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Batman Incorporated (2011/2012) #1
Batman Incorporated: The Deluxe Edition
Grant Morrison continues his earth-shattering run on the Batman titles with this exciting new series illustrated by hot artist Yanick Paquette that features the next stage of evolution of the Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne publicly announces that he is the financial backer of Batman and establishes a worldwide franchise of Batmen that will protect the entire globe. This is the beginning of a stunning direction for the world's greatest detective that will team him with Catwoman, Batwoman and Batman Inc representatives on international crime fighting missions against Lord Death Man in Japan, South America and Argentina.
Collecting: Batman Incorporated 1-8, Leviathan Strikes!
Collecting: Batman Incorporated 1-8, Leviathan Strikes!
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2011
56 people are currently reading
1946 people want to read
About the author
Grant Morrison
1,786 books4,583 followersGrant 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 322 reviews
October 2, 2020
(B+) 77% | Good
Notes: It throws a lot of stuff at the wall: what sticks is great, but what doesn’t bounces at your head and knocks you stupid.
Notes: It throws a lot of stuff at the wall: what sticks is great, but what doesn’t bounces at your head and knocks you stupid.
October 30, 2021
2012 review: Grant Morrison's up-vamp of a key comic book franchise goes a bit awry here, with Bruce declaring how he works with Batman and building a global brand, great idea or not, the execution didn't work for me at all. I've always found Morrison a hit or miss creator. I read the comic books Batman Inc. #1-8 and Batman Inc. Leviathan Strikes. 4 out of 12!
First stop for Grant Morrison's mainstream comic book writing has be his New X-Men: Omnibus.
First stop for Grant Morrison's mainstream comic book writing has be his New X-Men: Omnibus.
September 7, 2012
About fifty percent of this was fun to read.
Some of the stories were coherent and fun, and some of them...were classic Morrison. In other words, there was a whole lotta flipping backward to see if I missed something that would make what I just read make sense.
*sigh*
And then I would remember who the author was.
I thought quite a few of the new Batman recruits were lame, and there was also a noticeable amount of doofy villains. That guy with the parrot?
Noooo.
However, when Grant takes his meds, his storytelling ability is quite amazing. It's kinda worth it to wade through the crap to find one of his golden turds.
Some of the stories were coherent and fun, and some of them...were classic Morrison. In other words, there was a whole lotta flipping backward to see if I missed something that would make what I just read make sense.
*sigh*
And then I would remember who the author was.
I thought quite a few of the new Batman recruits were lame, and there was also a noticeable amount of doofy villains. That guy with the parrot?
Noooo.
However, when Grant takes his meds, his storytelling ability is quite amazing. It's kinda worth it to wade through the crap to find one of his golden turds.
March 31, 2013
Confusing. Unclear. Incomprehensible. Unstructured. Anticlimactic. Pure Morrison.
So Batman, do you wanna talk about your new codpiece? I mean, I get it. Maybe it's functional, might even offer some added protection.... but it's a codpiece, Bruce. A codpiece. Bringing back the codpiece is like trying to convince people that you weren't wearing your underwear on the outside of your costume all these years: it ain't gonna happen. May as well put Robin in a green jock-strap while you're at it.
And a light-up bat symbol on your chest? What is that? Your Dark Knight-Light? Think about how that is going to get you killed for a second time.
Seriously, this collection ranks in the bottom 10 Batman comics for me. Utterly inane. Half the dialogue doesn't make sense, the other half talks about events that we don't get to see happen. So much happens off-panel that it makes reading these pages pointless. And for a book about how Batman expands into an international concept,supposedly bringing nations and their heroes together under one cause, there is no unity, no glue that binds the artwork and story-lines and ideas together.
Fail. Epic, epic fail. 1/5
So Batman, do you wanna talk about your new codpiece? I mean, I get it. Maybe it's functional, might even offer some added protection.... but it's a codpiece, Bruce. A codpiece. Bringing back the codpiece is like trying to convince people that you weren't wearing your underwear on the outside of your costume all these years: it ain't gonna happen. May as well put Robin in a green jock-strap while you're at it.
And a light-up bat symbol on your chest? What is that? Your Dark Knight-Light? Think about how that is going to get you killed for a second time.
Seriously, this collection ranks in the bottom 10 Batman comics for me. Utterly inane. Half the dialogue doesn't make sense, the other half talks about events that we don't get to see happen. So much happens off-panel that it makes reading these pages pointless. And for a book about how Batman expands into an international concept,supposedly bringing nations and their heroes together under one cause, there is no unity, no glue that binds the artwork and story-lines and ideas together.
Fail. Epic, epic fail. 1/5
March 8, 2021
Batman is fun again, finally!
January 28, 2014
Batman is going global. He can't be everywhere so he's training his “Bat” people all over the world. This first installment focuses on some of their tales.
As usual writer Grant Morrison dips into old comic book tales and this is no different.
“Mr. Unknown is Dead”: Batman's planned “Bat” in Tokyo is dead and he must deal with the immortal Lord Death Man, find a new Bats and creatively put an “end” to Lord Death Man. (STORY: B plus; ARTWORK: B plus)
“The Scorpion Tango”: Batman unsuccessfully tries to get El Gaucho (a superhero of Argentina) to join him but he refuses. Things heat up which includes the Falkland Islands, a cast of British superheroes and a supervillain who has lost part of his memories. (STORY: B plus to A minus; ARTWORK: A minus)
“The Leviathan Strikes”: a new global enemy named Leviathan is revealed; Batman mingles with more of his future “Bats” and works at dismantling the Leviathan organization. (STORY: A minus; ARTWORK: B plus;
Morrison nods in spoilers.
ARTISTIC PRESENTATION/PANELS: B plus to A minus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B plus to A minus; STORY/PLOTTING/PANELS: B plus to A minus; ACTION SCENES: B to B plus; BATMAN MYTHOLOGY: A minus; OVERALL GRADE: B plus to A minus; WHEN READ: April 2013.
As usual writer Grant Morrison dips into old comic book tales and this is no different.
