN and BATMAN, INCORPORATED and the Man of Steel in The New 52 ACTION COMICS.

In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 82% | Very Good
Notes: A perfect pairing of art and plot, it bursts boisterous and rainbow-bright against a doleful canvas of blood and grime.

*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #0-3

[David - proud Gleeman in Branwen's adventuring party · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batman may be continuing his global war on crime, but villainess Talia is the true Demon Star of this exciting adventure!

Haunted by visions of a world in flames, Bruce Wayne has transformed Batman from a local hero into a global enterprise. Working to recruit Bat-men and Bat-women from all over the globe to protect their countries, Bruce believes he is on the right path to saving the world. But not everyone believes the world should be saved...some feel the people of the world should rise up to save themselves instead of waiting for some self-proclaimed "hero" to rescue them. Thus begins the Leviathan movement, spearheaded by Talia Al Ghul, longtime nemesis of Batman...as well as the mother of his son! With tentacles in every country, Leviathan promises a new world order...a world where everyone has the tools and weapons necessary to fight against their supposed oppressors, and no one ever needs to rely on some costumed vigilante to say the day. And to ensure her dream of a world without heroes, Talia plans to force Batman to make an impossible choice..."Whichever, you choose, the other dies! Decide, your city, or your son!"


"Demon Star" picks up immediately where Batman Incorporated, Vol. 1 left off. Now, usually when I review a book, I try to focus entirely on that book, but I have to break that rule this time, as I need to give some backstory to properly convey exactly why I enjoyed this book so much. Until fairly recently, I actually considered Talia to be a rather uninteresting character. She was introduced back in the Batman comics of the 70s, and at first it seemed like Talia might be full of surprises. While at least 90% of Talia's first appearance relegated her to a damsel-in-distress role (a sexist stereotype that was all too common in comics at that time), she did give readers a nice shock at the very end. Holding a gun to her captor, Dr. Darrk (yes, his name really was Dr. Darrk, 70s comic books were not only sexist, they were also pretty corny), Darrk sneered that Talia would never shoot him because she was "far too sweet". Instead of allowing Batman to rescue her for like the 50th time that issue, Talia responded by shooting Darrk in the face, and since killing him once wasn't enough for her, she also pushed him into the path of an oncoming train for good measure! It was a classic moment, as it revealed that Talia was not quite what she seemed...and it also revealed that when Talia wants someone dead, she's pretty gosh-darned thorough!

Soon, we learned that Talia was the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul, a megalomaniac who believes the world is dangerously overpopulated and seeks to eliminate much of the world's population in order to "save" it. While she didn't always seem to share her father's twisted vision (or his total and complete insanity, for that matter), she still worked in his organization to further his cause. Yet, in one of the most forced cases of "insta-love" to ever make it onto the printed page, immediately after meeting Batman, she declared him to be her "beloved", leading to an internal conflict over whether she should side with her father or her lover. On the surface, this internal struggle had the potential to lead to a beautifully-crafted character. Unfortunately, for the next 20-some years, instead of focusing more on Talia herself, her role was completely defined by the two men in her life! Almost every Talia story followed the same pattern...for the main bulk of the story, she would obey her father's orders without question, then at the last minute just as Batman was about to be defeated, she would betray her father to save her "beloved". In fact, Talia betrayed her father so many times, it almost bordered on self-parody when Ra's was finally betrayed by someone who WASN'T Talia, yet he just automatically assumed she must have done it...

If Ra's is such a brilliant mastermind, how come he never once figured out to tell Talia the exact OPPOSITE of what his plan was to counteract her inevitably betraying him to Batman yet again?!?

