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I'm going to stick with Batman & Robin and Red Robin once all the Return of Bruce Wayne dust settles... I'll try and pick up some of Morrison's earlier Batman trades ...

Speaking of trades, can anyone recommend any from Robin's original run?

I remember loving the first several issues of Robin's solo series when it spun out of Knightfall. It remained good for a number of years before it drifted a bit.

"The Return" was a little underwhelming, but Batman Inc. #1 was full of awesome Bat-Goodness. I don't even like Selina/Bruce that much, but Grant really wrote a sexy and fun dynamic there. The shot at manga tropes was great, even greater with the cliffhanger ending.

was a bit confused by this Batman and Robin. the switching of artists didn't help.

but Damien is soo cool. he's badnass.

Apparently Professor Pyg, Flamingo, and the whole Black Glove/Club of Villains showed up in the latest episode of The Brave and The Bold cartoon -

http://gothamspoilers.tumblr.com/

That is so amazingly cool.

Morrison has really added (and revived) so much to the Batman mythos since his run began.

Just an idle question: after the events of R.I.P. does the Joker know that Batman is Bruce Wayne? Pretty sure he saw Batman sans cowl...

I think he already knows. And he doesn't care.

Morrison's interpretation is that he's known for years (which is based on past stories, notably Death in the Family).

I've spent the past few weeks obsessively reading and re-reading as much of Morrison's Bat-Opus as I have (with the exception of Final Crisis) and it just blows me AWAY! What an amazing piece of work. And I write this as someone whose initial reaction to most of Batman:R.I.P. as a big Scooby Doo "Whu?!" Like the B:B&TB cartoon, Morrison has managed to tell a very non-traditional Batman story (Batman takes on evil God, suffers time-travel banishment, etc.) and make it a quintessential Batman story completely true to the character, and even illuminating of the character's depths. ROBW #6 had more interesting stuff in each panel than entire series sometimes have. Like "Lost," Morrison goes back over events we THOUGHT we understood and layers more mysteries and meaning on them. Like Metron saying the 5th World was his ultimate experiment. Wow! It makes sense, but I hadn't come across it before. And it makes Batman the personification of a new era of human possibilities, having survived and overcome the punishment of the evil gods. Wow! Sorry, can't stop saying "Wow!".

Caught up on a whole bunch of Bat-books over the past couple of days. Some quick reviews -

* Return of Bruce Wayne #6 :

Didn't love it. I've been critical of those who've been calling Morrison's Batman-opus "confusing", because it's all seemed pretty straight-forward to me - but this one went completely over my head. I like a comic that makes me think, but not one that makes me think "I need to go to 3 different annotations websites just to work out what the hell happened here".

It just didn't seem to be as well written as the earlier issues either. The focus was too scatter-shot and it really felt like it was just a first or second draft of a script that needed to be worked on a few more times. I'm thinking deadline pressures had an impact here. The weakest art of the series to date didn't help matters. Still, it read better a second time once I knew what was going on. 3/5

* Batman & Robin #16 :

Was better. The awesome art from all 3 fantatastic artists certainly helped. The opening call-back to the great Milligan story Dark Knight, Dark City (which Morrison has referenced a number of times during this run) was great. As was the fight scene with the 99 Fiends.

The only let-down for me with this issue was that it was that overhyped waste of space the Joker who took down Dr Hurt (although I have to confess - I did laugh at the banana peel bit). Maybe I've just blocked his whole involvement from my memory, but what's his beef with Hurt anyway? Why did Morrison give the huge satisfaction of taking down the main villain of the past, what - 40 issues of stories(?) to that idiot instead of Bruce? Total let-down for me. Dr Hurt is 10 thousand million times more interesting of a character to me than the Joker is. So great to see Batman dispatch that tool in one punch and one panel later on though. 4/5

* Batman - The Return :

Not very good. First of all - the art. David Finch has become a superstar artist how exactly? It must have been something he did at Marvel because his DC stuff hasn't been that great. He can draw pretty-ish pictures of men and women in that sub-Jim Lee kind of way but as a storyteller his art is atrocious IMO. Awful, awful panel construction and he neglects to put important things that the reader actually needs to see onto the page.