“Mr. Unknown is Dead”: Batman's planned “Bat” in Tokyo is dead and he must deal with the immortal Lord Death Man, find a new Bats and creatively put an “end” to Lord Death Man. (STORY: B plus; ARTWORK: B plus)
“The Scorpion Tango”: Batman unsuccessfully tries to get El Gaucho (a superhero of Argentina) to join him but he refuses. Things heat up which includes the Falkland Islands, a cast of British superheroes and a supervillain who has lost part of his memories. (STORY: B plus to A minus; ARTWORK: A minus)
“The Leviathan Strikes”: a new global enemy named Leviathan is revealed; Batman mingles with more of his future “Bats” and works at dismantling the Leviathan organization. (STORY: A minus; ARTWORK: B plus;
Morrison nods in spoilers.
ARTISTIC PRESENTATION/PANELS: B plus to A minus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B plus to A minus; STORY/PLOTTING/PANELS: B plus to A minus; ACTION SCENES: B to B plus; BATMAN MYTHOLOGY: A minus; OVERALL GRADE: B plus to A minus; WHEN READ: April 2013.
September 6, 2024
New review 2024: much better on reread. However the middle section and final issue are a bust. Just not interesting. But the Japanese Batman and Indian heroes were great. Art also mixed bag.
Old review 2017: Yep, done with morrison's run on Batman. Besides Batman and Robin he's the worst Batman writer of all time. Goodbye!
Old review 2017: Yep, done with morrison's run on Batman. Besides Batman and Robin he's the worst Batman writer of all time. Goodbye!
October 29, 2017
Some of these issues are really good, some not so much. I didn't like the weird Matrix-y issue at the end but most of the other ones are pretty cool
May 17, 2016
Batman starts to realize that he's overextended. He has his hands full trying to protect Gotham City, and other places around the world could use their version of Batman. That's where Batman Incorporated comes in. He sees and investigates good candidates that can take on the Batman mantle in a worthy manner in different cities. This volume focuses on Tokyo and Paris. The Tokyo storyline is pretty over-the-top and crazy. It reminds me of the crazy nature of Japanese and Asian action films. The villain is seriously heinous, which is really par for the course with Batman heroes. The pace is pretty fast and frenetic, but not so much that I couldn't follow the storyline. As crazy as the Tokyo story was, the Paris one was more serious and somber. I like that Batman doesn't allow religious differences and cultural differences to preclude a worthy Batman. His choice for the Paris Batman is perfect and he is leaving the mantle in good hands there.
Grant Morrison is highly edgy in his graphic novels, and after the last one I read, I was leery. But this was a good book.
Grant Morrison is highly edgy in his graphic novels, and after the last one I read, I was leery. But this was a good book.
April 23, 2012
Morrison is a great writer, and he's great at Batman. He also has... interesting tastes in stories. Here, Bruce Wayne has decided to use his wealth to fund a worldwide consortium of Batmen. Batman is everywhere. Sort of like McDonalds. On the surface, the idea is sort of silly, but it also works. It makes sense. Why wouldn't Bruce Wayne do something like this?
There's some truly great issues in here. Teaming up with Catwoman in Japan, meeting up with Batwoman, the reservation storyline, and seeing poor Stephanie as Batgirl (nice while it lasted, wasn't it?) were all great. There was also an odd cyberspace storyline in there, though, and the overarching Leviathan storyline went out with more of a fizzle than a bang. But overall, more satisfying to read than not.
There's some behind the scenes information from Morrison at the back, about how and why he did what he did. Always fun to read this sort of thing from him, even if it never explains everything.
There's some truly great issues in here. Teaming up with Catwoman in Japan, meeting up with Batwoman, the reservation storyline, and seeing poor Stephanie as Batgirl (nice while it lasted, wasn't it?) were all great. There was also an odd cyberspace storyline in there, though, and the overarching Leviathan storyline went out with more of a fizzle than a bang. But overall, more satisfying to read than not.
There's some behind the scenes information from Morrison at the back, about how and why he did what he did. Always fun to read this sort of thing from him, even if it never explains everything.
October 23, 2022
3.5: Most of it I liked but some of it felt like Morrison was smoking weed or something.
February 10, 2017
This book collects the entire run of Batman Incorporated before the New 52 reboot DC Comics did with their superhero line a few years back. This is Grant Morrison doing what he does best with Batman, expanding the mythos by reviving and reintroducing characters and concepts that used to exist on fringes of the DC Universe. Batman Incorporated is Morrison latest take on the character, a culmination of sorts from prior stories that gave us Damian Wayne and a new version of the international Batmen. This is about Batman bringing his crime fighting out of Gotham and into a global scale, bringing in the corporate resources of Bruce Wayne into a larger role.
The first story arc is a great example of Morrison introducing a lesser-known version of Batman, and he does it by bringing back the mysterious and over the top Lord Death Man. Batman is seeking new agents to help him with global war on crime and he's recruiting actively. His extend family of sidekicks and the Gordons are already in the fold, and now Batman is looking to franchise the Cape and the Cowl worldwide.
Batman Incorporated would be the last Batman title Morrison worked on a monthly basis and it made sense all of the past stories were about moving all the pieces for that epic last page reveal. It would make sense looking back. However, that would make this book an incomplete collection. There would be another Batman Incorporated title after DC transitioned into New 52, but it only served to continue Morrison's final Batman story. If you thought then that Batman Incorporated volume two moved to its baton is because it doesn't fit in with its New 52 launch mates. It would be to the advantage of the reader to treat this as its own continuity, as this reader did. If one has read all the Morrison Batman stories from Batman and Son to this one, this would where your payback begins.
This was a great read. Batman is a darker character than most, but Morrison mining of its Silver Age past mean that there would at least be color. The villains are more nefarious and stranger but this Batman has a more upbeat vibe which is understandable because this incarnation has surived death and Darkseid.
