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Summary
Grant Morrison’srun onBatmanis inarguably essential , introducing concepts and character reference that still remain to this sidereal day . Morrison ’s run has n’t just been popular with audiences but also with other DC Lord , and it ’s so influential that Morrison ’s fiber continue to appear in two present-day Batman runs : splintering Zdarksy’sBatmanand Ram V.’sDetective Comics .
Morrison ’s run can be broken up middling neatly into three trenchant sections : their fourth dimension on the pre - Flashpoint titlesBatmanandBatman and Robin , and their creation ofBatman Incorperated , which debut pre - Flashpoint and continued into DC ’s New 52 era . Each record has its own tone provided both by Morrison and their artistic collaborator , and each expand the Bat - mythos dramatically . Morrison also redefined classical and deep - sheer DC characters in ways that make the characters usable for modern comics , especially creations from the 1950s and ' 60 .
Legendary Batman writer Grant Morrison shows off their original sketch for the Joker in Batman : R.I.P. , and the redesign is pure nightmare fuel .
10Batman’s Time Travel Escapades Revealed Gotham’s History
Bruce Wayne Is Now More Connected to His City Than Ever
Arguably one of D.C. ’s most recognizable heroes , Batman is a vigilante superhero who billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne has in the first place present . Forged by disaster , the various batman all be given to deal a connection with Bruce , including his father , in an alternative timeline . Batman utilizes various tech develop at his multi - billion dollar bill company , Wayne Enterprises , and use his surpassing martial arts education in armed combat .
InFinal Crisis#6 by Morrison , J.G. Jones , Marco Rudy , Carlos Pacheco , Doug Mahnke , Christian Alamy , and Jesús Merino , Batman is shot by Darkseid ’s Omega Sanction , a weapon system that send him hurtle through time , pass over forward at random separation . This is explored inBatman : The Return of Bruce Wayne , in which Morrison deepens Gotham ’s history , showing it at dissimilar time menstruum . This story makes Batman literally foundational to Gothamand deepens the connections between Bruce and various Wayne ancestors , take a crap it essential to Batman ’s lore .
Batman : The Return of Bruce Wayneis written by Morrison and penciled by Chris Sprouse ( # 1 ) , Frazer Irving ( # 2 ) , Yanick Paquette ( # 3 ) , Georges Jeanty ( # 4 ) , Ryan Sook and Pere Pérez ( # 5 ) , and Lee Garbett and Pérez ( # 6 ) .
This story also includes the root of the villain , Doctor Hurt . This time - jump was find out again inDetective Comics2022 Annual by Ram V. , Rafael Albuquerque , Christopher Mitten , Hayden Sherman , Lee Loughridge , and Deron Bennett . A partially amnesiac Bruce fromThe Return of Bruce Wayneinspires a man named Aldridge Pierce to become Gotham ’s first Batman - dash vigilance man in 1776 . The annual is on purpose set betweenThe Return of Bruce Wayne#1 and # 2 .
9Professor Pyg’s Skin-Crawling Weirdness Was Exactly What the Franchise Needed
Pyg Brings a New Type of Monster Character to Batman
Batman villain are uncanny and wacky , but the psychedelic surgeries of Professor Pyg make him unforgettable . Frank Quitely ’s portrayal of Pyg peel to disco music as he develop to mangle Damian Wayne inBatman and Robin#3 by Morrison , Quitely , Alex Sinclair , and Pat Brosseau is a two-fold splash page for the eld , and itinstantly solidified Pyg as an all - time Batman baddie .
While Morrison later fleshes out Pyg ’s backstory , connecting his madness to torture at the hand of the ace - spy way Spyral , it ’s almost supernumerary , since the combined visuals and unhinged ramblings of Pyg are effective enough on their own . Pyg has understandably struck a nerve with readers and writers alike and has returned meter and time again . His distinct appearance has also made him a staple of villainous group shot and cameos , an light way to guarantee that a character reference never fix too lost to history .
Professor Pyg was in the beginning designed to be Dick Grayson ’s enemy during his tenure as Batman — also designed by Morrison — but Pyg has stand the test of time and continue to serve as Bruce Wayne ’s opposition , too .
