One of DC’s most anticipated titles is Grant Morrison’sBatman Incorporated. Volume 1 of Batman, Inc. predates the DC relaunch, and directly followed the death, search, and return of Bruce Wayne. During last September’s relaunch of the entire DC Universe Batman Incorporated was mysteriously absent from their new lineup, until December which heralded the release of the Batman, Inc one-shot,Leviathan; Leviathan served to wrap-up the loose ends from the first volume’s story arc. With DC canceling six of its titles room for a second volume of Batman, Inc opened up, and continues exactly where the Leviathan one-shot left off.
Grant Morrison takes the interesting concept of Batmanbuilding a global, Wayne-funded corporation to thwart the world’s villains, and furthers it by writing a compelling and believable plot. Continuing directly from the Leviathan one-shot, Batman, Inc #1 begins with Alfred consoling a downtrodden and humiliated Bruce Wayne due to the events of the Leviathan story arc. In contrast the issue then transitions by showcasing Chris Burnham’s great (but sometimes gory) artwork by penciling Batman and Robin’sbattle against goat-masked butchers.
Batman and Robin kick some serious butt during this sequence, but by the end of the battle Robin’s life is almost dashed by an incredibly skilled sniper. Luckily, Batman saves the day and rescues his son in the nick of time. The rest of the issue unfolds by showing the uneventful exploits of the rest of the members of Batman, Inc. in their West Coast headquarters, the chasing of the sniper, and finally the realization that Damian’s mother Talia al Ghul is the one responsible for the assassination attempts on Robin.
Morrison’s script is fantastically written! It was humorous, poignant, and continues upon the excellent groundwork thatMorrison laid down in the prior volume. There is a particularly amusing moment in which Damian proclaims to be renouncing meat due to the actions of the goat killers. You’ll have to check it out for yourself to get a good laugh (F.Y.I. it's included in the slideshow attached to this article). I also appreciate the subtle tie-ins to Snyder’s Batmancontinuity, but Morrison is forging new ground and doesn’t fall inline with the ever encompassing Night of the Owls crossover—it’s a nice break from the ‘now’ norm. I giveBatman, Inc. a five-out-of-five stars and I whole-heartedly recommend it as my comic book of the week.
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