The first story arc is a great example of Morrison introducing a lesser-known version of Batman, and he does it by bringing back the mysterious and over the top Lord Death Man. Batman is seeking new agents to help him with global war on crime and he's recruiting actively. His extend family of sidekicks and the Gordons are already in the fold, and now Batman is looking to franchise the Cape and the Cowl worldwide.
Batman Incorporated would be the last Batman title Morrison worked on a monthly basis and it made sense all of the past stories were about moving all the pieces for that epic last page reveal. It would make sense looking back. However, that would make this book an incomplete collection. There would be another Batman Incorporated title after DC transitioned into New 52, but it only served to continue Morrison's final Batman story. If you thought then that Batman Incorporated volume two moved to its baton is because it doesn't fit in with its New 52 launch mates. It would be to the advantage of the reader to treat this as its own continuity, as this reader did. If one has read all the Morrison Batman stories from Batman and Son to this one, this would where your payback begins.
This was a great read. Batman is a darker character than most, but Morrison mining of its Silver Age past mean that there would at least be color. The villains are more nefarious and stranger but this Batman has a more upbeat vibe which is understandable because this incarnation has surived death and Darkseid.
June 11, 2012
What's this? A straight tale with no mind-bending subtext or fourth wall-breakage? Hell, the dialogue in the British sequence is positively Silver Age in its obviousness. Did Morrison decide to write "normal" just to be ultra-weird?
No, this book slowly veers back towards signature Morrison territory - it just takes most of the book for that crescendo to become audible enough to detect it. It's interesting to read the back matter and see just how much attention Morrison and his artists put into resurrecting ancient, long-forgotten members of the Batman galaxy. In the absence of any other behind-the-scenes, it seems that's the main purpose of Morrison's Batman books these days. That, and leaving most readers a little puzzled just what they went through to get to the end of the tale.
After reading this book, and even knowing that Morrison must have known how little this storyline would've mattered due to Flashpoint and the DC reboot, it puts me in a mind to re-read some of his oldest works like The Invisibles. I.E. something I might really enjoy for e storytelling, rather than an excuse to play Trivial Pursuit with third-rate characters.
I don't honestly know if the stories were unoriginal, given how much they're already drawing from ancient issues. And I can't exactly say they were fun - given the whole time reading them, I kept wondering if these were characters or plots I was supposed to recognise. The only real fun was the final "reveal", but I honestly don't know if it even matters. I've heard Batman Inc almost "picks up where it left off" post-reboot, which would be good. Here's hoping.
No, this book slowly veers back towards signature Morrison territory - it just takes most of the book for that crescendo to become audible enough to detect it. It's interesting to read the back matter and see just how much attention Morrison and his artists put into resurrecting ancient, long-forgotten members of the Batman galaxy. In the absence of any other behind-the-scenes, it seems that's the main purpose of Morrison's Batman books these days. That, and leaving most readers a little puzzled just what they went through to get to the end of the tale.
After reading this book, and even knowing that Morrison must have known how little this storyline would've mattered due to Flashpoint and the DC reboot, it puts me in a mind to re-read some of his oldest works like The Invisibles. I.E. something I might really enjoy for e storytelling, rather than an excuse to play Trivial Pursuit with third-rate characters.
I don't honestly know if the stories were unoriginal, given how much they're already drawing from ancient issues. And I can't exactly say they were fun - given the whole time reading them, I kept wondering if these were characters or plots I was supposed to recognise. The only real fun was the final "reveal", but I honestly don't know if it even matters. I've heard Batman Inc almost "picks up where it left off" post-reboot, which would be good. Here's hoping.
September 16, 2013
It seems that everything that I have read from Grant Morrison has been first rate: All-Star Superman, New X-Men, the New 52 Action Comics. This collection is no exception. Here Batman is back from where ever he went when Darkseid obliterated him. He’s now setting up Batman Incorporated, a world- wide network of heroes to battle crime on a global scale. Here, it’s the Leviathan.
The art is different for each storyline and is exceptional. I appreciate how Grant Morrison is reverential to the source material (the original Batwoman, Katherine Kane, tribute is a highlight). He makes a story about a Native American Batman, which in other hands could easily fall flat, engaging.
Plus, a cameo by Ace the Bat-Hound. Woo Hoo!
This is the deluxe version, which has a glossary that clearly explains (I needed it) the history of each character in this volume.
The art is different for each storyline and is exceptional. I appreciate how Grant Morrison is reverential to the source material (the original Batwoman, Katherine Kane, tribute is a highlight). He makes a story about a Native American Batman, which in other hands could easily fall flat, engaging.
Plus, a cameo by Ace the Bat-Hound. Woo Hoo!
This is the deluxe version, which has a glossary that clearly explains (I needed it) the history of each character in this volume.
April 29, 2012
Bruce Wayne reveals himself as the financial backer behind the Batman and that he plans to finance like-minded vigilantes around the world so that there will be a Batman in every part of the world under the umbrella title - Batman Incorporated.
This book introduces a large number of the new recruits to Batman Inc as Bruce Wayne/Batman travels the world training up an army for the coming storm with a mysterious new cadre of evil called Leviathan.
First up is a trip to Japan where Batman and Catwoman meet Jiro Osamu aka Mr Unknown, a Japanese superhero battling the madman Lord Death Man, a villain who treats the world like it's Grand Theft Auto. While dark, the story had lots of funny episodes such as a giant octopus in an apartment and a scene involving a cackling skeleton driving a car into a building which made me laugh. Jiro Osamu becomes the Batman of Japan.
Next up Batman goes to Argentina to meet Santiago Vargas aka El Gaucho who becomes the Batman of Argentina. It was cool to see Kate Kane aka Batwoman make an appearance here, here's looking forward to the next Batwoman book. George Cross aka the Hood also makes an appearance and the major villain of the book, Otto Netz/Dr Dedalus is introduced.
Otto Netz is a very cool villain, he's basically the Cold War/James Bond villain of yesteryear but old and riddled with Alzheimer's so his bizarre and lethal traps for Batman become crazier and crazier as the book goes on. He's also got these excellent bug eyes and a cape of smoke.