Talia's ongoing storyline finally took a massive upswing in the late 90s (yes, there were good comics in the 90s, you just had to search really, really hard to find them). It started when a writer named Greg Rucka basically asked the editors at DC, "What if we took the character of Talia, and made her, y'know...not be boring?" Since it was something they hadn't tried before, the DC editors agreed. Beginning with the compelling Batman: Death and the Maidens, Talia's role in the DC universe changed. After severing her ties with her father, she took on a more independent role, eventually taking control of Lex Luthor's organization of LexCorp, as well as becoming one of the six major players in consolidating all the villains of the DC universe to form a society to oppose the heroes. Talia also became more formidable as well. Back in the 70s and 80s, while we kept hearing about how Talia was a skilled fighter and a master assassin, she almost never displayed those skills...other than the aforementioned Dr. Daark face-shooting incident. However, modern Talia was frequently seen overpowering her enemies with her strength and cunning!

Yes, Talia is an expert in martial arts and also a master assassin, but in "The Dark Knight Rises", Christopher Nolan decided to showcase her truck-driving abilities instead...sometimes I think Mr. Nolan may be a tad over-rated!

All of which leads us to my review (admittedly...it took me a while to get here). The reason I loved "Demon Star" so much was because it features the continued evolution of Talia as a worthy nemesis of The Dark Knight! No longer following anyone else's orders, here Talia is seen leading a world-wide movement to further her own agenda. As a result, Talia is far more interesting than she has ever been before. Her motives are complex...while she still wants revenge against Batman for ultimately rejecting her advances, she does also embrace an ideology where she believes the poor should rebel against the rich. Her methods are often ruthless, which makes it all the more chilling to witness that she seems to truly believe the end justifies her means. And adding to Talia's character depth is the role of her own son in Batman's crusade. While Talia's ultimate goal is to kickstart a revolution, it's clear that she is also driven by the betrayal of her son. She wants to punish Batman for supposedly "indoctrinating" their son Damian into his cause, as well as punish Damian himself for turning his back on her. In that brilliant move, the mother-son relationship between Talia and Damian parallels her own father-daughter relationship with Ra's Al Ghul.


TALIA - "Betraying your own parent to save Batman?!? Damian, where did you learn to do that?" DAMIAN - "You, alright! I learned it by watching you!"

Talia is more twisted and dangerous than ever before...and she's also never been more fascinating! Fun, exciting, and more streamlined than Grant Morrison's work usually is, "Demon Star" is a must-read for all Bat-fans!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the idea of Batman Incorporated (not the comic, just Bruce's idea) first showed up, I thought it was stupid.
What a dumb thing for Bruce Wayne to do!
It practically screams, Hello!? Over here!! I'm The Batman! Investigate me!!
So, yeah.
I was surprised when I liked the Batman Incorporated titles.
Then came the New 52...
Again, my first thought was, Exactly how bad are they gonna fuck this up?.
To say I wasn't expecting much when I cracked open Demon Star, would be an understatement.
Shockingly...I was wrong. Again.
While I wasn't as blown away by it as some of my GR friends, I thought this was a pretty damn good comic. And if it weren't for all of the crossover shit, I could very well have given this bad-boy all five stars.
But.
The crossover stuff proved to be too much for my feeble mind to grasp, and I ended up feeling a bit out of the loop.
Totally all my fault that I haven't read all of the Batman stuff necessary for me to 'get' the full meaning of everything going on in this one...but still!
Alright, the stuff that I could comprehend was great, though.
Read it.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply put, the best Batman book of the last 5 years. Packed with action, an amazing storyline, a varied and colourful cast of genius characters, and fantastic art from one of the brightest stars in comics artistry, Chris Burnham, this is Grant Morrison at peak performance creating a book that is sure to go down as a masterpiece in Batman history. Full (gushing!) review here!

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

2024 - my 2017 review holds up. Besides the one issue with Talia everything else was great. The pacing is near perfect. 4 out of 5.

2017 Review - Holy hell...Who knew this would be good? Especially after the HORRIBLE Pre-new52 Batman Incorporated (Which I HATED) this one came as a total surprise. Ditching the lame other "Batman" and giving us a story focused on Bruce and his Damien we get a much better story this time around. Leviathan is on the rise. Who's that? Well they're Hydra to be blunt. Anyway they are everywhere in Gotham and their hunting out favorite little bastard, DAMIEN WAYNE! DUM DUM DUM!

