So, I'm going to try and read Morrison's Batman.

Seeing Morrison write the modern, gross and try hard Joker makes me realize I really don't like the Joker.

I'll give this opening this: it's crazy and frenetic as hell! Almost feels like Morrison trying to open up his run with the ending of "Batman's biggest and toughest battle yet!"

Also, I feel like this could easily be turned into a meme.

I like this back and forth, it feels like it has Jim say some of the themes we might expect from this story out loud, like Bruce questioning Batman's purpose and his own sanity.

Also, Morrison's Batman banthers, even if it's a just a little joke. I like when Bats isn't a robot devoid of emotion.

I love this page. It highlights Bruce's loneliness, his dedication towards being in his best form possible to be Batman. And of course, Alfred's importance being the only figure alongside Bruce in this sequence.

I love Morrison's Alfred. He is snarky as all hell, but him noticing thess little things: like how much Bruce's Batman voice is becoming the default, and that giving the ide that he questions how much Bruce is losing himself to the mantle. It's some very solid characterization.

Also, I'm surprised by how tamed this Batcave is. I'm so used to every artist trying to cram as many references as they can, which I get why. But still. I do like it.

I think Alfred will become my favorite BatFam member.

A few neat things this page shows. Bruce's having a compulsion to be fight crime. Him keeping some emotional distance between him and Tim (and I imagine by extent, the BatFam). And Alfred being his confident to whom he can express his feelings without hesitation.

Ah yes. The big crack in Morrison comics, he can't write women to save his life. From what I understand this run is one of his books that makes it really apparent.

And I continue to love Alfred to no end. I love that as an former actor, he can point out how Bruce is failing to sell his playboy image, and how he is clearly afraid of how Bruce might be losing himself in the mantle.

Ah yes! The cliffhanger that turned off several people to an entire era of Batman stories. I care very little for Damian, so let's see how I'll react to him in the future.

Hmmm... the artwork on this lady is not great.

An army of Man-Bat Ninjas is such an wild escalation of the Man-Bat concept, it almost feels like parody. But the sequence that introduces them does sells how dangerous they are.

I don't know if it was Morrison or Kurberr who had the idea of having the paintings work as onomatopoeias, but it's a really neat and funny addition to the story .

Bruce's narration showing that he is ready to throw down with an army of Man-Bat monster, and the art showing how raggedy this fights get for him, really shows how exhausting being Batman can be.
The creative team did a really good job with that.

I don't know if this is a retcon, but Bruce being raped, and serving some eugenics experiment feels like a really gross and unnecessary way to do this. Feels like it's here just to show how horrible an person Talia is.

Also, Talia asking Bruce's help because she can't raise Damian and "He needs the guiding of a great man". Yeah, it's not great.

If you line up Batman and the Robins it will look like a chart showing Bruce growing because they all look the fucking same.

I really like how minimalist Kubert's portrayal of the BatCave is.

I don't know if I'm reading this right, but I see a parallel between Bruce ane Damian as two emotionally stunted people who, a lot of the time, can only express themselves through violence.

The idea that Damian only responds to the image of an agressive man shouting at him makes me uncomfortable. Specially with Talia's thinof: "Not being able to control him" from the last issue.

A shame this dude gets murdered. I like when we see some of the more forgettable villains get some spotlight.

Has there ever been like, a mini-series or something of the like exploring the goons that work for super-villains. Feels like it could a least be a fun one and done.

I have to say: Damian really doesn't endear himself to the reader. Mostly he comes of as a whiny, psychopathic brat who doesn't shut up about how awesome he is.

This is definently one of the grossest themes I've seen be tied to Damian (and Jon Kent in subtext), that he is more deserving of his place because he is blood related. That he is the True Son and the adopted are less valid than him.

I know the execution of the BatFam tends to fail to live up to its concept, but I always find the idea that Bruce builds a family as a form of healing somewhat to he sweet.

Gotta love how Gotham has blimps purely for aesthetic purposes.