8Leviathan Represented the Fears of the Day
The Best Way to Control the World Is through Children
Leviathan , the cult led by Talia al Ghul , works so well in Morrison ’s run because it raven on tangible - aliveness fears . A youngster - indocrinating cult is a scary ideathat today is often the dominion of conservative fearmongers and confederacy theoretician likewise . What Leviathan does is make that fear actual in a way that suits classic comic - book storytelling , as Talia indoctrinates a generation of shaver as part of her plan for world domination .
It does n’t hurt thatBatman Incorporated , where Leviathan first in full appears , is often drawn by Chris Burnham , whose detailed depictions of both nightmarish children and extreme extremist - violence are the stark aesthetic for Leviathan . The mathematical group has continued to be a mien in DC Comics , most notably being co - opted and expanded by Mark Shaw , formerly the superhero Manhunter , who take the constitution ’s name as his own moniker in the pages ofEvent Leviathan .
Event Leviathanby Brian Michael Bendis , Alex Maleev , and Josh Reed was one of DC ’s major events of 2019 .
7Spyral Radically Reimagined DC’s Super-Spys and Saved a Forgotten Hero
Morrison’s Secret Agency Brought Back the Original Batwoman and Paved the Way for Dick Grayson’s Best Series
Nightwing is the superhero moniker choose up by Dick Grayson , upon his aging out of the Robin role and becoming a superhero of his own . Inspired by the original Kryptonian hero of the same name , Grayson has arise to laughable Good Book immortality with the identity , earn regard as one of the greatest leader in the DC Universe .
The secret organizationSpyral change the game for DC ’s espionage worldforever . Formed in the wake of World War II , the UN - fund mathematical group is create by the Nazi scientist Otto Netz , aka Dr. Daedalus , parallel the real - spirit role of Nazi confederate in forming bodies like the UN and NASA . Spyral , along with Leviathan , givesBatman Incorporateda James Bond - esque tone that distinguishes it from the earlier parts of Morrison ’s run . This concept and tonicity are revisit in more profoundness in the fan - favoriteGraysonseries , one of Dick Grayson ’s firm solo outing .
range from 2014 to 2016,Graysonis by Tim Seeley , Tom King , Jackson Lanzing , Collin Kelly , Mikel Janín , and more .
Spyral also gives some justness to Kathy Kane , the Graeco-Roman Batwoman , one of the many female casualty of the former silver age . As the leader of Spyral during Morrison ’s incumbency , Kathy is redefined as a master operator to rival Batman , working from the shadows , and give agency to a character killed before her time .
Kathy first appear in 1956’sDetective Comics#233 in a story by Edmond Hamilton , Sheldon Moldoff , Stan Kaye , and Pat Gordon , around present-day to the usually accepted start of the Silver Age of comics that same yr . Batwoman was later reimagined as Kate Kane , whose story is explored in the now - classicBatwoman : Elegyby Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III .
6The Joker’s Shifting Psyche Perfectly Explained Batman’s Greatest Foe
Is the Joker a Killer or a Clown — or Both?
The Joker is a psychopathological criminal mastermind with a warped sense of humor . Initially introduced as a remorseless sequent killer , the role develop over meter , often oscillate between a prankster and a homicidal maniac . His human relationship with Batman is one of the most complex in comical book history , defined by their mutual obsession . Over the 10 , the Joker has become an enduring ikon of chaos and madness , body forth the antithesis of Batman ’s order and Justice Department .
Many writer have assay to feather the roofy that arethe different depictions of the Joker . It ’s always been difficult to tell if he ’s a moth-eaten - blooded deplorable orca , a prankster whose schema are more absurdist , or somewhere in between . What Morrison shows is that he ’s all of these things at once . As explained in " The Clown at Midnight " fromBatman#663 by Morrison , John Van Fleet , and Todd Klein , the Joker ’s psyche evolves , film on raw personalitieswhich supersede old ones .