Batman heads to South Dakota next where two Native Americans, a father/son team of Man-of-Bats and his son Raven dish out justice, Batman style. It's great to see Batman in one of the most impoverished areas of America, he's a symbol of hope and change for a people who really need it. For anyone looking for more Native American comics after reading this part, I highly recommend Jason Aaron's series "Scalped", which is amazing.
The next part takes place in the internet where Barbara Gordon, aka the original Batgirl, aka Oracle, is Batgirl in the virtual world and is able to walk! The awesome CGI artwork makes this episode stand out strongly but really all of the artwork throughout is superb. Yanick Paquette and Chris Burnham outdo themselves page after page of this book, producing fantastic graphics in every panel, hats off to those chaps for their skilled artistry.
There's a St Trinians-esque episode involving Stephanie Brown aka Batgirl (yes another one) aka the 4th Robin, which I loved as well, before the book culminates in a mind-bending and difficult to follow final encounter between Batman and Dr Dedalus.
The rest of the cast that make up Batman Inc get some time in the book but not enough, Morrison is probably saving those for later books. David Zavimbe aka Batwing, Bilal Asselah aka Nightrunner of Paris (check out his awesome origin story in "Batman: Gates of Gotham"), Cassandra Cain aka Black Bat of Hong Kong, and Johnny Riley aka Dark Ranger of Australia.
Grant Morrison has created a rich and hugely imaginative tapestry, developing the Batman universe into a grander stage where the possibilities for new stories are boundless. Each one of the characters could have incredible stories of their own, the brilliance contained in this book seems to be the tip of the iceberg. All of the stories were fantastic in their own right and Morrison makes the case for Batman Inc convincingly through Bruce Wayne. He's written one of the best books of his career with Batman Inc which rightly will go on to spawn any number of wonderful spin-offs, but moreover stands on its own as a book packed with moments that remind the reader why they love Batman in the first place: because he is the one and only Dark Knight.
This book introduces a large number of the new recruits to Batman Inc as Bruce Wayne/Batman travels the world training up an army for the coming storm with a mysterious new cadre of evil called Leviathan.
First up is a trip to Japan where Batman and Catwoman meet Jiro Osamu aka Mr Unknown, a Japanese superhero battling the madman Lord Death Man, a villain who treats the world like it's Grand Theft Auto. While dark, the story had lots of funny episodes such as a giant octopus in an apartment and a scene involving a cackling skeleton driving a car into a building which made me laugh. Jiro Osamu becomes the Batman of Japan.
Next up Batman goes to Argentina to meet Santiago Vargas aka El Gaucho who becomes the Batman of Argentina. It was cool to see Kate Kane aka Batwoman make an appearance here, here's looking forward to the next Batwoman book. George Cross aka the Hood also makes an appearance and the major villain of the book, Otto Netz/Dr Dedalus is introduced.
Otto Netz is a very cool villain, he's basically the Cold War/James Bond villain of yesteryear but old and riddled with Alzheimer's so his bizarre and lethal traps for Batman become crazier and crazier as the book goes on. He's also got these excellent bug eyes and a cape of smoke.
Batman heads to South Dakota next where two Native Americans, a father/son team of Man-of-Bats and his son Raven dish out justice, Batman style. It's great to see Batman in one of the most impoverished areas of America, he's a symbol of hope and change for a people who really need it. For anyone looking for more Native American comics after reading this part, I highly recommend Jason Aaron's series "Scalped", which is amazing.
The next part takes place in the internet where Barbara Gordon, aka the original Batgirl, aka Oracle, is Batgirl in the virtual world and is able to walk! The awesome CGI artwork makes this episode stand out strongly but really all of the artwork throughout is superb. Yanick Paquette and Chris Burnham outdo themselves page after page of this book, producing fantastic graphics in every panel, hats off to those chaps for their skilled artistry.
There's a St Trinians-esque episode involving Stephanie Brown aka Batgirl (yes another one) aka the 4th Robin, which I loved as well, before the book culminates in a mind-bending and difficult to follow final encounter between Batman and Dr Dedalus.
The rest of the cast that make up Batman Inc get some time in the book but not enough, Morrison is probably saving those for later books. David Zavimbe aka Batwing, Bilal Asselah aka Nightrunner of Paris (check out his awesome origin story in "Batman: Gates of Gotham"), Cassandra Cain aka Black Bat of Hong Kong, and Johnny Riley aka Dark Ranger of Australia.
Grant Morrison has created a rich and hugely imaginative tapestry, developing the Batman universe into a grander stage where the possibilities for new stories are boundless. Each one of the characters could have incredible stories of their own, the brilliance contained in this book seems to be the tip of the iceberg. All of the stories were fantastic in their own right and Morrison makes the case for Batman Inc convincingly through Bruce Wayne. He's written one of the best books of his career with Batman Inc which rightly will go on to spawn any number of wonderful spin-offs, but moreover stands on its own as a book packed with moments that remind the reader why they love Batman in the first place: because he is the one and only Dark Knight.
April 21, 2022
Every page is overly busy, almost to the point of hurting your eyes. Morrison's Batman is an acquired taste thanks to his insistence of needlessly overcomplicating plots and throwing in characters in the hopes that they stick. Whilst the concept of a Batman Corp works, the execution is extremely poor. A jumbled mess at best, an eyesore at worst, this is the definition of unmemorable.
May 31, 2019
Eh, what little I liked about this couldn’t make up for how little I cared about 99% of this. It was all over the place and while sometimes, mixing art styles can work, it didn’t here.
So... eh.
So... eh.
November 4, 2011
There are bad ideas, there are bad books, and then there are the bad books with bad ideas. This is one of the latter.
June 3, 2012
THIS SHIT MADE NO SENSE.
Like, even for comic book plots this shit made no sense. WTF, Batman? What is even happening here?
Like, even for comic book plots this shit made no sense. WTF, Batman? What is even happening here?
September 30, 2022
I loved it. Plan to reread sometime soon!