What I liked: Loved the build up here with Leviathan being born and created within the city. Especially the background of how they invaded through school systems and such. I love the fact Batman and Robin feel like a team here (Something you haven't gotten by Grant except for when Dick and Damien teamed up). I dug the comedy used here and it's actually really funny (BATCOW!!!!!!) and the ending really starts building up for a BIG fight that I just know will be epic as motherfuck!

What I didn't like: The needless retelling of Talia and her rise. It was a cool catch up but you can just read Batman and Son and get the same exact story basically. That's the only issue and the first issue I didn't love but not horrible.

Overall this is a HUGE improvement over the pre-new52 Incorporated. I suggest this to all Batman fans, and especially Damien fans (like myself) because it revolves around them in the best ways. A very good 4/5 and worth reading for sure!

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Sighs*

You know, sometimes I start enjoying a Morrison comic (despite the typical grotesque artwork) and then it gets all... Morrison-y. This book was fine before it went totally off the rails around issue 4. The "future" timeline where Barbara Gordon becomes the type of person to break a baby's neck (because of Joker serum). The usual light hearted Knight and Squire going through a fight where Knight's neck gets broken and Squire tries to beat some guy to death with a brick. It was all so incredibly unnecessary. Like it always seems these books start in an understandable place and then veer completely into batshit crazy town for shock value.

This wasn't Quitely's art but it still managed to be terrible, in my opinion. Maybe this art works for someone else but it has never worked for me. I remember this guy from a Civil War era Cap comic and it wasn't pleasant then, either.

Anyway, the Batfam bits were nice. As much as it was hard to look at Damian drawn this way. So, the first few issues of this are pretty good story wise. Then the story takes a huge amount of acid and drives clear off a cliff.

[Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant follow-up to Batman Incorporated, Demon Star is short but hits hard with hilarious comedy, mystery, and heart-stopping violence. Chris Burnham’s artwork is absolutely incredible. And I can finally say, after this volume, that I like Damian as Robin.

[Ｆｒａｎｋｈ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman is fundamentally the lone caped crusader of justice, a creature of the night engulfed in the blackest of shadows whose aim is to deplete the criminal population in his beloved city Gotham. He's badass cool because he's also a billionaire playboy by day and can afford the most awesome martials arts and combat training, as well as make his own set of awesomely fangasmic gadgets. For those reasons, every comic book fanboy wants to be Batman even just for an hour.

Batman has been around for 75 years, adapted into a lot of visual mediums, and anything with his symbol stamped on it will consistently guarantee an excited audience. Even the most sheltered and non-superhero fan has an inkling of understanding of how Batman operates: he's a distant and aloof anti-hero who only has a butler and a teenage boy as a sidekick plus the company of a string of socialites to keep up appearances in public. Batman has always been alone since the night his parents were brutally murdered in front of him.

But as far as clichés go, certainly no man is an island, and writer Grant Morrison's collected issues for his series Batman Incorporated challenge and question that age-old belief that Batman is meant to be alone.

The zero issue even starts with Batman making an official announcement that he was never supposed to be alone. While almost all other Bat-titles utilize the existential solitude that has defined Batman for generations, Morrison decided to do something radical just to shake things up which explains the very premise of Batman Incorporated: in the aftermath of the Final Crisis events where Bruce Wayne was presumed dead, former first Boy Wonder Dick Grayson took up the cowl with Bruce's illegitimate son Damian as his new Robin. Some time later Bruce comes back with a new platform against crime, and decides to create a vigilante franchise that recruits potential crime fighters across the globe.

From Japan to Argentina, to England and Australia, these skilled men and women pledge their service and allegiance to the unending symbol of Batman. This was an intriguing concept since it puts Batman in the context of a teamwork situations which we never often see him enough (outside of Justice League, that is). However, anyone who's been reading him in comics should know better; Batman does work and cooperate with many other costumed heroes--but it's been unanimously agreed upon that he is better off doing things by himself.

It just feels right.