It was very interesting comparing Morrison's script at the back with what we saw on the page. Check out page 22, panel 5 - the script says "Batman has medical taped the thick needle around her [Spidra's] throat." Does anyone get that from actually looking at the artwork? Or was anyone else looking at that panel and seeing Batman say "Her throat was crushed but now she can breathe, see? I saved her life." like me and thinking "Huh? I didn't see him do anything like that in this murky, muddily coloured artwork."

Not to mention his bats looked like flying wolves. Terrible artwork. And I haven't even mentioned what I think of his new design for Bruce's costume yet either. (Not much!) So definitely not buying that new book Finch's both writing and drawing now.

Morrison's story didn't seem up to snuff with his other stuff either, though the Heretic seems like he could be an interesting new villain. And I did like the final panel (even if I didn't quite understand it - was Bruce listening in on the conversation between the baddies? More Finch failure here.). 2/5

* Detective Comics #871 :

Good little mystery. I prefer Jock's covers to his interiors so starting any whole issue drawn by him is always a bit of a chore for me, but after a few pages I'm into the groove. I liked the call-back to Dick's police days and training here and the villain's motif (that they've got their hands on some of the weapons/tools of various Bat-villains) seems like a pretty cool one. The Commissioner Gordon back-up seemed a little light and vague but I'm willing to go with it. Pretty good all round. 3.5/5

* Batwoman #0 :

I really enjoyed this one. Art - fantastic! It's JH Williams III so what would you expect? His writing is what surprised me though. I am very wary of artists becoming writers but some (like the writer/artist of the next book on my list) really have the skills to do both. I'm glad to see JHW is one of them.

The story was short (half a comic!) but I really got into it and loved the way it gave us little nuggets of information about all the important events and characters in Kate Kane's world without feeling too exposition heavy or neglecting the action. And I'm super-excited that JHW is running with what Rucka started and including Bette Kane (Flamebird) in the new book! Love my B-list 70s Titans! 4/5

* Batman/Catwoman - Follow the Money #1 :

Howard Chaykin is an industry legend who has already proven many times that he can both write and draw but somehow I think I've managed to miss most of his output during his career. I'm glad to rectify that here at last because I loooooovved this one-shot. His art is WOW! This is a distinctive artist. So detailed and expressive and such beautiful, realistic men and women. Why aren't there more artists out there imitating this guy instead of all those pathetic Jim Lee clones? The colouring here is top-notch too. Absolutely perfect. Jesus Aburto, please come to the Legion and save us from these colourists who can't even get simple hair-colours right!

I loved the story as well. Nothing earth-shattering. Just a simple tale about Batman and Catwoman trying to track down the crooks who embezzled the Wayne Foundation's pension fund while the classic and (classically hilarious - loved him!) Bat-villain The Cavalier kept getting in their way. So good to see a writer remember that there are other great villains in the Bat-verse that can be used to weave wonderful stories around rather than the same 2 or 3 tired and over-used old ones. (I know you know who I'm talking about.) Would love to see the Cavalier make a come-back and get used some more in the regular titles. Fun book. 4/5

Haven't read Batman Incorporated #1 yet but that's next on my to-read list.

I finally got Return of Bruce Wayne, which let me catch up on some Batman comics I've been saving so I could read in order. All in all, I thought RoBW had a solid finish and provided a great end to an excellent story. I see now that the miniseries really seemed to serve the purpose of providing the origin of Barbatos (which in turn, provides the origin of Dr. Hurt--or at least I think ).

The follow-up B&R #16 also had a great ending to the Morrison Batman Saga up until now. I'm actually very pleased with the Dr. Hurt / Barbatos revelation and storyline and look forward to one day rereading and finding little tidbits I can't remember anymore (since this thing has been going for a bunch of years by now!).

I'm interested in what the Bruce Wayne revelation at the end of the story will bring, though the pessimistic side of me is holding my breath hoping this doesn't become something lame or worse, on the obvious continuity chopping block down the road.

I also read the Batman: The Return one-shot which was a complete and utter waste of time and money, which I heartily hope no one else other than Blacula and I wasted their money on.

Onwards to Batman, Inc. with both Bruce & Dick as Batman. I'm not entirely sold on the idea, just like I still find Damien incredibly annoying. As a premise, it seems a bit 'meh' to me, but great creators could sway me (and the opposite could happen too of course).

The only Batman books I'm buying currently are Batman Inc., Batwoman, and Batman: Orphans because I like Carlo Barberi's artwork.