June 21, 2016
"HEEHEE-HEEHEE-HEE! Death loves you!"
"I wear the grin beneath the skin, the future seen in every smile."
More wacky fun and deadly violent Batman from Grant Morrison. This rides the line of ethereality, all details linked and tangled in a giant "web" of mystery, spies, death traps and super villains. This will definitely require multiple reads for total comprehension.
This plot is deep and weaving, so I won't attempt to summarize much. Batman Incorporated is in full effect and an antithetical army has risen to combat the Batmen and Batwomen. We learn about the many heroes of Batman, Inc., my favorites being Mr. Unknown in Japan and Man of Bats and Raven in South Dakota.
While two masterminds pull the strings on everything from above, I find the villain Lord Death Man the most fascinating, one of those macabre and unkillable super villains. I hope we see more of him in Volumes 1 and 2.
Things you can expect from Batman Incorporated: Fantastic artwork from Yanick Paquette, Chris Burnham, and Cameron Stewart. Bruce and Dick both wearing the Batsuit. Nazis. Batbots. Tango dancing. An evil finishing school. Bombs, guns, and poison gas. And plays on dementia and deja vu. And deja vu. And deja vu.
One of my favorite chapters was The Kane Affair flashback with lovely vintage comic art from Chris Burnham. There's humor, a boy Dick Grayson, and the 60s Batmobile. Just downright fun to read and look at.
I'm very pleased with where Morrison took corporate Batman. I was...not wary...but I had no idea how Morrison was going to follow all that time travel. And he went 60s spy movie! Fantastic!
July 23, 2014
I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I finally decided to read and review each issue for Batman Incorporated (2010-2011) series last week. I've been hearing great things about it for quite some time so I picked it up right after its New 52 relaunch which meant that I missed the first arc of the series so I happily decided to come back to it once my self-imposed Batman Comics Diet happened by May this year. And I was pleasantly intrigued (and sometimes even perplexed).
Some of you may need some backstory before getting into this so here's a brief summary of what this series will entail. You need to remember that Morrison's Batman Incorporated belongs to both the old continuity and the new. When New 52 was launched, this title was still pushed through with minimal adjustments to suit the new continuity of the DCverse.
Another thing you need to remember is that there was a time in the old continuity after major events in the timeline (in one of DC's famed Crisis stories, that is) where, basically, Bruce Wayne/Batman was trapped somewhere and was presumed dead in his actual world. He did eventually return but something drastic has changed in him. He didn't readily come back as Batman to Gotham City just yet (which was why his apprentice, former first Robin Dick Grayson, took the mantle in his absence hence he became the new Batman in the last few runs of Detective Comics before New 52. Instead, Bruce decided that he needed to be something bigger than Gotham's watchful guardian. Hence, he invested on the establishment of Batman Incorporated where "he is prepared to take his war on crime to the next level, by essentially "franchising" it and drafting, training and commanding a global team of heroes who will answer to Batman himself called Batman Incorporated (Boucher, Los Angeles Times, 2010)".
Comprised of eight issues and a bonus story, you're going to get your money's worth when you purchase the deluxe edition, and it's something you can even be proud of for having in your collection. The artwork and visual appeal for this graphic novel are well-received by a lot of fans. Paquette and Burnham alternated in illustrating the issues and each of these artists have a signature style that you will enjoy perusing through. The coloring is astounding as well. Everything is vibrant. Everything looks and feels like a visual adventure for every issue. This is certainly one of the things that really got me going while I was reading Batman Incorporated. I simply adored every setting structure and details that the artists have put into the stories. You get a great sense of atmospheric tension and danger as we travel alongside Batman to Japan, Argentina, Africa, etc.
As for the writing, Morrison also took some time to craft some authenticity when it comes to the cultural backgrounds and small nuances for each country we visit. His characterizations pertaining to the recruits of Batman Incorporated have bold brush strokes to them that may make them seem more larger than life which could potentially bother a reader such as myself who prefer to get intimate with characters especially when it's a superhero story. Nevertheless, my enjoyment was not spoiled, considering I do get that missing ingredient in the seventh issue entitled Medicine Soldiers which is probably my most favorite of them all because of it's character-driven with a poignant narrative. As for the rest of the issues, every action sequence produced is well-balanced with an even pacing and sensible build-up. The plot may seem convoluted and, at times, even outright ridiculous, but a handful of memorable badass moments can keep things going right after you turn the last page of an issue and head to the next one.
The only thing I will complain about were the two issues I had the most problem with (or the Scorpion Tango storyline in general, honestly). But it could just be a matter of taste. Personally, those were the only issues that almost made me want to stop reading. The best bunch it could offer are issues 5-8, the later ones where most of the meat and bones of the story are present. However, I will say that the bonus story, a two-parter called Leviathan Strikes is the most polarizing issue of the collection. There are genuinely amazing moments in it--but there are also some terribly confusing panels as well. Still, the climactic events led to that shocking revelation at the end which made almost everything worth the trouble. That cliffhanger was a wise decision. It gives the first arc a meaningful standstill where you realize that all that you have read is just a warm-up--and the real story is just about to begin by New 52. If I remember correctly, I'm right about this.
Batman Incorporated is insanely entertaining, massively imaginative and truly engrossing. Morrison's writing is clever, confounding and absurd in the best ways possible. The artwork is lavish with sheer clarity in color that you could just stare at all day long. There are admittedly trying moments in the reading experience where you might need to take a break or re-read again every once in a while but that would be worth it.
In addition to that, the deluxe edition also provides character sketches for the heroes and villains that Morrison either originally created or were directly inspired then re-imagined from old comics. So those last pages will no doubt be your handy references to get to know the concept of the characters he utilized. Overall, this is highly recommended. It has flaws that were hopefully improved by the second arc in New 52.
Do read this! A HAPPY BATMAN DAY TO YOU ALL! :D
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
[DO READ MORE ABOUT MY BATMAN REVIEWS IN http://batman-comics-geek.blogspot.com/]
Some of you may need some backstory before getting into this so here's a brief summary of what this series will entail. You need to remember that Morrison's Batman Incorporated belongs to both the old continuity and the new. When New 52 was launched, this title was still pushed through with minimal adjustments to suit the new continuity of the DCverse.
