December 9, 2009 - C'mon, admit it. You knew Bruce Wayne couldn't be gone from the main DC Universe for that long. Today DC has confirmed that 2010 will bring the iconic hero back through a six-issue mini-series entitled "Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne."
As 2009 opened, Final Crisis drew to a close. One of the most shocking moments of Grant Morrison's chaotic epic was the apparent death of Bruce Wayne at the hands of the evil god Darkseid. However the last page of the storyline revealed that Wayne was alive and well - but in another time altogether. Just as Morrison was the creator to send Batman to exile - and replace him with Dick Grayson - he will also be the one to bring him back. April 2010 will see the launch of "Return," which will see Morrison joined by a variety of artists, the first of which will be Chris Sprouse. Morrison is calling this project, "The latest chapter in the long-running, 'definitive' Batman epic."
In an interview with USA Today, Morrison described "Return" as a, "fairly intricate time-travel story in which the world's greatest hero, the optimum man, is up against the supreme challenge to his ingenuity and skill. How does Batman get out of the ultimate trap? It has a mystery and an apocalyptic countdown going on, there are some major twists and reveals, and it sets up big changes to the Batman universe status quo."
I don't mind Dick Grayson getting a bigger role in the Bat mythos and the DCU proper, but the sooner they take him out of the Batman role, the better. I don't think anyone's taken him as anything other than a lame duck Batman.
The concept sounds incredibly bizarre and I'm sure Morrison will make many brains explode with this story. But honestly, they could have Bruce Wayne do the Batusi with Abe Lincoln for all I care, as long as the end result is the precious status quo. If Morrison can pull it off as well as Ed Brubaker's been pulling off Steve Rogers' return, then I'll consider it a bonus.
Originally posted by It's FalseIf Morrison can pull it off as well as Ed Brubaker's been pulling off Steve Rogers' return, then I'll consider it a bonus.
So if Morrison rips off the time travel plot of LOST wholesale, you'll be happy? Who will Bruce Wayne's Constant be? Selina Kyle? Silver St. Cloud? Aunt Harriett? Marsha, Queen of Diamonds?
I concur about returning to the precious status quo. As long as Bruce Wayne returns sans long, wavy mullet, unlike when Superman came back in '96, I'll be happy.
I actually like Grayson as Batman, because its different and he brings a nice vibe to the role. I am also curious how they are going to do it since Bruce's Skeleton just threw up a bunch of black rings in Blackest Night. I am sure they will go with the back in time thing at the end of Final Crisis #7. It was better to leave his death a mystery in RIP then that totally out of character death in Final Crisis. Final Crisis was awful, so glad Blackest Night is very good and probably making Final Crisis more important due to the deaths in it then it had any right to be.
I don't have it in front of me so I can't check right now, but I thought in Blackest Night, at least once, the Black Lantern Bruce Wayne was referred to as "Bruce Wayne" with the quotation marks. Or maybe there was just something in there that implied that it wasn't the real Bruce.
My guess is that the skeleton is from one of the clones in the factory that Darkseid made. That would make the Black Lantern a Bruce Wayne, but not the Bruce Wayne.
As far as Bruce coming back, the only surprise was that they did it so quickly. I don't check sales numbers, but sales being doing with Dick as Batman is the only good reason I can see to jump the gun on this. Although I did drop Detective Comics after the first Batwoman arc, so maybe there's something to that idea.
I know I'm in the minority with this opinion, but I really can't stand Grant Morrison. My first exposure to him was when he was on New X-Men and I picked up the first hardback volume of that. When I'd read about it online, everyone loved it. But to me, it felt more like he already had a story written and when he got the X-Men job he just changed the names of the characters to fit. It also didn't help that I couldn't stand the art.
I also read his run on Batman, thinking that maybe he really was good but my X-Men expectations just couldn't mesh with his writing. But everyone says his JLA Batman was awesome, so why not give it a shot? Yeah, I didn't care for it either, nor Final Crisis. Thankfully, I don't seem to be as alone in my opinion of Final Crisis as I am about New X-Men.
My general feeling is that Morrison is like the comic's version of Vince Russo. He clearly has a ton of ideas, some of them I even think are interesting. But I think he really needs a filter or at the very least an editor that isn't afraid to tell him "no". He and Geoff Johns are clearly DC's golden boys and I get the impression they can both pretty much do whatever the hell they want. In the case of Johns, that's let to some cool stuff. But Morrison is just way too out there for my tastes.
I should also add that I tend to enjoy Jeph Loeb's work, so my opinions are clearly suspect.
Originally posted by CalibanMy general feeling is that Morrison is like the comic's version of Vince Russo. He clearly has a ton of ideas, some of them I even think are interesting. But I think he really needs a filter or at the very least an editor that isn't afraid to tell him "no". He and Geoff Johns are clearly DC's golden boys and I get the impression they can both pretty much do whatever the hell they want. In the case of Johns, that's let to some cool stuff. But Morrison is just way too out there for my tastes.