Batman Inc #1 is vastly superior to "The Return". I think you guys (Cobie and Blacula) will really like it.

^ I did get around to reading Batman, Inc. #1, thanks Dave, and I did really enjoy it too.

Loved the villain (and was especially tickled to read about his interesting history as a one-shot Bat-villain from the 60s who was given new life in Japan's Bat-Manga stories).

The story was fun and light too and if this title follows this trend of globe-trotting adventuring with different guest-heroes showing up to help Bruce out each issue then I definitely think this could become my new favourite Bat-title.

The only down-side - I hate Bruce's costume without the pants. He just looks like he's wearing long-johns to me now. *Really* hoping he goes back to the classic look soon.

Great ending though!

Well, I got Batman: The Return after not buying any Bat books since R.I.P. and agree it wasn't worth the cash. All those script pages, I could care less about. Some interest in the set-up for the rest of the Bat family, but we would have found out about all that in due course.

Batman Inc. was a lot better. It's a good premise, providing a change of scenery and the introduction of other cultures' portrayal of superheroes. Bats/Bruce Wayne at the top of his game, using both identities to their fullest potential. Catwoman supplied a lighter tone to the story, which I preferred. The giant robot rat was a great scene - made even better by not showing the whole event.

I plan to get around to reading all the different Bat-titles in the next few weeks and posting my thoughts. I started with Detective Comics since I had just read Scott Snyder's excellent American Vampyre from Vertigo and decided to keep going with another Snyder story.

My initial reaction was this is really quite good. I've been hoping for more detective-oriented Batman stories featuring Dick, and Scott Snyder seems poised to give them to us. It comes across as a really great start to a mystery that will force Dick to use those detective skills which we know he has. (Rather than the already boring showcasing of Dick as an acrobat and circus performer compared to Bruce…yes, we get it). Snyder is an excellent writer and the story paced very well.

Jock’s artwork also seems to work really well with Snyder, and provides a dark, suspense-filled setting for the story. I like Jock’s work a lot, though I’m not one of those super-enamored fans of his that sigh lovingly whenever his name is mentioned (I stole that line from Cleome regarding her feelings towards Joss Whedon). He is a natural fit for Batman though and I like it.

Things I like include mentioning of Dick’s police background; the Dick / Commissioner Gordon interaction; Snyder adding a level of complication to the Mad Hatter technology and how its changed over the years. All in all, Detective Comics looks to be in solid hands.

I also enjoyed the Commissioner Gordon back-up quite a lot because (A) it has artwork by Francesco Francavalli, one of my favorite new artists and (B) Gordon is in my top 5 best supporting characters of all time and I like seeing him have adventures with Batman & friends.

I picked up both issues of Batman: Orphans. I haven't fully read the second issue. I have this to say:

I bought the issues solely because of Carlo Barberi's artwork. While the artwork is what I hoped it'd be, I still have to say this. I'm not exactly crazy about the writing, or the amount of dead kids. Eddie Berganza is not one of my favorite people.

I picked up last month's issue of Detective Comics and Batman: The Dark Knight. Like with Batman, Inc., I wanted to give this new Batman series a chance. I haven't fully read it yet, but the art is not what I was expecting.

I picked up Detective Comics solely for the Commissioner Gordon back-up because, looking at the new issue, I was shocked that they were focusing on Gordon's son, and realized to my horror that I had completely forgotten about him.

Today at lunch I read Batman #704, which kicks off the post-RoBW era of Batman, headed by Tony Daniel who is doing the writing and full art. I've always admired creators who can do just about everything but I also sometimes worry the creator is stretched too thin and isn't able to provide the full quality they'd wish--it's a tough balance to make.

I thought Daniel's first issue of the new era was actually a very solid one, and an improvement from his previous Batman issues where he was doing everything. He seems to be hitting his pace writing-wise, where his dialogue and pacing is starting to match up with his excellent art. It's still not quite there yet though, and a lot of it feels choppy, but it's nowhere near as noticable as it was.

Art wise, I think Tony Daniel is excellent. However, I do feel the art was a little too scratchy. Having loved his Teen Titans artwork, which was polished and fine-tuned to the max, I can't help but feel Daniel was rushed here, and it shows.

All in all, I'd give the comic a solid effort, though both art & writing aren't the best I've seen. Despite this, of all the Batman titles I've read so far post-RoBW, this one has had the purest sense of fun & excitement that appeals to the pre-teen in me. There is a lot of Dick smashing into bad guys and bickering between Dick & Damien is a little juvenile, but in a fun way.