This is why, initially, the idea of a Bat-Inc. is uncomfortable for most long-time readers. Personally, though I found the concept a fresh and exciting one, I wasn't too keen on the execution. I previously reviewed the original 2010 run of this series back in July, and that volume collects nine issues plus a special. When DC comics revamped as New 52, they decided to keep this title which actually became a tad bit problematic if you're reading this alongside other New 52 Bat-material. Essentially, this should have been credited as an old-continuity series because some of its major plots ring more true to what was established from the previous continuity. Now this volume Demon Star, which was composed of six amazing and tantalizing issues illustrated by Chris Burnham, is definitely the height of Morrison's painstakingly tedious plot-building since the conceptual work of this series started seven years ago. Ultimately, it was worth it because it has garnered a well-earned phenomenal success with the finished product.

When I say that this was seven-years-in-the-making, I meant it. You have to go back as far as Morrison's Batman and Son and Batman RIP. The plot thread continues to his run for Batman and Robin. To truly appreciate the effort he has put into this series, you also need these previous works to compare with since in them you will find the seeds of what was going to flourish eventually as Batman Incorporated. The series is often peppered with callbacks and references to Morrison's established canon subplots found in those works. All the more reason why I insist for you to view this as a part of the old continuity and New 52....

...but therein lies the complication. But this is only the first volume. I might discuss the implication of the paradox Batman Incorporated presents next week when I do reach issue #8 where a significant event has happened and therefore affected other Bat-titles for New 52. In the meantime, Demon Star is a crowd pleaser if you don't have any strong negative bias against Morrison as a writer. Sure, he's been known to be quite dick-ish and evasive but the quality of his work has never disappointed me. I admit that his tonality and approach to Batman might be an acquired taste, but his experimental flair keeps his stories interesting because he has a unique perspective on how to write Batman than most of his contemporaries.

With a Batman-Morrison story, you will always have an adventure you can sink your teeth into. Demon Star attests to that. Here we get a very well-nuanced character arc for Talia al Ghul who is the main villain at play for Batman Incorporated. Batman's relationship with his son and partner Damian was also explored in an angsty level, and the Leviathan is probably a more real and tangible threat than Synder's Court of Owls (after a year-long introspection, I realized I never really bought the concept of the Court of Owls). A lot of savory things are also happening in the background that you might miss out on if you're just not versed enough with the old continuity material from way back.

I made a claim once that Morrison's works for Batman are not readily accessible or newbie-friendly and Batman Incorporated will certainly seem that way in the surface--at first. If you take comics reading seriously and actually find time to research parts you don't comprehend (or, even better, read previous continuity stuff as well), then I can assure you that Batman Incorporated will be one of the most dynamic, diverse and memorable comics you will ever read these days.

RECOMMENDED: 9/10

DO READ MY BATMAN COMICS REVIEWS AT:

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

After over a year off, during which time DC Comics completely "rebooted" their entire continuity with The New 52, Batman Inc. is finally back, entering the endgame stage to Morrison's extended Batman run and leaping into the all-out global war between Batman and Talia Al Ghul set up in the original Batman Incorporated run.

Now, there's a lot to unpack here, thanks mostly to the fact that, while this is technically in the New 52 universe, it's also built on everything Morrison did with Batman pre-New 52. Which basically equates to, in this reality, everything from Morrison's earlier stuff technically happened, but the timeframes are squashed down to a point where they hardly make sense. But, really, all you need to keep in mind "all that other Batman stuff actually happened." Confused? Sure! Me too!

What this also means, unfortunately, is if you haven't read Morrison's other Batman stuff, this is going to be extremely hard to follow. Lucky for me, I did read all of it, and this felt like a return to form for the most action-oriented, accessible Batman stuff he's done. Something akin to a more globetrotting version of his stint on Batman & Robin.

There's a massive conspiracy at play in Gotham City and around the world. A secret society known as Leviathan, headed by Talia Al Ghul as way of kickstarting a war with Bruce Wayne, has begun spreading through businesses, governments, police precincts, etc. It's a threat far too large for Batman to take on by himself, which is why Batman began outsourcing his symbol to other heroes around the globe.

