BATMAN #658

DC COMICS
WRITER: Grant Morrison
PENCILS: Andy Kubert
INKS: Jesse Delperdang
COVER: Andy Kubert
32 pp., Color, $2.99

Batman #658 (Batman & Son, Part 4: “Absent Fathers”) takes up the plot by Ra’s Al Ghul’s daughter, Talia, to blackmail the British out of Gibraltar.  Meanwhile, Robin is in critical condition and has lost a lot of blood after receiving a near-fatal beating from Damian, the love child of Batman and Talia.  Batman takes Damian on his mission to stop Talia’s machinations, and father and son bond… sort or.

THE LOWDOWN: Grant Morrison’s first story arc as new Batman writer ends better than it started.  It’s fun to read, and Morrison adds a sense of humor to his stoic, Clint Eastwood-like spin on Batman (which is more or less a riff on Denny O’Neil’s Batman).

Sometime about 15 years ago, when Andy Kubert followed Jim Lee on The X-Men, he clearly adjusted his visual style to be similar to Lee’s.  There are still some Lee influences here both in terms of design and particularly in the way Kubert draws Batman.  However, Kubert’s smooth, quicksilver line (like a fluid blade) and Jesse Delperdang’s solid, precision inks come together to create the most beautiful Batman art being done.

FOR READERS OF: The Kubert/Delperdang art team makes this an exciting all around Batman title and the flagship of the Batman line.

B+