The V

Zur En Aarrrrrrrgh! Apparently Zur En Arrh is a reference to Batman 113 from 1958, where Batman meets the alien Batman of the planet Zur En Arrh, a planet on which he gains Superman-like powers. So apparently that ISN'T a weird Bat-Mite at the end there.

What's the V-pinion on Morrison's Batman? I know that the Ra storyline didn't seem to hook people, but overall is it worth the look or no?

Dumbass question but have there been any new Morrison Authority or Superman in the last sixth months? The last Authority issue I read had Apollo being taken down by the US Army, and the last Superman was the end of the Bizarro two-parter.

Issue #8 of All-Supes came out in July, issue #9 came out last month.

The Morrison Authority has been suspended, IIRC.

The J.H. Williams story is fucking genius, the rest is absolutely typical Morrison - tiny throwaway dialogue becomes vital plot point later on, completely hamstrung by shithouse art. It's incredibly forgettable. It's doubly saddening what with his Superman being so brilliant.

JEZEBEL JET!!!

And to think I occassionally wonder why I don't buy comics anymore.

When I ponder why I can't get jazzed about my weekly trip to the comics shop I wonder....when's the next Grant Morrison monthly coming out? Then I remember he's doing fucking Batman. I share the Morrison love that pervades the V....but Batman? He always wins and he's untouchable. I've hated Batman and the Batman books since Bane broke his back and they tried to foist all that "is this the end of Batman?" crap on us.

Frank Miller is like an old poodle who used to be adorable when his hair was properly clipped and is now just a chore to follow behind and pick up the rock-hard poodle turds squeezed out of his shaking hind-quarters on the fourteenth try. Give him his bat book. Why not.

Grant Morrison's a flower still blooming. I'm pretty sure. But his Bat crap is crap. Move on PLEASE and get big.

quote:

Frank Miller is like an old poodle who used to be adorable when his hair was properly clipped and is now just a chore to follow behind and pick up the rock-hard poodle turds squeezed out of his shaking hind-quarters on the fourteenth try

Extended Metaphor Of The Day.

Just read Batman 672 and...well, I've no fucking idea what's going on. I'm sure Morrison's trying to tell a cohesive story but with all the shit artists on the book (besides J.H. William's of course) who can't tell a story and the Ras Al Ghul crossover, of which I did not read any of the others titles, well I'm totally lost.

Like the Countdown thread, can someone please explain to me wtf is going on?

Yeah, Morrison's story hasd been badly fragmented by the crossover, fill-ins, and whatnot. If DC was smart (or just not lazy) they could easily re-order the positioning of the issues in trades to make it more coherent, but I hold out little hope for that.

The basic gist of the main arc's throughline is that Batman keeps running across a series of copycat Batmen. The first was a gun-toting ex-cop who shot the Joker in the face, the second was a hulking Batman-Bane hybrid who had been juicing on Venom and killing hookers, and the third just appeared in this latest issue, under the influence of some kind of brainwashing that led him to attack GCPD headquers. They all have connections to a group of corrupt police officers. This will all presumedly tie in somehow to a recurring nightmare from Bruce Wayne's past where he dreamt of three evil Batmen who doom Gotham, but we don't know much more than that right now.

-Mark

Haven't read the last few issues, but there was one evil Batman more in the 666-issue fighting Damian.

Thanks, that sums it up well and makes it somewhat clearer. Now what does the following have to do with the appearance of Bat-Mite (though Nick says it isn't Bat-Mite)? And in the latest issue, does one of the Bat-Men shoot Batman with a device that stops his heart -- is that what's going on in that scene? I'm sure it would be clear if Daniel's art weren't so shit.

No, that was same the evil Batman who just showed up this last issue.

I downloaded an issue to see how poor the art is, and JESUS CHRIST. What is it with DC and Marvel? How can they keep justifying palming dreadful artists off on the greatest mainstream comic book author around?

<<Now what does the following have to do with the appearance of Bat-Mite (though Nick says it isn't Bat-Mite)? >>

Don't know yet, but my guess is the Bat-Mite stuff is a dream sequence. Bruce passed out at the end of last issue (heart attack, IIRC), which is when the Bat-Mite appeared. I think the next issue will be a dream/vision that takes place in the 30 seconds where he is unconscious, with Bat-Mite as his "guide" or whatever. This will also hopefully clarify the earlier "3 Ghosts of the Batman" dream Bruce had.

-Mark

Theres an Alan Grant interview in this months Judge Dredd Megazine (yes, yes, I know) where he says some rather snooty things about the editorial course of Batman since he lft and Morrisons interpretation of Batman. Worth a WHSmiths read.

How high's the Bitter Old Man quotient?

I think that's actually the alien Batman from Zur-En-Arrh

http://planetzor.blogspot.com/2007/10/batman-of-zur-en-arrh.html

Well, he does explain how Alan Moore is a bit of a hack who can't create his own characters at length, also spends some time on how the Batman family (ie Robin and all the other hanger ons) are shit and pretty much anything editor mandated is bad... He's not up to Byrne or Mills levels of bile though.

That alien batman dude looks nothing like Bat-Mite.

Their chest logo is kinda similar, though.

Uh oh. He's definatly done what he did with this last issue better elsewhere, and it's beginning to feel a bit like stalling.

Morrison's Batman, other than the murder-mystery arc, is one of the greatest comic-book disappointments in the last 10 years.

Seriously. This latest issue SUCKED. Fucking dream sequence issues can suck my cock. Get him back to All-Star Superman!

Beginning to dread Final Crisis, are we?

I am amazed that I am actually more interested in Secret Invasion and Blackest Night than I am looking forward to Final Crisis.

Up is down, black is white. Cash all your money out of the banks!

I love the implication, though, that Batman drove Joe Chill to top himself.

"I'm going to Joe-Chill you to death!"

Hush your mouth with your anti-FINAL NIGHT talk! It's the kind of thing Morrison was designed to write. Just because he wrote one shit comic, doesn't mean he's lost it, you doubters! Plus, fucking JG Jones doing sequentials! It's gonna be sweet.

Fucking SECRET INVASION? Honestly? You remember who's writing it, right?

Yep. And I can be certain that changes will actually come from it that make sense and are followed up on in the Marvel U.

And it will be FUN!

Final Crisis will NOT be fun, I can almost guarantee. Just by the nature of the story itself. And all the convoluted multi-universe shit I can't be bothered to spend $130 bucks each for two weekly series to really follow.

And Morrison wrote the Animal Man, space trip, portion of 52. It was not all that hot. In fact, ASS is the only thing he has written recently that is A+ material (WE3 was long ago).