As usual with Morrison, there are a lot of cool concepts at play here. There's not necessarily a deep, thrilling plot, but the execution of his various Big Ideas is really the name of the game. He plays around with the idea of Batman as a marketing entity, as a brand more than a hero. By allowing others to wear his icon, Batman is inherently spreading his reach and becoming something of a private police force. There are pros and cons to this, philosophically, and we see this play out. If the existence of Batman in Gotham is partially why so many freaks and weirdoes attack that city, what happens when he becomes a worldwide phenomenon? What do his enemies look like on that scale?

It's a very grand idea, with little tendrils of conspiracy and an Illuminati-like organization that harkens back to Morrison's work on things like The Invisibles and The Filth (only, y'know, PG-13). The only problem, honestly, is this kind of story was written quite well only months previous by Scott Snyder with his Court of Owls storyline. I know Morrison planned this well before Snyder was named as his successor, but it feels a little same-y to be reading yet another Shadowy Conspiracy storyline so soon.

Also, Morrison seems to have no interest in developing the secondary characters at play. Besides Batwing, all the members of Batman Inc. are fairly over-the-top stereotypes of their respective regions, played seemingly for laughs, but given nothing to do to make them anything short of avatars for what Grant Morrison thinks Japan, Mexico, France and England are. It's kind of weak, and it would've been nice to see a little more depth from this cast of goofballs.

But, that said, between Morrison's Big Crazy Storyline and Chris Burnham's excellent art (he's basically the new Frank Quitely), this reads like a blockbuster. It's a lot of flash and action, without a ton of depth, but it's a very fun read. I'm excited to see how Morrison brings it all to an end in the final volume.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather than construct a single narrative out of my thoughts on this book, I've decided to leave my notes as they arose in place - which oddly mirrors my feelings as I read it, and I think has a correlation to how much soul (vs intellect and manipulation) Morrison put into this story. Yes, I believe the theory that Morrison sets out at the outset of each story arc of his comics and tries to write what he thinks is the zeitgeist of the times - whatever will most easily and subconsciously appeal to the readers of the day. (you ever wonder why older stuff like The Invisibles feels increasingly out of context or out of touch as the years go by?)

Stylish dialogue

Seems to be leading up to something

Fun characters not spewing the usual amounts of nonsense. Gleefully cavorting around the pages, inventing and beating and quipping their way through a good life.

Feels chatty and jump-cutty

Rapid pacing suits Morrison well - doesn't give him too much space to start eulogizing his most illogical and intentionally obtuse philosophies.

Funny in many places - Alfred cleaning an adopted cow

The dynamic between Damian and Batman is great - two completely bullheaded know-it-alls, won't give an inch but clearly care for each other under the bravado and dickish dudeness.

It takes until the climax of the book - after all this Leviathan pussyfooting, all the allusions to great "movements" of the people (or the strings being pulled by unseen, evil forces) to get to something worth caring about on more than an abstract, intellectual level: the personal, emotional relationship between Batman and Talia Al-Ghul. Her anger at him, the drive to punish him his slights against her or her beliefs, and the lengths to which - the sacrifices - she's wiling to take to fulfil her dreams/his nightmares. It doesn't get much more taboo than putting your only child on the board as a pawn.

Why does Burnham's art look like a Frank Quitely on a junk food bender? Everybody's so soft, round and lumpy. I can't decide if it's bad art, stylish art or just rushed layouts.

I'll round it up to four stars just because I really can't decide if I liked it, really liked it or just didn't suffer as badly as with that atrocity of Batman '66.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Grant Morrison, I seem to either love it or hate it. This is one I happened to love. Just a cool story as Batman assembles his entourage to battle Leviathan, an organization of assassins that has infiltrated Gotham City under the leadership of Talia Al Ghul, who happens to be the mother of Batman's son, Damian. There's also a zero issue showing how Batman assembled Batman Inc, and probably the coolest issue was a "flash forward" issue featuring a vision Batman had of the future. Gotham has fallen to the Joker virus, which basically has turned everyone into zombies. It's a post apocalyptic vision of Gotham City that I actually wouldn't mind seeing again in a longer storyline.

If you liked any of Morrison's run on Batman, you should enjoy this volume.

[Tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

ok so i read the batman incorporated vol.1 demon star. i have loved batman since i was a kid and this was a great addition to my collection. I was interested when coming into the book to see how the drawings would be and how they would portray batman but they did a really good job. with both humor and style this book was written. the illustration are amazing in my eyes but that is for you to comment on. some like it and some hate it but i like it a lot... i would def. tell you to go and grab this up if u are batman fan...

[Jesse A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crap that was good. Cool story, great art! Color me surprised!

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started off reading this and thinking, oh for God's sakes this is tedious...but by the end I was definitely on board. I don't care who you are, but there's no way anyone can deny that the runs of Morrison and Snyder have been the best Batman work in forever. Granted, there are times when I think Morrison should tone down on the drugs, but hey, that's what makes him who he is...some of his stuff is just going to make you raise a quizzical eyebrow and ask 'Really? Are you shitting me? Bat-Cow?'. Of course, other stuff of his is going to make your jaw drop and say 'Holy Shit! Awesome!'
I was hit and miss on the art...the first issue I didn't care for, but that artist wasn't doing the rest of the book. There was definitely some stylistic similarities with Frank Quitely (who did the cover you see for this edition) and that style always meshes well with Morrison writing.
The Al Ghul family has always seemed to me to be the most dangerous of any Batman foe, but also the one that usually challenges Bruce/Batman and brings out the best in him that we enjoy seeing. It really is a chess match. Throw in the dynamic of Talia and Damian and you've really got something there.
I have nothing against Damian, like many do. Go back and read a Batman comic from the early 80s and see how much you like Jason Todd...exactly. Or a Dick Grayson from the 50-60s. Honestly, Damian is a fine character, and his dynamic with people is fun to read/see. In many ways he seems to be closer to Dick than Bruce, but there's no doubt that there's strong connection between them all.
I'm always happy to see Alfred as well, and I always appreciate when a writer gives Alfred some stones.
Storyline wise, if you read the pre-Flashpoint Morrison run on Batman, you'll be able to jump right into things, if you haven't you still might be able to but you'll be missing a fair bit of context and detail.
The rehash of the Club of Heroes stuff (or whatever they're called) was a little silly but I'm sure it helped those who are new to things, and the New 52 is all about making sure the 'new' reader feels welcome...grumble grumble, they should be writing for people who already read...mumble grumble).
The thing is, you never get straightforward from Morrison, and I wish people wouldn't keep acting like it's a shock that he'll be all over the place. He's obviously not a linear writer or thinker, so either don't read him at all, or get used to it and deal. Without the ridiculous dumb shit, then how would we recognize the absolute genius of the high parts? I'd rather all over than just a paint-by-numbers boring book any day (We have a few Batman titles that do that just fine thanks).
The last pages really had me geeking out, and I sure enjoyed the entire issue that fleshed out the earlier short vision/nightmare of Damian as Batman of the future. That would make a great B-movie.
It's not the best thing Morrison has ever done, but it's enjoyable, it's good, it's a ride, and like I said at the start, it's certainly not boring.
I'm looking forward to Vol. 2, and the reveal that we come across in this book was supremely enjoyable to me.

[JB · Rating 4 out of 5]

With every book I read of Morrison's run, I come closer to it's conclusion. Now that I've finished this book, I only have on trade to go.
Sadly enough, because Grant Morrison's run of Batman is one of the greatest things I've ever read! The attention to detail, the story(lines), the characters, both heroes and villains. Everything has been great. I'm looking forward to reading the finale. I'm curious to see how Morrison finishes this fantastic run.

We catch a glimpse of Talia al Ghul's childhood. It's no surprise that Talia and Damian have had a very similar as not to say identical upbringing or should I say training. I think it's a great idea to have Talia outshine her father Ra's al Ghul. I did not expect that.

As in the book that came before this one, we get Batman and his Batmen and other allies working together. We still get a lot of Batman (Bruce Wayne) solo action though. I especially like seeing him taking on disguises. Reminds me of the older Batman stories. It's great seeing Bruce and Damian finally getting some more Batman and Robin team-up action.