I get why so many people were annoyed with Damian, it really feels like he is forcing his way through and pushing the other characters down, in this case in a very literal way.

Okay, the final part of the arc does try to use the idea of Damian's behavior as a product of being raised by the League of Assassins as a way to make him sympathetic. I'll give them that.

Alfred continues to be the best character in this thing.

Ah comics! And I bet not a single one of us will question how Bruce fit a launching site beneath the mansion.

I think I just hate whenever Talia says anything. Also, I really dislike this throughline of her being really into eugenics that Morrison is going for.

Considering that the Al Ghul's whole deal is coming back from the dead, this final page doesn't have that much of a punch.

CW: Self-harm.

This issue is weird! It introduces Morrison's version of the Joker, and I'll say: using the idea of Joker reinventing himself everytime as a way to say every version of the character is canon is a pretty cool idea.

CW: Blood.

Morrison also does the thing where Joker comments on his relationship with Batman, and how they're connected and why they'll keep doing this forever. It's all done very well, it's just that the prose and the 3d artwork just caught me off guard.

I'm not a fan of the 3d artwork. It works at places, but mostly just felt very weird.

Morrison has fun writing Bruce as "The coolest guy ever". But he also comes off as a huge dork and do appreciate that as well.

I always appreciate when creators let Bruce show even a little bit of vulnerability. This sequence works especially well 'cause of Kubert's art in the way Bruce's expression changes.

This page is part of a sequence I don't feel comfortable or qualified discussing, but I do want to talk about Kubert's Batman. There's something horrifying about how human looks here.

Having this wall of muscle, with an angry scowl and drenched in rain really sold the idea of "Batman is scary" to me in a way I didn't expect.

CW: Blood, corpses.

I'll give the creative team this: They portrayed a brutal and gross Gotham. It really does feel like a hellhole where you either die or go insane in it.

Bruce is put through the wringer in this run. In both beginning of an arc he gets horribly beat up. From what I heard, it's part of a bigger theme of showing that Batman is imperfect. So let's see how well that plays out.

I'm really enjoying how: "Bruce having to reevaluate how to act and what it means to he Batman" is a growing motif in this run.

Kamen Rider of all things has made me really enjoy scenes where the hero has his beliefs questioned after taking a massive beating, so I really liked this sequence.

Really want to see how this "Three Ghosts or Batman" idea is going to play out. I really like the concept of Bruce having to confront monstrous people appropriating the symbol of The Bat.

Morrison looking for a way to validate every version of Batman in continuity feels very self-indulgent, but the bald man tends to know how to execute these ideas in insane ways that make them a fun (and also very confusing) times.

I really like how exhausting the fights in this run feel so far. Really feels like Morrison and Kubert try at every turn to just have Bruce's go through hell every time he has to put on the costume.

As expected, the cops are bastards. You think there be more Batman stories about Batman vs cops giving how tenuous his relationship with them was in Year One. But I guess we're supposed to believe that because Jim is there, not everyone of them abuses their power.

Again, I'm enjoying this ongoing motif of: "Bruce reevaluating Batman" a lot! I can't wait to see how Morrison develops it as the story goes along.

Was horrible eugenic experiments always a thing with Talia or her dad before? I don't know, "genetic perfection" is just a really weird character choice for what I do know about her. But admittedly, that's not a lot.

Babs deserves a much better future than being police commissioner, but also: Ma'am! You are so pretty
She's rocking that undercut look!

BEHOLD! THE BAT-GO CART! VROOM! VROOM!

CW: Blood. Corpses.

So, I did read Batman and Robin a long time ago. It really surprised me how many seeds to that Morrison planted in this issue. Also, it's so weird to see that Professor Pyg is just a dude underneath the mask. He's always such a bizarre and uncanny character.

Just letting everyone know that before Arkham Tim, Damian 666 used to sport the "Cursed Bald Look".

Here we have Morrison do a thing I see a lot on some of his books I read. Having the characters say the themes the author is working with out loud. It does work a lot here, specially with Devil Batman.

