Batman and Son

This is in no way a stand-alone volume and anyone reading it as such will most likely be disappointed. Go ahead and resolve yourself to purchasing the followup volumes, which are Batman: The Black Glove and Batman: RIP. These three trade paperbacks collect Grant Morrison's entire run on this series (barring a couple of issues, which can be found in the Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul) and you really must read all three to fully appreciate the story. What you will get is a fantastic take on the Dark Knight and the world he inhabits. I suspect many readers become intimidated by Morrison and his reputation of intricate, hard to understand stories filled with indecipherable metaphor and symbolism. I don't know Grant and can't speak to his mindset as he writes, but I can say that these three Batman volumes are straight-up storytelling that should not intimidate or confuse readers. That being said, I got WAY more out of the story on a recent second reading, and look forward to reading them for a third time soon. This volume has fantastic, moody, jaw-dropping artwork by Andy Kubert. The coloring is also fantastic and in my opinion Gotham has seldom, if ever, looked better. A final recommendation. When you read this, drop all your expectations. Reading every sentence with the hope that it's going to be just like All-Star Superman or just like New X-men or any of your other favorite Morrison books is only going to cause you to miss the originality and story contained within and you'll be focusing on what it isn't, instead of what it is. Because this is a great beginning to a classic Batman tale.

I just read this Batman collection again and found a much greater appreciation for these stories than I did the first time around (not that they were all that bad to begin with). Of course, Grant Morrison's run on Batman has gone on another two years since Batman & Son, so reading this now allows you to put some added perspective on what's going on here. First of all, you have the introduction of Batman's son, Damien (this is not a spoiler, isn't it pretty obvious from the title?), who has since already gone on to a larger role in the DC Universe. I think some important take-aways from these initial issues of Grant Morrison's run are Damien's origins and his character/attitude. I believe that Damien's character is going to have a big impact on what happens with Batman (and Dick Grayson) in the near future. You also get a pretty unique Joker story, primarily told in text form. I really think Morrison shines in this kind of story-telling medium. Additionally, if you pay attention, there are definitely some clues in Batman & Son that foreshadow the next events in Morrison's saga. Lastly, there is issue #666. I don't want to give anything away about the story, but I have heard that Grant Morrison considers this to be part of the Batman canon (meaning that it is authentic to the whole Batman universe). If so, then in addition to the story, there are some particular frames that I think are going to be meaningful down the road For example, the one with Damien mourning over a Batman body and also the one from Damien's memory, showing three Bat-folk fighting crime together in the future. Overall, I have become very pleased with Grant Morrison's work on this title. Of the comics that I currently follow, he is surpassing them all in excellence, even beyond what Ed Brubaker is doing with Captain America. Once you read this collection, you will certainly want to go on to the next one.. Batman: The Black Glove.

Everything was crisp about this story arc, and it certainly was a twist over others in the series... Batman had a son ! Who knew ?! The art was great (even though I don't go in for the computerized age LOL), and they characterizations were bold. I do think that 1 more story or additional pages were needed to set up this story a slight bit better, as I hate flashbacks that add history that are 'made up' on the spot. DC should've have authorized a new story, exclusive to this volume, with background detail with forethought to the plot. Overall A+ (but for Batman, anything less than A++ is suspicious).

Pure genuis. A fun, exciting, engaging storyline with a likeable Batman, who is equal parts superhero and Bond, James Bond, and Ninja Man-Bats!!!! What more do you need to know??? I devoured it one sitting.

Grant Morrison has never been one to stick to formula, and here his vision goes wild. From the Joker being shot to a visually fantastic romp in a modern art museum, Morrison introduces concepts to the Batman mythos that have either not been seen in some time or were deemed too crazy to work. From page one, Morrison's story builds like a massive puzzle, piece by piece, and only when the whole is seen does the image line up. Batman and Son is merely Part One of the puzzle, followed by the recent Batman: The Black Glove trade, and culminates in the upcoming Batman: RIP storyline (currently underway in monthly issues). Batman and Son introduces questions, The Black Glove provides more, and thus far RIP has given vague answers. For those who like long, labyrinthine stories, this trade is an excellent opening to a puzzling narrative.