Another thing you need to remember is that there was a time in the old continuity after major events in the timeline (in one of DC's famed Crisis stories, that is) where, basically, Bruce Wayne/Batman was trapped somewhere and was presumed dead in his actual world. He did eventually return but something drastic has changed in him. He didn't readily come back as Batman to Gotham City just yet (which was why his apprentice, former first Robin Dick Grayson, took the mantle in his absence hence he became the new Batman in the last few runs of Detective Comics before New 52. Instead, Bruce decided that he needed to be something bigger than Gotham's watchful guardian. Hence, he invested on the establishment of Batman Incorporated where "he is prepared to take his war on crime to the next level, by essentially "franchising" it and drafting, training and commanding a global team of heroes who will answer to Batman himself called Batman Incorporated (Boucher, Los Angeles Times, 2010)".
Comprised of eight issues and a bonus story, you're going to get your money's worth when you purchase the deluxe edition, and it's something you can even be proud of for having in your collection. The artwork and visual appeal for this graphic novel are well-received by a lot of fans. Paquette and Burnham alternated in illustrating the issues and each of these artists have a signature style that you will enjoy perusing through. The coloring is astounding as well. Everything is vibrant. Everything looks and feels like a visual adventure for every issue. This is certainly one of the things that really got me going while I was reading Batman Incorporated. I simply adored every setting structure and details that the artists have put into the stories. You get a great sense of atmospheric tension and danger as we travel alongside Batman to Japan, Argentina, Africa, etc.
As for the writing, Morrison also took some time to craft some authenticity when it comes to the cultural backgrounds and small nuances for each country we visit. His characterizations pertaining to the recruits of Batman Incorporated have bold brush strokes to them that may make them seem more larger than life which could potentially bother a reader such as myself who prefer to get intimate with characters especially when it's a superhero story. Nevertheless, my enjoyment was not spoiled, considering I do get that missing ingredient in the seventh issue entitled Medicine Soldiers which is probably my most favorite of them all because of it's character-driven with a poignant narrative. As for the rest of the issues, every action sequence produced is well-balanced with an even pacing and sensible build-up. The plot may seem convoluted and, at times, even outright ridiculous, but a handful of memorable badass moments can keep things going right after you turn the last page of an issue and head to the next one.
The only thing I will complain about were the two issues I had the most problem with (or the Scorpion Tango storyline in general, honestly). But it could just be a matter of taste. Personally, those were the only issues that almost made me want to stop reading. The best bunch it could offer are issues 5-8, the later ones where most of the meat and bones of the story are present. However, I will say that the bonus story, a two-parter called Leviathan Strikes is the most polarizing issue of the collection. There are genuinely amazing moments in it--but there are also some terribly confusing panels as well. Still, the climactic events led to that shocking revelation at the end which made almost everything worth the trouble. That cliffhanger was a wise decision. It gives the first arc a meaningful standstill where you realize that all that you have read is just a warm-up--and the real story is just about to begin by New 52. If I remember correctly, I'm right about this.
Batman Incorporated is insanely entertaining, massively imaginative and truly engrossing. Morrison's writing is clever, confounding and absurd in the best ways possible. The artwork is lavish with sheer clarity in color that you could just stare at all day long. There are admittedly trying moments in the reading experience where you might need to take a break or re-read again every once in a while but that would be worth it.
In addition to that, the deluxe edition also provides character sketches for the heroes and villains that Morrison either originally created or were directly inspired then re-imagined from old comics. So those last pages will no doubt be your handy references to get to know the concept of the characters he utilized. Overall, this is highly recommended. It has flaws that were hopefully improved by the second arc in New 52.
Do read this! A HAPPY BATMAN DAY TO YOU ALL! :D
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
[DO READ MORE ABOUT MY BATMAN REVIEWS IN http://batman-comics-geek.blogspot.com/]
November 11, 2015
Grant Morrison is often lauded as a comic-writing genius, but he has a very particular, nuanced style that I find eye-rollingly easy to hate. He likes to dig up and use crusty, obscure, nigh-worthless bits of a character's decades-long history and make them feel like important parts of a story you've missed out on. He likes to have characters give a lot of psycho-babble--"psycho" here meaning "psychotic," and he likes to pretend like he's using their ramblings to cleverly hide mysterious plot details instead of completely obfuscating any attempt to understand the story. And he likes to play the "long-con" game of trying to sow a small and seemingly insignificant seed in the beginning of the story that is revealed to be of paramount importance by the end. All of which can, at times, be wildly successful and enjoyable, but this is unfortunately not one of those times.
What is this story about? Who are these mysterious bad guys Batman and Co are supposed to be fighting? Are they even fighting? Is Batman, Inc. an actual network of heroes, or a series of random, barely connected, not at all important team-ups with various "store-brand" versions of Batman? It's a shame, really, because many of the characters introduced seem like they could be interesting if Morrison devoted any time at all to continuing to use and develop the ones he began to flesh out. It could also have been a cool glimpse into how Batmen need to be tweaked a bit different in each of the different settings, or how Batman himself needs to adapt to the challenges of different cultures and criminals. But nope, random, world-cavorting mindless caper it is. Batman proves that he's a master detective by arriving too late, deducing one thing, and punching an exposed member of the super-secret baddie group in the face. There are also a number of REALLY ANNOYING instances where the story will suddenly jump ahead, as if there are parts of it missing, and suddenly the characters will end up in a place doing a thing and I have no idea how or why they got there. I thought that perhaps there were actual chapters they left out of this collection, but that wasn't the case. And just to make sure I knew Morrison was doing this on purpose, he sometimes does it within a single chapter of the graphic novel! There were a couple of instances where I thought, "Finally, he's going to have a character just explain this mess of a so-called story" and then the next page would have be that character with completely different characters in the middle of a completely different conversation. I'll give you some examples to give you an idea of what I mean.
