Time for an intervention. Because we care, Bruce.

“What’s the one thing alpha males are programmed to respect? ALPHA MALE PLUS…”

The Obligatory Warning: dead prostitutes. Grim atmosphere. Not for kids.

A seemingly innocuous storyline about dead call girls and crooked cops is transforming into something big. And gimmicky. That’s right…in next month’s issue, Batman will (probably) confront his evil son DAMIEN. And next month’s issue, by the by, will be Batman #666. Ok, DC editors. We get it. You can stop beating us with meta-storylines.

Ignore my cynicism. Batman #665, this month’s issue, is fantastic like the rest of Morrison and Kubert’s work. With the help of a plucky lady of the night, Batman makes it to a safehouse after being savagely beaten. While unconscious, he has an unsettling dream about the two cops who have impersonated him, and receives a foreboding omen about a third.

Grant Morrison writes like a prizefighter boxes. Every opportunity is used, every “unrelated” incident is, in reality, part of a flowing, organic whole. Better yet, Morrison understands his subject. Unlike some writers, Grant Morrison engages both sides of Bruce Wayne’s character, the cultured aristocrat and the dirty fighter, the carefree playboy and the hardened crusader. As a result, the character is vibrantly alive.

Morrison only benefits from Andy Kubert’s involvement. Kubert draws violent rage as well as he draws graceful, balletic combat. He also has the ability to make his characters look somewhat cartoon-y without being out-of-place in the dark storyline.

Worth the money? Yes. All-around good stuff.