Batman seems to be taking a bit more sophmoric approach that isn't quite as sophisticated as it's counterparts, but is more appealing to the kid its readers.

Would I recommend it? For someone dying for decent Batman stories, yes; for someone really looking for something GREAT, then no.

Finally read Detective Comics 871. I picked htis up on the strength of Scott Snyders writing over in American Vampire. The fact that Jock is the artist was just icing on the cake for me. I am glad to say that he is living up to my expectations here.

This issue is the set up for the 12 issue arc. But it is a good story on its own, with a lot of really good character beats along the way.

Dick and The Commish talking about the case, the fact that Dick went to Prom with Barbara, and Dick's police background show that Scott knows that these characters have known each other a long time.

Then there is the back and forth with Batman and The Commish. Loved the fact that jim is not used to Batman not vanishing when he turns his back for a second.

Let's see...the clues: Birds (Pengy), the kid at the school (Killer Croc), Crazy mother (Mad Hatter) and the guy at the end (Poison Ivy. So far, whoever is behind this is going to a lot of trouble to use other "villians" M.O.

The backup was very nice as well. Great art by Francesco Francavilla. Never seen his stuff before (that I can think of), but hope to see a lot more of it in the future. Nice bringing James back into a story.

This whole thing is a great example of good writing so far. I hope that the full story lives up to the potential...and given what Scott has done with AV, I'm sure it will.

I read “Batman: The Dark Knight” # 1 by David Finch and Scott Williams. Interestingly, the cover is missing the “Batman Incorporated” logo most of the Bat-books have been stamped with since Bruce Wayne’s return. A beautifully painted cover otherwise, but, like the book itself, remarkably derivative (how many times have we seen Batman on the roof of a church?) and ultimately underwhelming.

The story fits like a well-worn sweater, and I kept being reminded of either “Hush” or “Batman: The Animated Series.” There’s a mystery involving a childhood friend (“Hush”) of Bruce’s, Dawn Golden who has gone missing. Killer Croc is somehow involved (“Hush”); he and Bruce fight. We also get a straight-out-of-a-police-pulp-novel scene with Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Bullock. I could practically hear the voice actors from “Batman: TAS” doing the dialogue. The same could be said for the scene between Bruce and Alfred, except I don’t think Bruce was ever such an ass to Alfred in the cartoon. Alfred also seems to have gotten over his excitement with Bruce’s return. His snarkiness (“I’m so glad that we had this chance to talk…”) sounds like it should be coming from the butler John Gielgud played in the movie “Arthur,” not someone who said, “I couldn’t beg, borrow or steal a finer way to live my life” in “Batman: The Return” just last month. We get a glimpse of a classic Batman villain on the final page, one that just had a pretty significant role in another Bat-book. And, someone breaks into the Batmobile … “Batman Returns?”

The art is beautiful. I don’t really know David Finch’s work, but his drawings remind me of Jim Lee (“Hush”) only less stylized. The opening pages with Bruce and Dawn as children are especially nice. There’s also a great two-page spread of the Batcave. The colors match the art very nicely as well as the story. “The Dark Knight” is, appropriately, a dark book.

Overall, no new ground is broken, beyond the lack of connection to “Batman: Inc.” which is surprising because I didn’t think that would happen so soon, much less in the first issue of one of the new titles. Despite my “underwhelming” comment, I did enjoy the book if only because the story did feel so comfortable and the art was so appealing. That probably doesn’t seem like a glowing recommendation but if you do pick it up, I’d be curious to know if it had the same effect.

Interesting. I also read Batman: Dark Knight last night and my thoughts mirror Sharky's almost precisely!

The story, from sequences to settings to dialogue, are all things we've seen before a multitude of times; so much so that you can tell immediately David Finch is not an experienced writer. All of the things Sharky mentions are dead-on. (And the mystery of Bruce's childhood friend...c'mon, how many people from Bruce's childhood didn't end up as a Batman casefile?).

Meanwhile, the art is absolutely spectacular. So much so that at a few points I sat back and just took several seconds to take in all the majesty. Artwise, I'd be willing to say it's the best looking Batman comic to come out in a long time.

So, while this isn't exactly the best thing on the market it's still actually pretty enjoyable. Comfortable is a good way to put it, and the art is really good. I plan to keep getting the series, whether it is derivative or not.

