BATMAN INCORPORATED

As part of the second wave of DC’s NEW 52, the company released BATMAN INCORPORATED.  Now you may have heard this title before and that is because, pre NEW 52, Grant Morrison wove a wonderful tale that followed the continuity he put forth with Batman & Son (BATMAN #655 and 656), The Black Glove (BATMAN #667-669), R.I.P. (BATMAN #676-681, 701-702), FINAL CRISIS, BATMAN AND ROBIN #1-16, THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #1-6 and BATMAN: THE RETURN INC. Batman, finally free from being thrown into the past during FINAL CRISIS, decides to franchise the mantle of the Bat into a worldwide organization. Involved in the group were such heroes as Knight and Squire, El Gaucho, Batwoman, Nightrunner, Black Bat(former Batgirl Cassandra Cain) and Batwing…all illustrating the worldwide need for superhero vigilantes. The series ran for five issues, plus a one shot called LEVIATHAN STRIKES. Grant Morrison has sworn to ;pick up the story from where he left off.

To understand where the NEW series goes, I have to flashback to the previous one. Batman sends Catwoman to Japan to enlist Mr. Unknown. Unfortunately he has been killed by Lord Death Man. We later learn that Jiro faked his own death and was given  a three-month probation period to be Tokyo's Batman. So Jiro becomes the NEW Mr. Unknown and Batman sends Lord Death Man into space. Batman then travels to Argentina to recruit El Gaucho Gaucho refuses and he and Batman become involved in a case about missing children. Along the way, they learn of Gaucho's link to the original Batwoman, Kathy Kane. Batman, Batwoman and El Gaucho track down Doctor Dedalus who is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and needs toy finish his work with the help of Leviathan. Unknown to Batman, we learned that the mastermind behind Leviathan's operation is Talia al Ghul.

The new series(by Morrison and Chris Burnham) picks up where the last one left off…except that Batman is five years younger than he was(remember…everyone is five years younger in the NEW 52). But some things have not changed. The first issue mentions Bruce's disappearance and return. It also mentions that Dick Grayson and Damian spent time as Batman and Robin.

The first issue begins one month from now with Bruce and Alfred in the Wayne family graveyard when Gotham City Police arrive to arrest Bruce.. Then we move to present time with Batman and Robin pursuing a goat-masked criminal through a meat processing plant. That leads to more goat-masked criminals appearing. It seems Leviathan has placed a half-billion dollar bounty on Robin’s head. Now remember: Leviathan is Talia and Robin is her son. Soon the battle is won but not before Damien swears off meat and introduces us to Bat Cow. We get to see The Brothers Grimm, but learn we’re down a Grimm as one brother has eaten the other. That’s what you get for messing with Leviathan and off the remaining brother goes.

Meanwhile, The Hood hangs out at Outsiders West. Wait: didn’t some of the characters die in LEVIATHAN STRIKES? Batman and Robin notice a truck with an upside-down star on the truck. The star is known as the demon star or Algol…as in Talia al Ghul.  They also run into a gang of mutants straight out of THE DARK NIGHT RETURNS while Goatboy has a beer(check the mysterious hooded woman in the background…YEAH: Pandora is here too) before trying to take out the Boy Wonder with a sniper shot. Apparently he does, because he has a cell phone picture of Batman weeping holding his son’s dead body.

Issue two begins with Ras Al Ghul courting his future wife Melisande which leads ultimately to Talia’s birth. We get many moments of her growing up, seeing her father being resurrected, learning martial arts, etc. We also get a meeting between her and a fortune teller who is actually her mother, although Ras told her Melisande died in childbirth. We are treated to her first meeting with Batman, throughout their interesting courtship and the birth of their son. Eventually the tale is in present day, where father faces daughter who has the upper hand. She dons her skull mask and she prepares to take down her former lover.

This title looks fantastic and reads like a typical Grant Morrison romp. Chris Burnham’s art is so crisp and it just explodes off the printed page. Morrison has announced he’s done at issue #12, so it should be a satisfying run until then!