It feels like it's about broken reflections of Batman failing to live up to the legacy of the symbol. The eternal fight of good vs evil. Man and The Devil. It's good stuff, and why I love to read analysis of this run.

I really like Batman 666. He's not the hero Gotham needs or deserves. He's a broken shell who sold his own soul to keep going, piling up mistake after mistake. Because in the face of all he went through already, keep going is the only thing he can do.

And he shows a lot of development for Damian as well. Being humble enough to admit he will never he the hero his father expected him to be.
And he is a pretty horrifying idea of what Batman could become, which is one of the most interesting themes in this run too.

Morrison has the Black Glove say what they're supposed to represent. The battle of good vs evil, filtered through a game of rich fucks doing what rich fucks do: playing with lives.

And pretty much immediately I love The Knight and want a Knight and Squire book on my desk by tomorrow morning.

Morrison did this in Seven Soldiers too. Having heroes who were forgotten become vain schlubs who complain about how they don't get as much attention as the big heroes.

I LOVE HER!!!!!!!! The design is a bit busy, lots of colors going on in it, but they do mesh together pretty well.

Why aren't these characters used more often? They're great designs and I'm sure plenty of great writers could think of adventures for a Knight inspired superheroes.

This page is one of my favorite images of Batman. The way Williams linework and colors make him look larger than life, almost ethereal, to the other vigilantes is so good!

Morrison and Williams do sell the hell out of the Black Glove. This is some pretty eerie and dreadful imagery and dialogue.

And that leads to some of my imagery in this arc. Williams portray the Black Glove closing in a way that makes it feel like an eldritch horror, something unstoppable, that makes even the greatest heroes powerless.

Why don't I see more people talking about J.H Williams III's work on Batman? This is some of the best art I've seen for the character.

Williams also do some fantastic work replicating 60s artwork in a way that feels super-unique. I love the pop-art aesthetic he is going for with the colors.

And for as schluby and pathetic as the Club of Heroes is portrayed, Morrison does make Bruce show reverence for their work as heroes, and even has the one who looked to be at his worst leave some clues for his compatriots. I think that is pretty sweet.

I can barely describe how much I love this panel layout. Also, LOOK A THOSE COLORS! Look at the way the Black Glove cuts through the red to frame Batman, showing that they have full control over all.
I really think J.H Williams III is one of the best Batman artist I've seen.

You know, for as much as I hear Tim gets the shaft in this era of Batman, I do like Morrison giving some pretty good moments where he shows his detective skills and his heroic spirit.

Morrison really just needed a single story arc, and the help of an amazing artist to make their influence visually horrifying, to make the Black Glove one of the scariest concepts in the DC universe, huh? Another idea I'm dissapointed we don't see more often.

I'm sorry everyone, but I don't think I'll ever shut up about how amazing Williams's art is. These colors, the panel layout, the way Bruce's cape frames the title. IT'S SO GOOD!

Another really cool idea! A villain whose deal is to build death traps for other villains. Why he wears a luchador mask? Eh. Everyone needs their gimmick.

Morrison handle Bruce's analytical thoughts process very well. Specially since this arc is a murder mystery he does make Bruce mostly work with the information he has at hand, and what he knows about who he is working with.

Bruce being confronted by dark mirrors of himself continues to be a pretty interesting motif. I do wonder if he'll confront more people who broke under the weight of superheroing.

Have I talked about how absolutely gorgeous J.H Williams III's art is? Because his art is absolutely gorgeous.

The hand of the Black Glove framing things as a way to show how powerful and all encompassing they're influence is, definitely became one of my favorite recurring images in this arc.

Not gonna lie, the first two arcs of this run left me a bit cold. But this, plus the Batman 666 issue really convinced me to keep rearing it. They were excellent.

The Third Ghost of Batman gets a hell of a reintroduction. These Ghosts of Batman have been a pretty interesting concept, can't wait to see Morrison going into what they're whole deal is.