I also dove into Batman Incorporated #1 and #2 last night. Quick side note, I forgot to add #1 to my pull list and my CBS were sold out so I went to another CBS and got charged a freaking $10 price for it! Oh well.

Overall, I enjoyed the launch of the new series and the premise Morrison is putting forth. I think the tenure of this current status quo is dubious but that won’t stop me from enjoying it while it lasts. Having Batman on a more international scale setting up other crime-fighters around the world is something I find appealing, and the adventures he is going to have to do so sound like a lot of fun.

First off, I love Morrison writing Bruce again and I already find myself enjoying Batman more than I have while Morrison was writing Dick. I also really liked how Selina played a role here and for the first time in a long time, I enjoyed the Bruce / Selina romance as written by Grant. After all these years, they have a level of comfort and recognition that they know & love each other that I find very refreshing.

The story itself was really enjoyable, and Mr. Unknown and Lord Death Man made two really great characters to kick things off. I hope we see them both sometime in the future and I hope other stories can mirror the sheer level of awesomeness as this one. Mr. Unknown now has more in common with Dick and Knight than Bruce, but that makes him all the more appealing to work with Bruce. Lord Death Man is also incredibly frightening and his shtick is unique enough (for Batman) that makes him stick out.

Yannick Paquette provides some really gorgeous artwork here. I’ve liked him thus far but haven’t been going ape-shit like many others on the internet for his artwork. These two issues IMO are his best effort thus far and it shows. The sequence with the giant squid in the apartment below was so off the wall that it made me remember why I like Morrison so much; and the credit goes to Paquette for showcasing that.

Michael Lathcombe lends his hand on inks over Paquette and that makes me wonder if he’s the reason the art stands out so well. They certainly make a great team.

One complaint I have is there was a bit of needless gore that rather than enhancing the story distracted from it. Not a huge complaint but worth mentioning and something to keep an eye on.

On to El Guacho, my favorite of the Club of Heroes!

Finally got around to reading Batwoman #0 which was very good, as I expected. It through me off when I realized this was a story about Bruce analyzing Batwoman (which I immediately was prepared to dislike) and even further so when the narrative structure had two stories going concurrently (which is a structure that sometimes annoys me). Yet, I ended up liking the issue quite a bit, and both of those things ended up being pluses rather than minuses.

J.H. Williams is making the move from series artist to series writer, which as Blacula points out, is often-times a very scary transition for the reader. (His artwork BTW was fall down on your face good in this issue). Yet he seems to really know this character inside-out, as well as Rucka, and the issue read very well. Like Blacula says, it wasn’t exposition heavy yet it provided a basic quick outline & summary of Batwoman’s current status, supporting cast and history.

Amy Reeder Hadley is an artist whose work I absolutely loved on Madame Xanadu, so I’m looking forward to seeing more from her. I really loved how she did the lush settings there, particularly non-urban stuff, so I’m a bit anxious (and nervous) to see how she handles an urban vigilante. Ultimately, I think she’s talented enough to make me enjoy he work in that genre. She has a very dynamic style that is unique to her, and she draws attractive people in a very different way (almost like a cross between manga and cartoony).

I’m as excited as ever about Batwoman! A big part of me wishes DC would really hunker down to a smaller amount of Bat-title (you know, get rid of all the ones I don’t collect and at least one of the Batman titles ) but I do hope Batwoman has a long run ahead of us.

I read the "Batman: R.I.P." TPB. Let me start off by saying that I have never been a regular reader of Batman. Of DC's 'big three,' he has always had the least appeal for me. While I've picked up the occasional Bat mini-series, it's only recently that I've been reading any of his books on a regular basis. That being said, Grant Morrison's writing in this book makes me wish I'd become a fan sooner. The story is completely gripping, and the artwork is a fantastic match. Morrison's depiction of the Joker is worth the price of admission alone. I won't go into the story too much, since it's probably been reviewed on the boards already (and honestly, I don't think I could do it justice anyway), but it presents such a compelling take at just what must have been necessary for Bruce Wayne to evolve into Batman that, again, I want to kick myself for having been swayed so more easier over the years by Superman's big red "S" and Wonder Woman's golden lasso. "Batman: R.I.P." should easily surpass "The Dark Knight Returns" when discussing the definitive Batman story.