By Grant Morrison, Fabian Nicieza, Tony S. Daniel, Cliff Richards, Andy Kubert, Frank Quitely, David Finch, Richard Friend, Scott Kolins & various (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-4012-2990-0
At the climax of a harrowing and sustained campaign of terror by insidious cabal The Black Hand, Batman was apparently killed. Although the general public were unaware of their loss, the superhero community secretly mourned whilst a small dedicated army of assistants, protégés and allies (trained over years by the Dark Knight) formed a “Network†to police GothamCity in the catastrophic days and weeks which followed: marking time until a successor could be found…
Most of the Bat-schooled taskforce refused to believe their inspirational mentor dead. On the understanding that he was merely lost, they accepted Dick Grayson – first Robin and latterly Nightwing – as a stand-in until Bruce Wayne could find his way back to them…
This slim, grim volume collects the contents of Batman #700-703 (August-November 2010) and takes an imaginative glimpse into the past and future whilst laying the groundwork for the imminent Return of Bruce Wayne…
The turbulent time-warping terror and tragedy begins in the anniversary #700, written as a detective mystery by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Tony S. Daniel. ‘Yesterday’ sees the Dynamic Duo at the start of their careers, with Batman and Robin saving chronal researcher Carter Nichols from a pack of kidnappers which include Catwoman, Mad Hatter, Scarecrow, Riddler and the Joker.
The assembled felons and maniacs are using Carter’s “Maybe Machine†discoveries to plunder and muck up the time-stream, but after capturing the Gotham Gangbusters the Harlequin of Hate is getting some particularly dangerous ideas about the nature of reality…
By the time Jim Gordon‘s SWAT team breaks in it’s all over, but Nichols is clearly disturbed. Why else would he want the Joker’s Jokebook as a souvenir…?
‘Today’ (with art from Frank Quitely & Scott Kolins) opens years later as Dark Knight Dick Grayson and Bruce’s assassin-trained son Damian (the latest Boy Wonder) investigate the locked-room murder of Nichols. The bullet-riddled corpse is decades older than it should be…
It’s a busy night: after brutally cleaning up “Crime Alley†the heroes are almost too late to break up an underworld auction where a horde of masked malcontents are bidding on the recently discovered Joker’s Jokebook…
‘Tomorrow’ (Andy Kubert) takes us into a previously established future where Damian is the Batman of a Gotham even more impossibly debased and chaotic, where Joker venom rains from the skies thanks to weather control sabotage by cyborg psycho Max Roboto.
However even with Jokerzombies marauding through the besieged urban jungle and Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon‘s forces ruthlessly hunting the Cowled Crime-crusher, Damian has no time to rest as he searches for the macabre 2-Face-2, who holds hostage innocent toddler Terry McGinnis.
The unpredictable maniac has the infamous Joker’s Jokebook and seems to have a time-traveller named Nichols as his advisor…
The generational saga ends in brief visits with a succession of Future Batmen in ‘And Tomorrow…’ by David Finch & Richard Friend; encompassing the mid 21st century and ADs 3000, 3050 and 85298 (with guest appearances by Batman Beyond, Batman and Robin 3000, Brane Taylor and Batman One Million…)
Issues #701 and 702 revisited a recent Batman crossover with ‘R.I.P. – the Missing Chapter: The Hole in Things’ wherein Morrison & Daniel at last supplied the details of what occurred between the Dark Knight’s nigh-pyrrhic victory over Dr. Hurt and the Black Glove and his apparent demise after New God Darkseid invaded our dimension in Final Crisis.
‘R.I.P. – the Missing Chapter: Batman’s Last Case’ also reveals what bizarre machinations led to Bruce Wayne being alive in the corridors of history whilst apparently rendered into a mouldering corpse in Blackest Night.
Confusing, no?
A measure of narrative normality returned in #703 as ‘The Great Escape’ – scripted by Fabian Nicieza and illustrated by Cliff Richards – resumed the adventures of Dick and Damian in the now, with the heroes trying to stop second-generation super-thief Getaway Genius, all whilst Red (Tim Drake) Robin carried on his campaign to stop investigative journalist Vicki Vale proving that all Bruce Wayne’s kids were masked vigilantes…
This bombastic collection also includes a host of pretty picture treats: a selection of covers and variants by Daniel, Finch, Scott Williams, Andy Kubert, Mike Mignola & Kevin Nowlan, plus ‘Creatures of the Night: A Batman Gallery’ by Shane Davis, Sandra Hope, Barbara Ciardo, Juan Doe, Dustin Nguyen, Guillem March, Tim Sale, Bill Sienkiewicz & Philip Tan, and detailed and instructive ‘Operational Files: The Batcave’ offering views, schematics and diagrams by Freddie Williams II & Mathew K. Manning to satisfy any rabid Batfan…
Torturous, tumultuous, convoluted and challenging, this action-packed, high-octane Fights ‘n’ Tights drama will deliver all the thrills, spills and chills fans could hope for with impressive punch and panache aplenty. Sadly, though it’s all very pretty to look at and deucedly clever, it’s probably utterly impenetrable to casual consumers.
I’m not saying don’t read it if you qualify as a neophyte, just be prepared… and, perhaps, patient…
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