One is directly from the book, and the other is parody. I'll leave it to you decide which is which.
Batman: You're my closest associates. I owe it to All of you to tell you what I experienced when I was lost in time. Maybe this will help explain what we're doing here.
Eager turn of the page to get some better context. Suddenly two of the characters are drinking coffee, and everyone else is apparently gone. They are now watching a news report (seen earlier in the comic) with Batman.
Dick Grayson: People are buying shares in Wayne. They want to be part of this.
Robin: *errcch* In-sane.
Batman: The Joker's in deep security lockdown at Arkham. Everyone else will get the message and keep their heads below the parapet.
Jeice: Wait, wha-? Did I miss something? Are there pages glued together?
The characters continue the conversation to marvel at Batman writing bogus conspiratorial messages on a message board to sow confusion as to his secret identity
Jeice: I, wait, are we...huh?!
Mysterious villain: And the madness of patagonia dibble-dabbles in the sweet circlet of the mind-space, where all is nothing and nothing is all! They play melodies of melodrama and the tinkle-tinkering of the sad lute is the final disillusion of the dilapidated genius! Did we dance? Did we dine? Do we have legs or teeth? Nobody knows!
The end.
What is this story about? Who are these mysterious bad guys Batman and Co are supposed to be fighting? Are they even fighting? Is Batman, Inc. an actual network of heroes, or a series of random, barely connected, not at all important team-ups with various "store-brand" versions of Batman? It's a shame, really, because many of the characters introduced seem like they could be interesting if Morrison devoted any time at all to continuing to use and develop the ones he began to flesh out. It could also have been a cool glimpse into how Batmen need to be tweaked a bit different in each of the different settings, or how Batman himself needs to adapt to the challenges of different cultures and criminals. But nope, random, world-cavorting mindless caper it is. Batman proves that he's a master detective by arriving too late, deducing one thing, and punching an exposed member of the super-secret baddie group in the face. There are also a number of REALLY ANNOYING instances where the story will suddenly jump ahead, as if there are parts of it missing, and suddenly the characters will end up in a place doing a thing and I have no idea how or why they got there. I thought that perhaps there were actual chapters they left out of this collection, but that wasn't the case. And just to make sure I knew Morrison was doing this on purpose, he sometimes does it within a single chapter of the graphic novel! There were a couple of instances where I thought, "Finally, he's going to have a character just explain this mess of a so-called story" and then the next page would have be that character with completely different characters in the middle of a completely different conversation. I'll give you some examples to give you an idea of what I mean.
One is directly from the book, and the other is parody. I'll leave it to you decide which is which.
Batman: You're my closest associates. I owe it to All of you to tell you what I experienced when I was lost in time. Maybe this will help explain what we're doing here.
Eager turn of the page to get some better context. Suddenly two of the characters are drinking coffee, and everyone else is apparently gone. They are now watching a news report (seen earlier in the comic) with Batman.
Dick Grayson: People are buying shares in Wayne. They want to be part of this.
Robin: *errcch* In-sane.
Batman: The Joker's in deep security lockdown at Arkham. Everyone else will get the message and keep their heads below the parapet.
Jeice: Wait, wha-? Did I miss something? Are there pages glued together?
The characters continue the conversation to marvel at Batman writing bogus conspiratorial messages on a message board to sow confusion as to his secret identity
Jeice: I, wait, are we...huh?!
Mysterious villain: And the madness of patagonia dibble-dabbles in the sweet circlet of the mind-space, where all is nothing and nothing is all! They play melodies of melodrama and the tinkle-tinkering of the sad lute is the final disillusion of the dilapidated genius! Did we dance? Did we dine? Do we have legs or teeth? Nobody knows!
The end.
December 22, 2016
BATMAN IS EVERYWHERE
A great volume of Morrison's Batman run. Liked for good the storyline and the references to old stories of the caped crusader (some characters are out from old Batman 1955/56 issues!!!), art was really good too (Yanick Paquette just gained a new fan), but sometimes I had to go back and re-read pages to check if things made sense...
But of that this was a real blast of a read with real gems inside.
July 12, 2013
Geh. This was my least favorite Batman so far. It was terribly confusing and a good chunk of the time boring. Half way through I actually posted on facebook and asked the other fans of comics if I should bother finishing it.
This is my second Grant Morrison Batman and I don’t know if I’ll read anymore by him or not but if you read my review for Batman Arkham Asylum you’ll know I have mixed feelings about the dude. I think sometimes people get popular just for pushing limits rather than doing things really well. (See Chuck Palaniuk who used to be awesome but just keeps trying to freak everyone one out with every new book he comes out with). But this is just my opinion. There are so many people out there who like Grant Morrison (and Chuck Palaniuk) and I can even appreciate what he did with Batman Arkham Asylum but I just think he needs to stick with the outrageous and this story was only part outrageous.
Just as a side note: I was told my my friend at Capeless Crusader that I would have been less confused if I had read Grant Morrison’s other Batman series first. This is probably true. But I’m not going to go back and sift through that stuff. Maybe later if I hear or read somewhere that it’s really important to the Batman legend.
There is one thing that I want to mention before I stop this that I thought was very cool…I loved seeing all the different Batmans that were created. I thought it was great. I just wish they were in a story I could have followed.
This is my second Grant Morrison Batman and I don’t know if I’ll read anymore by him or not but if you read my review for Batman Arkham Asylum you’ll know I have mixed feelings about the dude. I think sometimes people get popular just for pushing limits rather than doing things really well. (See Chuck Palaniuk who used to be awesome but just keeps trying to freak everyone one out with every new book he comes out with). But this is just my opinion. There are so many people out there who like Grant Morrison (and Chuck Palaniuk) and I can even appreciate what he did with Batman Arkham Asylum but I just think he needs to stick with the outrageous and this story was only part outrageous.
Just as a side note: I was told my my friend at Capeless Crusader that I would have been less confused if I had read Grant Morrison’s other Batman series first. This is probably true. But I’m not going to go back and sift through that stuff. Maybe later if I hear or read somewhere that it’s really important to the Batman legend.