I love how much Alfred loves Bruce, and seeing him worry about Bruce possibly having to go through the pain of ruining another romantic relationship because of Batman, is both sweet and very sad.

I'm surprised that Morrison seems to be the first writer to think of the police making Batmen. Feels like the type of crazy Batman conspiracies stories someone would've thought before.

I have absolutely no one idea how Bruce changed into his uniform mid fall, but damn if that splash paye is not a sick image of Batman.

Can't help, but think there's a lot of symbolism in the image of a crazy Batman created by an oppressive force, smashing the Bat-Symbol

Now I have no idea what's going on anymore. I know Zur En Arrh comes into play during R.I.P (and that it's a reference to a 60s Batman stories). But now I'm just confused, as one tends to be on trippy moments from Morrison comics.

Just when you think Morrison's run couldn't get more insane, he uses the "seeing your life before your eyes as you die" trope, to have Bruce circle through some version of Batman from the character's published history.

I know the Black Book is an important element for Batman R.I.P, and I'm really surprised it's been established this early in the run, it was introduced a few arcs back even.

The laugh is a pretty fun reference to Golden Age Batman basically being a Shadow rip-off.

I like to read this sequence as an adult Bruce at Death's door interpreting the dread and fear he felt as a child when saw the darkness of the well as this all-consuming emptiness, the certainty that we're all marching towards nothingness.

I really liked this page. Morrison is known for popularizing the "BatGod", but his portrayal of Batman in this story is very human.
He can be afraid, frustrated, vulnerable, happy. I'm really enjoying Bruce as a character here, and that's a rare thing for me to say.

I have to say: I don't completely understand what Morrison is saying with the Golden Age Batman segment. Mostly what it does is remind me of that excellent Batman Brave and The Bold episode with a similar premise.

I do think there's a connection to be made between GA Batman and the Third Ghost looking very similar to each other. So I guess it's more of Bruce confronting what Batman could become, and that might inform his characterization as the book goes along.

A theme I've been enjoying a lot about this run is Bruce being confronted with the idea of what The Bat is supposed to mean. Both by being confronted by the failures in his approach to crime fighting, and people using the symbol for their own warped ways.

More moments of Bruce showing vulnerability, we love to see it.

What? Cops putting their loyalty to a bunch of murderers over the responsibility of keeping civilians safe. I'm shocked... I'm not really shocked.

I really like this sequence of Bruce thinking of about the overwhelming dread he saw in the well as a literal entity, as an unstoppable enemy plotting his destruction. And knowing that all of this is setting up the stage for Doctor Hurt makes it all even better.

This is another aspect of Morrison's Batman I really enjoy. For all of his preparation and expertise, he lives such a depressing existence. He is courageous and determined, but also sad, insecure and emotionally distant. He keeps going because he doesn't know how to stop.

I gotta be honest. I really don't care for Jezebel. Her big thing is that she comes from an impoverish country, and is very socially conscious, which is good. But that said, they're dynamic is not fun, they're banther is not that engaging. I just find they're relationship boring.

Lots of a "Not like other girls" shtick going on this issue. On one hand, Talia is the bad guy so one would expect her to be shitty, but personally, I think her character should be written with more dignity than that.

This artwork is awful. Damian looks like he went from being 10 to beinv 15, but with the head of a 20 year old.

I really wish this art wasn't so awful. This entire sequence of Bruce being Batman without the costume is great. I love how Morrison frames Bruce lost in The Bat as something absolutely horrifying.

It's interesting what cultural osmosis does to us. Nowadays I find it really weird when the batmobile looks like a regular car instead of being a riot tank. But to be honest, is also something I wouldn't mind seeing it more.

Here all we have is just Bruce sharing some banther with Tim, but at the same time, it shows to us does to "relax" is test drive the new batmobile. Which illustrates how consumed he is by Batman, even if it's in a very casual way. And that's kinda of tragic.

Honestly, I never get tired of seeing Morrison's Bruce talk. He does the dramatic posturing like every other version of the character, but there's also plenty of scenes of him talking like a person. Like the above where he's just talking with Tim.