I think Morrison's JLA work was amazing, his portrayal of Batman included. It's arguably also the reason that the most recent "Justice League of America" relaunch was destined to be a disappointment, because Morrison's arcs were such a tough act to follow. It probably didn't help that Brad Meltzer spent a good chunk of his first year focusing on the recruitment drive. Morrison was also able to successfully integrate B-listers like Plastic Man while other writers that tried to do the same haven't seen the same success (see: Red Tornado).
Morrison's Batman work was a mixture of fun and odd. I've mentioned this before, but he seems to want to revisit the old days of the goofy, campy Batman stories while simultaneously trying to include his gothic, horror stuff. It's like oil and water. It doesn't mix.
I give Morrison credit for trying new stuff. It's easy for a man of his caliber to rest on his laurels and play it safe, but Morrison continues to try and innovate. A lot of it works, like the new-style Joker. But when it misses, it REALLY misses. If Morrison has a failing, it's that he tries TOO hard to be the innovator, where sometimes things call for a conventional approach. He didn't do anything incredibly "out there" with his most recent Red Hood arc and the result was some of his best Batman work to date.
I fully acknowledge that the Bruce Wayne return story could end up being a major trainwreck. Final Crisis-level, even. But as long as Bruce is back in the cowl by 2011, people can look back at it and remember the story as an opus or forget it ever happened. It looks harmless, in the grand scheme of things.
Originally posted by CalibanI know I'm in the minority with this opinion, but I really can't stand Grant Morrison. My first exposure to him was when he was on New X-Men and I picked up the first hardback volume of that. When I'd read about it online, everyone loved it. But to me, it felt more like he already had a story written and when he got the X-Men job he just changed the names of the characters to fit. It also didn't help that I couldn't stand the art.
Y'know, I've always felt the exact same way about this.
Originally posted by LiseDunno. For some bizarre reason the concepts remind me of Animal Man... So uhm, who knows?
Reminds me more of the Rick Veitch Swamp Thing arc where he was hurtled back in time and kept meeting DCU heroes of the past.
This was the story where he would have met Jesus and then all hell broke loose.
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And as a long time Morrison mark, I can't agree with the comparison to Russo. Russo has never done anything the equivalent of Animal Man or Doom Patrol or St Swithin's Day or Zenith or We3.
(edited by odessasteps on 10.12.09 1933) Mark Coale Odessa Steps Magazine ISSUE FOUR - OCTOBER 2009
Anytime people bash Morrison, I feel the need to direct their attention to We3 (en.wikipedia.org). It is probably his most bizarre idea yet it is my favorite book by him. Pretty much EVERYONE who has read it has loved it.
As for Bruce Wayne in Blackest Night... who says that it has to really be Bruce's bones at all, cloned or otherwise? It could just be some random dead guy that everyone assumes is Bruce. We still don't know if the Black Rings are really bringing back the dead or if the Rings are just using artificial intelligence to make people think they are who they say they are. Are the dead wearing the rings or are the rings wearing the dead?
Anyone who wrote WE3, JLA, Animal Man, All Star Superman, Invisibles, and Batman & Robin should never be compared to Russo. Grant is for sure hit and miss to me as well, but then again, what writer isn't? He has written some classics (see above), and he has also written some stories that just make me scratch my head (RIP, Final Crisis, The Filth).
I like Grayson as Batman, and it looks like we will still have that for about another year. The Bruce mini doesn't come out until spring, and won't wrap up until probably Fall. Bruce will be back for sure by the time the next movie comes out I would think.
I have heard a lot of people say they are ripping off the Cap return. But wasn't it established at the end of Final Crisis that Bruce was trapped in the past? That was quite a bit before Cap Rebirth began.
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
Originally posted by odessasteps Couldn't it also be Earth-2 (or earth-?) Bruce Wayne?
Hasn't Superman of Earth-2 been a black lantern?
I don't think it's Earth-Two Batman. Yes, Earth-Two Superman was Black Lantern'd. In my mind, the difference is that Earth-Two Superman died during "Infinite Crisis" on what was the only Earth that existed at the time. It would make sense that his body would still be on New Earth.
Earth-Two Batman died on Earth-Two in a story written in 1979. Earth-Two was integrated into the single Earth when "Crisis on Infinite Earths" ended, and whatever didn't jive with the new storyline was erased entirely. Earth-Two Batman ceased to be at that time. Even when the new multiverse was created at the end of "Infinite Crisis", and knowledge of the previous multiverse was returned, I don't see why his body would suddenly be buried somewhere on New Earth.
It couldn't be on Earth-2, because that's not the same as pre-Crisis Earth-Two. Earth-2's Superman is missing, not dead. And Power Girl was from Earth-Two, but Earth-2 has its own Power Girl. Presumably it has its own Batman as well.
I'll grant that it's very confusing and they could obviously do whatever they wanted to do.
Originally posted by kentish I have heard a lot of people say they are ripping off the Cap return. But wasn't it established at the end of Final Crisis that Bruce was trapped in the past? That was quite a bit before Cap Rebirth began.
The similarities are there, though I doubt they ripped off one another. An iconic comic book hero was presumed dead but instead is lost in time. His side kick takes over his role and we'll have to see what happens when the hero does return..