It ’s all part of Morrison ’s pronunciamento for Batman , which is that every Batman story happened and is part of continuity . The Joker is all these dissimilar personalities at once , and that ’s part of what lay down him so terrifying . Writers like Scott Snyder and Chip Zdarsky have reward this idea since , with their own interpretation of the Joker clearly having delineated personalities and differing personas , naturally dilate Morrison ’s approximation .
The idea of different Joker personas is also explored inBatman : Three Jokersby Geoff Johns , Jason Fabok , Brad Anderson , and Rob Leigh , available now in a collected edition from DC Comics .
5Doctor Hurt Was a Master Planner to Rival Batman
This Villain Claimed to be the Devil Himself
Perhaps most iconic villain of Morrison ’s runis Doctor Simon Hurt , otherwise known as Thomas Wayne , the ogre - worship ancestor of Bruce Wayne ( though , significantly , not his don ) . While attempting to summon the monster Barbatos in the belated 1700s , Hurt is rather left virtually - immortal by Darkseid ’s Hyper - Adaptor , as seen inBatman and Robin#16 by Morrison , Frazer Irving , Cameron Stewart , Chris Burnham , Alex Sinclair , and Pat Brosseau .
Hurt is determined to destroy Bruce ’s mind , body , and soul by drain him with an planted trigger phrase , " Zur - En - Arrh , " before ordain various humiliations to shatter Bruce ’s mind . What makes Hurt work so well and be so iconic is thathe ’s a planner and operator to rival Batman , and he is intensely cryptic for the first one-half of the running game . However , Hurt ’s egotism always come back to sting him , and his histrionic pretensions of being the literal devil amount to nothing after he ’s humiliated by Batman , the one person who plans for everything — including his own mind being sabotage .
Hurt is an amalgamation of several older Batman characters and story , including the unnamed doctor from the account " Robin Dies at Dawn " by Bill Finger , Sheldon Moldoff , Charles Paris , and Stan Starkman fromBatman#156 as well as one of the demon worshipers fromBatman : Dark Knight Dark City , a story first tell inBatman#452 - 454 by Peter Milligan , Kieron Dwyer , Dennis Janke , Adrienne Roy , and John Costanza .
Hurt has recently returned in Ram V.’sDetective Comicsrun , which , along with back - up narrative written by Dan Watters , emphasizes Hurt as an occultist and devil figure . Hurt tempts Bruce before being humble in the same style all over again inDetective Comics # 1083,which include two stories : a mankind story by Ram V. , Riccardo Federici , Stefano Raffaele , Lee Loughridge , and Araiana Maher , and a Hurt - focused back - up tale by Watters , Jorge Fornés , Tríona Farrell , and Steve Wands .
4Batman Incorporated Showed that Anyone Can Wear the Cowl
Batman Doesn’t Work Alone
Morrison ’s Batman run is fascinated by Batman ’s bequest , andBatman Incorporated brings the outpouring ’s rallying cryof“Batman and Robin will never die!”to life by showing how Batman has enliven heroes the world over . The Batman Incrporated team builds slow , beginning withBatman#667 - 669 , also know as theClub of Heroesarc . This story reintroduces the classic squad , the " Batman of All nation , " a group of heroes invigorate by Batman who Bruce briefly receive in 1955’sDetective Comics#215 .
Batman # 667 - 669is by Morrison , J.H. Williams III , Dave Stewert , Ken Lopez , John J. Hill , and Rob Leigh , while the story fromDetective Comics#215 is by Edmond Hamilton , Sheldon Moldoff , and Charles Paris .
When Bruce at long last returns to Gotham after his " death , " he take his legacy worldwide to battle Leviathan , enroll disparate Hero as officially certify ecumenical Batmen , let in most of the batman of all land . What ’s so great about this construct is howBatman Incorporatedliteralizes one of the key themes of Morrison ’s trial : that Batman ’s greatest strength is his friend , a clear-cut falsification of the musical theme that he has to be a loner .
Batman Inc. has been picked up by other Maker since , most notably in the recentBatman Incorporatedtitle by Ed Brisson and John Timms , which lend back many of the original team under the leaders of Batman ’s rival - rick - ally , Ghost - Maker .
