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Batman Review Bonanza

By Dan Horn
June 29, 2010 - 11:05

In honor of Batman's 700th issue anniversary, we're taking a look at some the Bat-family events from the past few weeks, and a bonus look at the Rondo Award-winning Gotham after Midnight.

Batman #700

In this milestone 700th issue of Batman's eponymous series, all-star scribe Grant Morrison resumes the title's helm and relates one of his most interesting and strange legends of the Dark Knight yet. The super-sized issue follows a mystery full circle through the topsy-turvy time space continuum, each chapter seeing a different man assuming the Batman persona: Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, even Terry McGinness. I rather enjoy Morrison's Damian Wayne Batman. It is almost as if the future Batman featured in this issue as well as in Batman #666 is what the Caped Crusader would have been like had he been written for the pages of 2000 A.D.

These separate yet intertwined vignettes are brought to life by different artists, including phenomenal panels by David Finch and Andy Kubert to name only a couple of the industry heavyweights included herein. While Batman 700 doesn't do very much to propel the Batman story in any single direction, it takes a unique and respectful look forward, proposing that Batman is the perennial hero no matter what year, no matter who wears the cowl.

Superstar Mike Mignola contributed a very cool Red Hood variant cover that's definitely worth scouring online comic book stores or eBay for, but Finch's cover is just as noteworthy.

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne

In issue 2 of this six-parter by Grant Morrison and a slew of artistic talent, we saw Bruce Wayne transported to colonial America, masquerading as an inquisitor of the protestant church. As one time-line collapsed under the duress of a thermodynamic cataclysm, the Justice League is forced to find another way of tracking down the quantum-leaping Dark Knight... before he returns to Earth, thereby possibly destroying the planet with booby-trapped Omega energy that still clings to him. In issue 3, Bruce has lept again into the time stream, and becomes a prisoner of Blackbeard, the notorious pirate.

This series has been nothing short of fun, with fantastic artwork and an interesting premise that would make Ed Brubaker blush over his god-awful Captain America Reborn endeavor. The one hang-up of this mini is perhaps the goofy cover art on each issue by Andy Kubert. I have to admit to being a big fan of Andy's interior work on other titles, past and present, but his covers on this series have been garbage for the most part. If I wasn't familiar with the creators working on this project, I probably would have passed it by just because of the silly covers.

Detective Comics #866

After #865 sort of fizzled out without much of a notable climax and with some preposterous events transpiring (like how does Arkham Asylum just get turned over to another known maniac without anyone but Batman objecting?), Batman veterans Dennis O'Neil, Dustin Nguyen, and Derek Fridolfs take over Detective for a stand alone tie-in to the Batman #700 celebratory festivities. Surprisingly, Fridolfs really takes charge of interiors in this issue, and his work over Nguyen's layouts is brilliantly atmospheric. With a tricky transition from gothic noir present to campy technicolor past, Derek executes his finishes with the confidence and repose of the best artists in the industry.

After reading this issue there will be little doubt in your mind... The Joker is back with a vengeance!

Batman: Streets of Gotham #13

Paul Dini wraps up his quirky two-issue "The Carpenter's Tale," starring none other than the Carpenter and the new villain the Director. You really can't go wrong with anything that Dini and Dustin Nguyen have worked on together. These guys have such a profound chemistry, especially when dealing with Batman, that it almost becomes hard to believe that Gotham City isn't a real place. This is a series worth catching up on or subscribing to. It's really that good.

Batman: Gotham after Midnight

A bizarre new killer in Gotham, a manipulated rogues gallery, a lovely detective with a steely resolve, and a baffled Batman converge in graphic horror auteur Steve Niles' Rondo Award-winning Batman: Gotham after Midnight. When vigilante justice takes a deadly toll on Gotham, it's up to Batman to crack the seemingly incomprehensible case. But can even the Dark Knight uncover the truth behind the murderer, known only as Midnight, while also untangling his affections for Lt. April Clarkson and the uncommon feeling of insufficiency?

Gotham after Midnight is a superb tale of the Detective complete with B-horror camp, serialized thrills, and cameos from some of Batman's greatest foes. Leave it to Niles to craft such a spot-on creep-fest to plunge the Caped Crusader headlong into. Kelley Jones' inky, exaggerated artwork perfectly compliments this dark and Gothic miniseries.

Red Hood: Lost Days

Preceding the release of the new animated adaptation of Judd Winnick's "Under the Hood" saga in the pages of Batman, Judd takes some time (6 issues to be more precise) to detail the events leading from Jason Todd's rebirth to his meteoric rise to power as the newest incarnation of the Red Hood. Expect more of the same Judd Winnick bravado and some great tie-ins to classic stories like "Hush" and the aforementioned "Under the Hood." This is a mini-series worth checking out. I've got a feeling Jason Todd is about to make a big come back now that the Joker has resurfaced.

What to look forward to:

In the coming months we can expect the flood gates not just to open, but to collapse under the immense pressure building behind the scenes at DC. Bruce Wayne is of course making a big come back. But what else can readers look forward to seeing?

Streets of Gotham will see Dini following up his acclaimed "Heart of Hush" from Detective Comics with another tale of the diabolical Tommy Elliot. Grant Morrison and Tony Daniels are filling some holes in the pages of Batman with a two-parter that will explain exactly what happened between "RIP" and Final Crisis. David Hine will be reacquiring scripting duties on Detective with his four-part arc "Impostors" which will see Gotham submerged in absolute anarchy as an army of Jokers runs amok. And Dr. Hurt, aka Thomas Wayne, the man who drove Bruce Wayne mad in "RIP," has reared his head yet again in Batman and Robin (not to mention the Joker's reappearance!).

Things are really heating up, and it looks like readers will be happily overwhelmed with the amount of quality storytelling and huge events that will be transpiring in Gotham City.

Last Updated: January 1, 2026 - 11:07