Batman # 664
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artists: Andy Kubert & Jesse Delperdang
Grant Morrison Returns! Well, technically that was last issue, but Andy Kubert was not with him for that issue, so I won't count it. This issue was a lot of fun, like the rest of Kubert's Batman issues. I really hope Kubert is on this book for the long haul, as he draws a great Bruce Wayne and Batman. Anyway, this book starts out with Bruce Wayne walking away from a few dozon unconscious Man-Bat Ninjas from the last arc. He meets some hottie in the Alps for skiiing, and shows that he has now patience for paparrazzi. When he returns to Gotham, its business as usual, and a slow night. Batman checks up on some old leads and catches some dirty cops roughing up some hookers. This all leads upto a very large cop wearing a Bane/Batman costume. This makes Batman think all the way back to #655 where another cop shot Joker in the face as Batman. Already, Morrisson is not forgetting the past, or the recent past. To me, this says that Morrison's run will be one of those ever continuing arcs. Lots of things will link to each other, and the past will always be referred to. That's what a continuing comic needs, and what Morrison and Dini are doing with Batman. Morrison gets a little far out with this issue, in his descriptions of blood and dead bodies, but hey, who says Batman isn't a little messed up? Don't let the funny looking cover fool you, this issue has a lot to offer to Batman fans.
Andy Kubert is doing a lot of things on Batman I like. Dynamic action poses, flowing capes, and keeping Batman in as much shadow as possible, when possible. And his other characters aren't bad either. In the restuarant scene the background characters are all highly detailed and charcterized. An old man leans over his plate, slurping spaghetti while his young date tries to look away. People wipe their mouths, order food, and whisper to their bodyguards. The restaurant feels alive. Kubert also adds a lot of charm to Morrison's Bruce Wayne. I've never read a Bruce Wayne in comics that was as much of a playboy that he's described as by DC editors. Morrison and Kubert are doing a lot of things right, so sit up and take note. B+