There is one thing that I want to mention before I stop this that I thought was very cool…I loved seeing all the different Batmans that were created. I thought it was great. I just wish they were in a story I could have followed.
June 1, 2018
I was going to give this four stars due to some of its "problematic" aspects, but even the totally tripped out last issue (which I can't pretend I got at all) had my jaw dropping.
By the way, this pretty much guaranteed a five-star rating from me:
So yeah, my status as a Grant Morrison fanboy is confirmed.
By the way, this pretty much guaranteed a five-star rating from me:
So yeah, my status as a Grant Morrison fanboy is confirmed.
August 29, 2015
Every book I finish reading, I come one step closer to having read one of the best Batman run's, Grant Morrison's run on Batman.
This story starts in Japan. We see Lord Death Man formerly know as simply Death Man eliminating one of Japan's greatest crime fighters, Mr. Unknown, or did he? Lord Death Man is one of the most interesting Batman villains I've seen.
This book jumps around the world (what did you expect after seeing the cover of this book). There's a lot going on in this book. Batman (Bruce Wayne) and Catwoman collaborate a lot. Helping each other and covering each other's back's along the way. We get a backstory for the original Batwoman, Kathy Kane, we see Batman working side by side with an old ally, El Gaucho in Argentina. We see a bunch of the Batmen of the world protecting their cities/nations. Nightrunner in Paris, Batwing in the Congo, Blackbat in Hong Kong, Dark Ranger in Australia, Knight and Squire in Great Britain etc.
Grant Morrison worked out the idea of an international agency of vigilantes greatly. Originally the Batmen of all nations, later known as the International Club of Heroes. Grant Morrison used this agency at the start of his run and built of of it. And later after Batman (Bruce Wayne) went to hell and back, this idea became Batman Incorporated.
I really liked one of the stories in the back. Chapter one of this one shot features Batgirl, Stephanie Brown infiltrating an all-girls school that doubles as a training facility for the Leviathan organization. This one shot reminded me of Morning Glories by Image and was a really fresh little story. Chapter two of this one shot was just awesome. With at the end the reveal of the mastermind behind the Leviathan organization. But before that, some beautiful art and coloring and a great villian in Doctor Dedalus a nazi war criminal and former spy.
This is another great entry by Grant Morrison in his Batman run. I still have 2 trades to go before finishing his entire run. Next up, Batman Incorporated volume 1: Demon Star.
This story starts in Japan. We see Lord Death Man formerly know as simply Death Man eliminating one of Japan's greatest crime fighters, Mr. Unknown, or did he? Lord Death Man is one of the most interesting Batman villains I've seen.
This book jumps around the world (what did you expect after seeing the cover of this book). There's a lot going on in this book. Batman (Bruce Wayne) and Catwoman collaborate a lot. Helping each other and covering each other's back's along the way. We get a backstory for the original Batwoman, Kathy Kane, we see Batman working side by side with an old ally, El Gaucho in Argentina. We see a bunch of the Batmen of the world protecting their cities/nations. Nightrunner in Paris, Batwing in the Congo, Blackbat in Hong Kong, Dark Ranger in Australia, Knight and Squire in Great Britain etc.
Grant Morrison worked out the idea of an international agency of vigilantes greatly. Originally the Batmen of all nations, later known as the International Club of Heroes. Grant Morrison used this agency at the start of his run and built of of it. And later after Batman (Bruce Wayne) went to hell and back, this idea became Batman Incorporated.
I really liked one of the stories in the back. Chapter one of this one shot features Batgirl, Stephanie Brown infiltrating an all-girls school that doubles as a training facility for the Leviathan organization. This one shot reminded me of Morning Glories by Image and was a really fresh little story. Chapter two of this one shot was just awesome. With at the end the reveal of the mastermind behind the Leviathan organization. But before that, some beautiful art and coloring and a great villian in Doctor Dedalus a nazi war criminal and former spy.
This is another great entry by Grant Morrison in his Batman run. I still have 2 trades to go before finishing his entire run. Next up, Batman Incorporated volume 1: Demon Star.
September 7, 2023
Finally finished Grant Morrisons run of Batman and it’s been an interesting, mind boggling and entertaining run!
As for this book, it had the really interesting premise of Batman setting up a crime fighting network across the globe to gear up against a villain network spanning the globe. This meant we got to see a wide variety of Batman stories in this which was good. There was a part where I felt it jumped the gun in the plot and didn’t make sense how they ended up at their headquarters and I thought there’d be a big final fight as it felt like the whole book was gearing towards that but sadly not!
Overall this has a lot of promise and while I did really like this I feel like it could’ve been more, might have to check out the new 52 Batman incorporated to see if this continues there.
As for this book, it had the really interesting premise of Batman setting up a crime fighting network across the globe to gear up against a villain network spanning the globe. This meant we got to see a wide variety of Batman stories in this which was good. There was a part where I felt it jumped the gun in the plot and didn’t make sense how they ended up at their headquarters and I thought there’d be a big final fight as it felt like the whole book was gearing towards that but sadly not!
Overall this has a lot of promise and while I did really like this I feel like it could’ve been more, might have to check out the new 52 Batman incorporated to see if this continues there.
July 14, 2012
This book reminds me why it can be so fun to be a comic-book geek! The idea of Bruce Wayne "franchising" out the Batman concept sounds silly on paper, but Grant Morrison makes it work with multi-layered storytelling, colorful villains, exciting action sequences, and even some social commentary. Whether he's breathing new life into a character who was last seen in the 1970s, or establishing a dangerous new nemesis who's influence is being spread throughout the entire world, Morrison makes every panel a treat to read!
December 12, 2015
Woah, I enjoyed a Grant Morrison book. That's a rare occurrence. But seriously, this was surprisingly fun. Of course, not all of it made sense, but this was a very sane book by Morrison standards. Some great artwork here, too (except for the fugly 3D-rendered issue).
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