Yesterday’s release of BATMANn & ROBIN #16 — the final issue leading into the new BATMAN, INC., book by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette — included a shocking ending. Spoiler Text: Bruce Wayne announces he’s been funding Batman’s activities, for the first time establishing a public link between his two identities. It was also the first time DC’s new Editor-in-chief Bob Harras had made the press rounds with a bunch of interviews at various sites, including a chat with Kiel Phegley at CBR. Nothing too shocking or revelatory. Harras shows himself to be a smart publishing professional who likes Grant Morrison and thinks comics are a visual medium. He’s also getting a handle on a wide-ranging job:
One thing people have been noting a lot lately are scheduling issues around Batman comics. With so many books to publish and so many individual pieces having to fit together, how have you been looking at that aspect of the business?
I’m not there yet. That’s one of the things I’m going to be getting to in the next few weeks in general and not just Batman specifically.
Looking at the overall line, how has that transition been for you? Are we getting to the point where we’ll start to see some of the Bob Harras effect on DC’s publishing, or will most of what you’re working on be felt down the road in 2011?
You know, I think for me right now since it’s only been a few weeks, the long term gameplan is what I’m going to be talking about with the editors. It’s still very early in the game, and I can’t go much beyond that.
It’s definitely good to see Harras getting a chance to act as a DC spokesman — he’s a calming presence in what has been a difficult transition and that’s part of the reason he now holds the job he does.
Been a Batman fan forever and collect most of the ongoing and mini-series out there but the recent surge in number of titles is ridiculous and some of the titles are horrible. Overall, I am not too impressed with Bruce Wayne’s return. I also think DC is overkilling this franchise as Marvel is doing so with the Avengers. How about less titles, better stories/quality? How about other heroes staring in their own titles that make it past issue #12.
I’m not a big superhero fan, but I have been trying to catch up on the Morrison DC stuff. So, I’m trying to avoid the spoiler, but I think I know what it is. I was reading the local paper trying to catch up on local election results, and there it was in a headline. That was…disheartening….
He doesn’t actually say anything.
The shocking ending of B&R #16.
Shocking.
In what way, may I ask, was this a big ol’ surprise straight out of left field?
Here’s what surprised me: That Grant could crank out a story that was even more disappointing than Batman RIP.
The funniest thing to me will be all the Morrisonites who’ll come out of the woodwork to claim what a genius move this is. When not only is it ridiculous but unoriginal and lame, but of course when Grant does it it’s brilliant what a joke.
How cheap, there goes the mythology and a lot of readers, well that’s what i reckon. For me The bat is still the detective. I don’t go the “My name is Bruce wayne and i am Batman” road. There are a lot of good past stories and art work done about the bat in the past. So i will stick to that and read the next issue of Usagi Yojimbo.Maybe dc is just trying to reach new readers or invent the bat,but the real bruce wayne would never say “I AM BATMAN ” the idea alone you f****** kidding me !! Sad dc very sad.
EJ,
How can anyone claim that this was unoriginal?
It’s not like Marvel has a billionaire character whose name ends in “Man” and publicly claims to employ his own alter-ego?
Or that DC had a recently canceled book (The Web) where a superhero name and costume was being franchised out worldwide?
I had thought of this “Shock ending” years ago, but not necessarily as a shock ending. Just a wrinkle to explain away certain things whenever the old secret I.D. thing was jeaprodized.
I thought this had already been done a while ago in the comics. Guess some fans are ahead of the curve. Too bad they saved it as the “big shock,” since it’s not much of a shock.
I’m very happy with the story. Just like Morrison did with the New X-Men, Batman Inc. is breaking new ground, telling new stories, bringing in new characters. PROGRESS in unchartered waters, where there is direction and an unknown path.
I also cannot wait for the new team on Detective Comics! Good times for Batman fans right now.
In response to AO, my thought on reading the end of B&R 16 was, “Well, I guess that establishes that they don’t have Iron Man comics in the DCU …”