The art after the first issue is great! It has a strong Frank Quitely feel to it. I won't go into more detail. I'll just leave you with this, read this book, read this run! It'll be one of the greatest things you'll ever read.

[Mia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Grant Morrison is not seeing the pearly gates of heaven for what they did to Talia.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the better Morrison Batman books I’ve read, and I’ve read a surprising amount at this point, given I’m not a huge fan of their run. Damian had the best moments in this one, easily. I wish the supporting cast was better fleshed out though, and I couldn’t really explain the plot if you asked me to— but overall, I enjoyed a lot here. 3.5/5 stars.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The majority of the first half of the book is flashbacks recapping the major points in Morrison’s Batman, Batman and Robin and Batman inc. storylines. These include finding out about Damian's conception. The how's, where's and why's, and it's not as conventional at you may assume. It also revisits Batman issue 666 which has always been a standout issue for me. This was nice to see as Morrison usually relies on you having prior knowledge of something he wrote in an Batman book in 2008. I assume the recap is due to this first book after the New 52 rebranding and they wanted to make it a good jump in point for new readers. That is exactly what they have achieved. This would be fairly easily accessible book to someone who hasn't read Morrison’s prior batman work. For those that have it is an enjoyable trip down memory lane taking in some of the highlights of his huge story arc.

The main story is a direct sequel to the pre New 52 batman inc story. The Leviathan (a global crime organisation) are upping their war with Batman inc. in a plot that again twists and turns. They aim to hit Batman where it hurts by ordering a hit on Damian and destroying Gotham. They have been planting seeds and placing people in authoritative positions for years in a plot reminiscent of the Synder ‘Of The Owls’ story. Interesting as these stories must have been running at the same time but are completely separate and very different.

The plot here really is very strong and not too cryptic for the most part. The pace is also much better than some of the Batman and Robin and earlier Batman inc. books. That is until the last 2 issues where Morrison again goes into flip mode (busta busta). I had to read them three times to make sense of what was going on. There are a few good Wtf moments in the last third that readers of his whole run will really enjoy. Some familiar faces popping up.

All in all I enjoyed this book. I went out at the weekend and bought the follow up Gotham’s Most Wanted because I have to find out what happens next. That must tell you something. More fast paced, wacky (bat cow???), surreal, trippy, manic writing from Morrison, but again enjoyable. I just wish he would take more time to explain things. Had this books climax been easier to understand this would have been a definite 5 stars. You will definitely get more from this book if you have read the full Morrison run, or at least Batman and Son, Batman RIP and Batman and Robin but don't be put off if you haven't. Effort has been made to include new readers so you will still enjoy it. 4.5 stars

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had really liked the pre-Flashpoint version of Batman Incorporated, Vol. 1, so I was actually looking forward to the New 52 version. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Instead of focusing on Batman Incorporated itself, the way that the previous version had and the title implied, it's instead largely about the conflict between Bruce and Talia, with their son Damian as both prize and battleground. How much you like this will depend entirely on how much you can invest in the storyline. Which is likely dependent on how much you like Damian as Robin. And Tim is still my favorite Robin. That said, this is probably one of the more important Bat-adjacent comics right now, so that's something to keep in mind. Don't care for the art, though. Neither particularly attractive nor particularly innovative, it's serviceable, but no more than that.

[Christopher (Donut) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mind-blowing, as usual, Mr. M.

Ends on a real cliffhanger, which is frustrating..

If Quitley's art was always semi-underground, then Burnham's is three-fourths or even seven-eighths underground. My point is that it takes some getting used to.



By the way, this volume one is really volume two. It is a direct continuation of Batman Incorporated: The Deluxe Edition

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talia al Ghul is a wonderfully formidable opponent. 'Matches' Malone was a hoot ("I'm like true love and nuclear war - there's no way to prepare for [me]") as was the cover location for the 'left coast' Batcave ("Just dropped in to see if my perv suit turned up . . . "). The mounting terror in the cliffhanger ending was also done just right. However, at times I was confused by the plot and this was at least the third book I read in the last two weeks that Batman 'assembles a team' as part of the story.

