Batman Inc. #1

By Eric Garneau 548 days ago

A new saga has begun for Batman. What once was an urban legend is now a franchise. Bruce Wayne coordinates a worldwide network of crimefighters under his employ. “Starting today, we fight ideas with better ideas. The idea of crime with the idea of Batman.” Such is the set-up for today’s excellent new release Batman, Inc. #1 by Grant Morrison and Yanick Pauqette.

Batman, Inc.‘s first arc takes us to Japan, where Bruce hopes to recruit the hero known as Mr. Unknown. His plans are dashed as quickly as the first page, though, when a creepy new villain called Lord Death Man tortures him to death (and pretty gruesomely, I might add). Yet Mr. Unknown’s protégé–later referred to cryptically as a “body double”–escapes, leading Lord Death Man to set his skeletally-costumed goons in hot pursuit. Meanwhile Batman and Selina Kyle stumble upon the crime scene and set off on a manhunt of their own to find Mr. Unknown’s mysterious killer.

To put it plainly, I really loved this issue. After five years of baby mamma drama, Black Gloves, evil gods and time-hopping, Batman really feels unburdened, and the result is this fast-paced adventure series that takes us to unexplored corners of the DC Universe to show us the heroes that live there. The issue moves briskly, with little time for the psychological turmoil that was a hallmark of previous Morrison Batman books. Any issue that features Batman in two battles and hooking up and can still devote time to its supporting cast clearly has its tone switch set to “straight-ahead action.”

In fact, Batman, Inc. #1 reminds me of last year’s Batman & Robin #1, by Morrison and Frank Quietly, which many correctly lauded as a mash-up of David Lynch and Adam West. The West elements mostly disappeared from that series as its sinister plot elements came to light, but as I’ve already mentioned, this series does not have the shadow hanging over its head that previous Morrison Bat-books did… namely, this time Bruce Wayne is alive, well and swashbuckling. That makes me think the West-style action is here to stay. Check out the way the last page breaks up its panels with the “to be continued narration”… can’t you just see the old TV show playing in your head?

None of this is to say that Batman, Inc. is just a dumb action comic. Although it’s a new beginning for Batman, Morrison already seems to be setting up some long-term plans and bad guys. Lord Death Man, for instance, is no pushover, and when you couple Batman, Inc. with this week’s Batman: The Return, you get the sense that Bruce has another major enemy lying in wait for him. This one may not be up to the level of Dr. Hurt or Darkseid, but if I had to guess, I’d say he has some connection to the Batman family, especially Damian….

Penciller Yanick Paquette has previously drawn Morrison’s The Return of Bruce Wayne #3 (the pirate issue) and the Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer mini-series, as well as a run of Marvel’s Young X-Men. His lighter touch keeps Batman, Inc.’s action moving along nicely (compare it to David Finch’s work in The Return) and I feel he’s got a keen handle on scene choreography. His drawings of Batman may take a little getting used to, but I’ll be perfectly happy as long as he and Morrison can meet a monthly deadline.

I won’t go so far as to say that Batman, Inc. is the anti-Morrison Bat-book. It’s got enough of what many readers love about Grant that it’s unmistakably his, most notably its sense of excitement. However, those who were confounded or even angered by Return of Bruce Wayne and other Morrison Bat-efforts may want to check out this issue anyway. I think you’ll be surprised at how fun and interesting this comic is. It even took a fan like me by surprise.

tags: batman, batman inc., grant morrison, yanick paquette