From Lone Wolf to Franchise CEO: Batman Incorporated volume 1 - Demon Star

 

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Review:

Bruce Wayne's vast wealth was partly inherited and partly grown through business acumen. So it is surprising that it took so long for him to latch onto the concept of essentially turning the Bat into a Franchise-vigilante system.

Batman Incorporated is built on this premise. Complete with training, equipping, authorizing, coordinating like-minded and similarly skilled individuals around the world.

In Demon Star, the heroes keep running into the mysterious Leviathan. Their battles - some victories, some defeats - never seem to resolve the larger war. Damian is always at the center of the plots, and often refuses to listen to his mentor's advice - as would any 11-year-old. Which, as a parent of an 11-year-old myself, strikes me as far too young for a Robin. The 11-year-old body is so under-developed that it is impossible to conceive the physical battles he has with adults.

Author Grant Morrison has garnered praise and admiration for his ideas and concepts in the past, such as his revitalization of Animal Man and the JLA titles, or his independent work. His creative concepts and story-telling are on display here, although too often the cuts between scenes and sections are sudden and jarring, creating a  non-linear and ultimately disorienting read.

On the visuals, Chris Burnham has an occasional stunning sequence that shines through an otherwise workmanlike effort. He dives into some challenging scenarios to draw - such as the slaughter house sequence that leads to Damian adopting Bat Cow. But it is the included Issue #0 by Frazer Irving, and its neon-glow paintings that emerge as the cream of the visual crop here.


Description:

Eisner Award-winning fan-favorite writer Grant Morrison concludes the Batman epic he began nearly a decade ago in BATMAN & SON, pitting the entirity of Batman Incorporated against the Levianthan organization headed by the Dark Knight's former romantic interest Talia al Ghul. As Leviathan enacts a plan that threatens the world, Batman and his allies must fight against the rising storm--but not everyone will make it out of the encounter alive.

Collects: Batman Incorporated #0-6

Authors: Grant Morrison
Artists: Chris Burnham
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: Dec 3 2013
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 9781401242633
Pages: 176 pages


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