[Koen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I would have given it a 2 star, for just being an ok start, but the closer we got to the end the more I got into it..
Already knowing what's going to happen because of my earlier reading, but still anxious to find out how it happens ;)

[Maria Kramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This rating would be higher, but the art - yeesh. It's like Chris Burnham was trying to out-Quitely Frank Quitely. It's distractingly bad. But the Batcow is the best. All hail the Batcow!

[Rylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morrison switches it up this volume and focuses more on the father and son relationship between Bruce and Damian. I liked the change up because Bruce and Damian have never really interacted for prolonged periods of time in Morrison’s Batman run so it’s nice seeing Morrison build on their relationship considering they created Damian.

[Cristóbal Cuenca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le cuesta arrancar, pero a medida que se acerca el final del volumen, va creciendo la intensidad. Entre 3 y 4 estrellas, en realidad...

[Jedhua · Rating 2 out of 5]

ESTIMATED DNF RATING: {2/5 stars to 2.5/5 stars}

STANDARDIZED RATING: <2/5 stars>

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic book. The #0 issue bridges the gap between the end of Batman and Robin, Vol. 3: Batman and Robin Must Die! (Black Mass) and the New 52 reboot of Batman, Incorporated, which starts with issue #1 of this collection. At this point I've not read Batman Incorporated, Vol. 1 (the original series), but I do know what it's about and so I have the impression that the aforementioned issue #0 of this book does more than a fair job at catching the reader up with the latest developments in Batman's corner of the New DCU. It even has Frazer Irving on art duties (same as in Batman and Robin Must Die!), so there's continuity there as well.

As for the rest of Demon Star, I can honestly say that it was much more than I expected. You would be excused for thinking that because Grant Morrison's seven-year run on Batman ends with the next volume (Batman Incorporated, Vol. 2: Gotham's Most Wanted), that at this point he'd be out if ideas and resorting to cheap tricks or gimmicks, when in fact it is just the opposite: this book has so much happening in it (and so fast!) that it's all I could do to turn the pages fast enough. And the cliffhanger at the end of this volume is one the best ones I've come across in a long while.

A note on Chris Burnham's art. I don't think I've ever read any of his stuff before, but in this volume I found his art, while being his own, had flavours of Cameron Stewart and maybe even some Frank Quitely/Andy Clarke. Good stuff!

Morrison's landmark run on Batman has been one the most consistently entertaining ones in history and, unlike his New X-Men run (which was plagued with art of inconsistent quality), had consistently good-to-great art as well.

[Roman · Rating 3 out of 5]

От читаю собі серію коміксів DC New 52, а там БАЦ... стається дещо вагоме у житті Бетмена і мені не сподобалось те, що я повинен сягнути по фінальні томи серії Ґранта Моррісона, що існує більше, ніж New 52. Вона повинна бути рестартом як і хорошим ходом для нових читачів, а натомість приходиться для повної картини обмаститись фіналом хорошої, мабуть, (бо не читав) серії Моррісона.

В самому коміксі присутній короткий зміст подій, так що можна розібратись, але і так багато речей, як основна історія та ідея є незрозумілими. Малюнок на перший погляд таки дивний, і в цей спосіб цікаво і незвично презентується сюжет про темного лицаря. За всесь цей безлад і те, що мені прийшлось наздоганяти історію тільки по тому, що я попереднью читав/дивився по Бетмену, то це десь до 3 зірок.

[Mouse · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a stupid clusterf**k! I'm pretty much done with Grant Morrison at this point. His other Batman attempts were a big fiasco too, such as Batman:R.I.P, etc..

This is just a bad book with all kinds of lame nonsensical stuff going on. The members of Batman Inc are largely bad characters and they aren't put together very well...they all argue with each other and have bad dialog....what are they trying to do...nothing makes sense...just very unorganized and bad structure. DC needs to get it together if they're restarting the DC universe.

Apparently Batman has only been around about 5 years in this, which kind of confuses me...but whatever.

The art was okay, but not great.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hated the art, didn't care for the story either.