It's something that's a bit weird to say, but Morrison makss Batman feel three dimensional for me in a way other creators I check the work of didn't.

Which to be honest, I don't fully blame other creators. I think they have the challenge of trying to tell the story they want for Batman, while also having to portray him in the way DC Editorial wants him to be portrayed.

The problems being that it usually leads into a character I find very uninteresting.

Time for the big one everyone! Let's talk about Batman R.I.P!

This scene is excellent. What I love about it is how the Joker truly gets under Batman's skin, by feeding into his fear and paranoia of an ultimate destructive force they can't prepare for.

Also: Damm you Bald Man! How dare you make me enjoy something with the Joker in it!

I love this image so much. An unknown Batman screaming in defiance that he and Robin are eternal, in what appears to be a Crisis happening arround them. Something that is defined by unstoppable forces that only seek to destroy.

Can't help, but feel there's a lot going on in this image. It's Batman reaffirming that they'll always be here, no matter what for they might take, it's Morrison commenting on how Batman as an idea is everlasting. It's so good!

After J. H. Williams III portrayed the Black Hand as an almost eldritch force, we get to see how that force is translated in a superhero narrative: a bunch of rich fucks in stupid costumes, who are in the business of making people miserable.

Tony Daniel was an excellent choice for this arc. It really sells the idea that: Yeah! These guys really are just a bunch of rich assholes on a cultish crusade of ruin people's lives.

Alfred's dialogue about "Bruce having a clear idea of human perfection" is really interesting to me. If there's something Morrison has showed us, is that Bruce is not perfect, so the idea that he fails to reach his ideal vision of himself is very interesting, I think.

I also can't help, but think it's Morrison commenting on his own work too. Again, he is known for popularizing the BatGod in JLA. So in his solo Batman run he seeks to show Bruce Wayne as a noble, but broken figure, who'll never reach his ideal form.

What I like about this page, is that it briefly shows that Bruce has some uncertainty in his heart. He doesn't know if his parents would approve of The Bat. All he can do is hope his unending battle honors them.

I shouldn't like this. It's more gory, try hard Joker stuff, but damm does Tony Daniel depicts this glimpse into Joker's mind in a truly horrifying way. I've been on a horror kick lately, so that might also have something to do with it.

And of course, what the Joker has in his mind isn't the idea to kill Batman, but to kill everyone who means something to Batman. Because that's how he truly hurts Bruce. And all they'll have left is each other.

It also made me come around on his long, sleeveless white coat.

I feel like I'm a broken record, but I love how flawed Morrison's Bruce is. He's absorbed in his work, he can alienate the people around him, he can be shortsighted. And all of these things are framed as flaws.

I think I like it 'cause I've seen some many comic panels where Bruce's paranoia and lack of trust are validated. Framed as some "He knows what's best. And everyone else is an idiot who doesn't know what's up" bullshit.

I've read stories with Doctor Hurt, mostly the stuff Seeley did in Nightwing, which was excellent. He feels like the Most Morrison Batman Villain a Morrison Batman Villain can be. Constantly talking about what he represents, how he opposes the hero, etc. It's very good stuff.

This whole sequence was a long time coming. Bruce finally having to confront what Batman is, all if his insecurities being voiced by someone he loves, him having to see the ways his symbol fails.

I really like this splash page. It shows in a silent way just how overwhelming, and all-consuming Batman is in Bruce's life. I even want to say that just for a second, Bruce might've think Batman itself is the unstoppable dreadful force he saw in the bottom of the well.

And then we have Bruce confront the scariest idea if all: That he is his own worst enemy. That all of this really was just him feeding into his own power fantasy, all so he can feel like he has a purpose, so he doesn't have to be the traumatized 8 year old in the alley anymore.

Which of course, it's not the case. We know the Black Glove is real. But Morrison having Bruce grapple with questions and conflicts like that is what makes this run so interesting.