3Dick Grayson’s Batman Proved that He’s a Worthy Successor
Batman Doesn’t Just Belong to Bruce Wayne
Batman does n’t always have to act like a brooding lone wolf .
Dick Grayson is Bruce Wayne ’s greatest triumph , andhis land tenure as Batman proves itbeyond a doubtfulness . Not only does Dick hold his own after Bruce ’s supposed death , but he distinctly demonstrates a dissimilar type of Batman . Under Dick ’s leadership , Damian Wayne start to become a real Italian sandwich , andDick brings a humanity to Batman that Bruce sometimes lacks . Dick is more genial with Gordon and the GCPD . He remembers GCPD police officer ’ epithet and families and show that Batman does n’t always have to act like a pensiveness loner .
Bruce himself recognise Dick ’s success , allowing his former sidekick to keep the cowl while Bruce run Batman Incorporated . It ’s during this time that Dick ’s best - known Batman solo narration , Batman : The Black Mirror , go on , and it ’s only more cogent evidence of how Dick can both express on Bruce ’s legacy and hold his own book down at the same time .
Batman : The Black Mirrorby Scott Snyder , Jock , and Francesco Francavilla is available now digitally and in collect editions from DC Comics .
2The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh Was Batman Unbound from Humanity
What Does Batman Look Like without Bruce Wayne?
The Batman of Zur - En - Arrh is one of Morrison ’s coolest concepts . Zur is Batman ’s " stand-in personality,“designed to take over if Bruce ’s brain is ever attacked . He ’s Batman without Bruce Wayne , which makes him both violent and inhumane all at once . Like so many Morrison ideas , Zur - En - Arrh comes from a classic Batman tale — in this caseBatman#113by Ed Herron , Dick Sprang , Charles Paris , and Milt Snapinn , which in the beginning conceive of Zur as an " exotic Batman . " This concept was retconned by Morrison into a delusion Bruce experienced after an flak by classic villain Dr. Milo .
Zur might be effective , buthe also usher why Bruce Wayne ’s humanness is so important to Batman . Without it , he ’s nothing but a pachydermatous vengeance machine . This theme has been beak up in Zdarsky - written Batman running , which begins withBatman#125 with henchman Jorge Jiménez , Tomeu Morey , and Clayton Cowles . This recentBatmanrun has put Zur as an actively malicious personality fight to take control of Batman , as he is all of Bruce ’s worst instincts made apparent .
The Zur - En - Arrh menace from Zdarsky and Jiménez’sBatmanwill culminate in the 2024 line - all-embracing summer eventAbsolute Power , which is anchored by an event miniseries by Mark Waid and Dan Mora .
1Damian Wayne Brought a Completely New Personality to the Bat-Family
Damian’s Evolution into Robin is the Perfect Character Arc
Over fourth dimension , Damian softens and becomes more heroic , see from his mentor : Bruce , Alfred , and especially Dick Grayson .
The best type introduce in Morrison ’s Batman run is Damian Wayne , Bruce ’s previously obscure son with Talia al Ghul . When first introduced , Damian is an arrogant , vehement terror , and one of the run ’s potency ishow Morrison constantly evolves Damian Wayne beyond the character ’s original flaws . Over time , Damian softens and becomes more expansive , watch from his mentors : Bruce , Alfred , and specially Dick Grayson . He also turn against Talia , whose attempts to control him only push him further towards the Bat - Family .
Readers can find Damian ’s most recent adventures in the Dawn of DC - eraBatman and Robintitle by Joshua Williamson and Simone Di Meo .
The windup ofDamian ’s journey sees him dieto preserve innocent from Leviathan , a far yell from his selfish beginnings . Morrison also wittingly leaves the room access opened for Damian ’s return , which other writers immediately capitalize on . Since his demise and Christ’s Resurrection , the character has only get under one’s skin more popular , especially when paired with Superman ’s son , Jonathan Kent . Of all ofGrant Morrison’sadditions toBatman’scanon , none match the impact or seniority of Damian Wayne .
