There’s the psychotic circus freaks of “Batman Reborn,” the battle against violent antiheroes in “Revenge of the Red Hood” (which might be the first true stumble in Morrison’s run), the fight against a lazarus pit resurrected Darkseid clone of Batman in “Blackest Knight,” the remote controlled treachery and Wayne history revelations of “Batman vs Robin,” and the inverse R.I.P.

Likewise, both series use a variety of artists throughout their run, either for separate arcs or for each issue, to underline this constantly shifting fiction. These 16 issues of “Batman and Robin” are composed of 5 different three-issue arcs and one extra large conclusion, playing into Morrison’s “super compression” approach to the title by having his heroes run a massive gauntlet of challenges in as little time as possible before the mandated return of Bruce Wayne.īoth “Batman and Robin” and “The Return of Bruce Wayne” are a fight against and through a wide variety of genres, forcing their heroes to adapt to and triumph over many different tones, ideas, and genre trappings to succeed in the end. Morrison’s series is not about the journey to becoming Batman, but what it means to live up to a man whose mythic nature is ultimately unreachable. It also puts a far more fallible and human pair at the forefront of Morrison’s story, which had up until now been defined by a Batman without limits. In doing so, he creates a new dynamic for the dynamic duo – a smiling and carefree Batman and a brooding and dangerous Robin. In “Batman & Robin,” which debuted in June 2009, Morrison places Dick Grayson, longtime Nightwing and the original Robin, behind the cowl of Batman, and Damian Wayne, son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, as the new Robin. No matter the terrors that invade from dimensions beyond our reality or the darkness within our hearts that will never be extinguished, we can rest assured that one truth will remain: Batman and Robin will never die. Here, to understand what Morrison’s strange, hyper-colored, farcical Act 2 of his Batman epic has to say about the legend and legacy of The Dark Knight, we’ll look at his reconfiguration of the Dynamic Duo, how our original hero digs himself out of the hole in things, and how ultimate evil is brought down to earth in Act 2’s climax. Support CBH on Patreon for exclusive rewards, or Donate here! Thank you for reading! When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a qualifying affiliate commission.Ĭomic Book Herald’s reading orders and guides are also made possible by reader support on Patreon, and generous reader donations.Īny size contribution will help keep CBH alive and full of new comics guides and content.

Batman and robin grant morrison