Modern Comics Review: Batman #701

I’m not going to lie and say that I completely understand everything Grant Morrison crammed into his story Batman R.I.P. a couple years ago, or even most of it for that matter. There’s no denying though, the Morrison has a great grasp on the characters of Batman and Bruce Wayne all throughout his history and that he had an ambitious story to tell. I also have to say that I’m not always the biggest fan of Grant Morrison; sometimes his stories just come off as unnecessarily complicated or heady to me. All that being said, I did enjoy R.I.P. back when I read it and was always curious just how Batman made it from the end of that story to Final Crisis #6, and that’s just what Batman #701 starts out to do.

Morrison wastes no time, focuses on Batman/Bruce Wayne immediately after his helicopter crash that he shared with Doctor Hurt at the end of Batman R.I.P. From here, the reader follows Batman as he tries to recover and follow up on these events both through his own internal narration and his interactions with others. I really do have to say, Morrison really does know just how to write Batman. His Batman is equal parts the calculating , strong character many see him as but also empathic and human, just as he should be. There are some truly great scenes of Bruce in this issue and in just his narration, it plainly obvious that Bruce is both determined to end the problems he’s facing, but also extremely tired, though he won’t let that stop his work. This is easily some of the best, and most faithful, characterization I’ve seen in a superhero book recently. There’s a particularly great panel in which Bruce is talking to Superman and thinks to himself “They sometimes forget I’m flesh and blood.” It’s really refreshing to see Batman treated as a human being and not some unstoppable machine.

Where I do have problems with this issue is in the art of Tony Daniel. There’s no denying that Daniel is talented, but his artwork can change drastically from panel to panel, and rarely for the better. Batman changes body shape and size every other page and sometimes the art is just plain unrecognizable. When it looks good, it looks great, but when it doesn’t, it really doesn’t. In one panel, it looks as though he channeling Frank Quitely, which is not a good thing in my eyes as I’m not a quietly fan. There are some truly stellar pages though and I love the cover.

This is easily one of the more straightforward issues I think Grant Morrison has ever written, but this makes it one his better issues for it. Even though the art is wildly inconsistent, the good pages and characterization make it all worth it, especially if you want some insight into both Morrison’s current stories and his from the recent past. I’m personally more excited for the next issue as the story heads into the events of Final Crisis, but this is still definitely worth checking out, especially for all of those that miss Bruce Wayne as Batman.

Overall: 8.1/10

Modern Comics Review: Batman Beyond #1

Ever since I was a kid, I have loved every offering of the DC animated universe. It was much more mature than anything my young mind had been accustomed to seeing and it shocked and entertained every week that I watched. One of my favorites of all of these shows was easily Batman Beyond. This show was able to effortlessly do something I would have thought impossible then in replacing Batman and making him likeable, along with a rogues gallery of his own that was fun to watch him battle just as much as Bruce Wayne’s Batman. I’ve made sure to keep up with any of Terry McGinnis’ few adventures since his show ended, from those in Justice League Unlimited to his recent starring role in Superman/Batman Annual #4 that came out recently. So naturally I was excited when the new Batman Beyond miniseries was announced, but should I have been?

Let’s just say this isn’t quite the issue I was hoping it would be. It isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination but it could have been so much more. This issue takes place with the Terry McGinnis that was around during or shortly after his own series, but before his appearance in the last episode of Justice League Unlimited where he was revealed to be a clone of Bruce Wayne. I’m so glad that author Adam Beechen chose to do this, because it means that this plot could be possibly left out of Batman Beyond canon. I was not impressed with that particular story chose as it took away from Terry as his own hero and made him impressive as Batman only because of his genetic connections. This issue once again gives Terry the chance to come into the identity of Batman in his own right. In that regard, Beechen does a great job. He is also really able to capture the voice of Terry from the get-go and it feels just right.

The other feature of this issue that I was looking forward to is this issue attempting to place the Batman Beyond franchise into the main DC canon and not an alternate timeline or universe. I always found this particular franchise worthy of being integrated and it is done rather well here…for the most part. An unfortunate side effect of this integration is apparently adding more classic Batman villains into the series. The whole issue revolves around one of Batman’s enemies escaping incarceration and killing/attempting to kill more of his rogues. By focusing on this, it does fit the book into the timeline better, but also detracts from Terry’s own rogues gallery who are limited here a brief fight in the beginning and some throwaway mentions. I would have liked to see the mentioned villains take center stage, but I understand why this was done. Also, the particular villain chosen as the main antagonist here was certainly not one I would have expected to see in any incarnation of Batman Beyond, however different readers might find the particular villain’s involvement as more or less of a good thing depending on personal feelings toward the character.

I have two main problems with this book. The first is the lack of focus on the person that should have the focus: Terry McGinnis himself. This is the other drawback of using Batman’s rogues here. It makes it a much more personal case for Bruce Wayne, so he gets more screen time here than it seems like he should while Terry is used mainly to move the plot and not a protagonist. The biggest reason for the success of the Batman Beyond cartoon was the likeability of Terry. Taking him out of the spotlight is a surefire way to kill the series prematurely.

The other issue here is the art by Ryan Benjamin. Benjamin does manage to accurately recreate the world the show operated in, but his characters aren’t so lucky. He especially struggles when it comes to human faces. Faces either have far too many lines or too little detail or sometime just look plain ugly, such as the first time we see Terry’s face. Also, these characters don’t look much like their television selves. I’m okay with a little difference in looks and will happen with a change in art style, but this is too much. Benjamin at least attempts to imitate Terry’s looks, but Bruce looks nothing like he did before and is hardly recognizable. Hopefully, Benjamin will be able to capture the characters a little better in later issues.

Because I am such a huge fan of these characters, I will continue to follow this mini. As I said before, it isn’t a bad issue, but it is more suitable for a regular Batman issue than Batman Beyond. This is a first issue however, and there is plenty of room to improve. The villain could potentially be very interesting in this series so I hope to see him used well. Also, Adam Beechen has a great grasp on Terry’s personality so if he makes Terry front and center in the next issues this could rapidly move to the top of my read pile every month.

Overall: 7.0/10