Batman & Robin Must Die! [Hardcover]

If you read Batman R.I.P. you saw those words shouted from the Dark Knight himself. This is the third volume of the popular Grant Morrison series Batman and Robin. This is also the conclusion of Grant's run on the book as well. We see a number of story lines finally reach their end.

First thing first. I would recommend strongly that you purchase the first two volumes of this book. Just to give you a quick refresh this is not the Batman and Robin you are expecting. Richard Grayson is under the cowl, finally stepping in to the boots of his mentor. (Bruce was apparently murder by by Darkseid in Final Crisis.) The young lad who has taken the role of Robin is Damian Wayne. He is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul (daughter of Batman's nemesis Ra's al Ghul) . Let me say that this isn't your father's Batman and Robin. Well now that I think about it this isn't even my Batman and Robin. This is a Dynamic Duo for a new generation. Anyone who is familar with Dick Grayson either as Robin or Nightwing knows he is different from Batman. He is not the gloomy, dark and brooding character that Bruce is. Right away you will notice his Batman is different from his predecessor . (Heck, even Gordon and The Joker can tell). Dick's Batman may not be as dark as Bruce but he is not happy go lucky either. He has no problem opening a can of kick butt whenever it is needed. As for Damian this is a very different Robin as well. Robin was always light to Batman's darkness. The kid who says the one liners while Batman knock his foe unconscious. That is not the case here. Damian is dark, violent and a little of a brat most of time. Then again he was raised and trained by "The League of Assassins" since birth. I seriously doubt he has had the normal childhood others characters who wore the Robin mask did. Damian has no problem dishing out the pain either. Sometimes though he tends to dish out too much. In the past we seen him leave his opponents temporary cripple and with a concussion. This is the twist that I love about this book. The roles have been reversed. Batman is the lighter character and Robin is the dark one. What I also love about this book is we see the guy (Dick) who defined the sidekick role takes on a sidekick. Which is why we probably we see a lighter Batman. Dick is being the Batman he wanted. Bruce and Dick even though they were the original "Dynamic Duo" and define the hero sidekick role they still had their problems. It's great to see Dick become a father/big brother figure to Damian even if he is reluctant to it. This relationship is one of the best I have seen in comics for a long time.

Now on to the story. As I said before the story "Batman must Die" brings to a close to Grants run on the book. I will not spoil anything but I will say it does not disappoint. We see Batman and Robin face what seems like impossible odds. A city in chaos and worst of all the Joker is in the middle. I will say one thing I love Grant's interpretation of the Joker and again like in "Batman R.I.P." he steals the show. I won't spoil too much but the Robin and Joker confrontation is great. (What happens when the Robin has the crowbar?) We also see you know who makes his return to Gotham as well. The big climatic fight scene is awesome. You see how much of a team that the current versions Batman and Robin have become.

Speaking of which that is one of the biggest highlights in this book. We finally see these characters grow in to the new roles they have taken. When we first met Damian he was a brat who would not think twice about decapitating a criminal. I love watching him practicing restraint. This was the same character long ago who felt enemies should be dealt with no mercy. Now he is showing mercy. (Well some what) Despite what Damian has said he actually wants to change and be the hero that Dick and others believe he can be. I know some people might not like Damian because he is a brat and really obnoxious at times but I actually like him a lot. Damian is different from all the other Robins. Bruce trained Dick, Jason, Tim and even Stephanie the skills to be Robin and fight crime along side of him. Damian was thought to fight by assassins from birth. He has always had the skills. His path on being Robin is different than the others. He is being trained to be a hero. We finally see the hero he can be in this volume. In the first volume we saw Dick screaming to Damian about fighting as a team and working together. You almost had to wonder will this partnership even last? In this volume we actually see this Duo become Dynamic. We see Dick and Damian work as a team. We see Damian actually following orders. We actually see Dick and Damian become Batman and Robin.

I didn't want to spoil much in my review because I didn't want to ruin a great story for any first time readers. Those who have already read this story know how it ends and where Grant will be taking the Batman Franchise in the future. I know sometimes Grant can go overboard and may lose many readers in a way too complex story but that is not the case here. I really hope Grant writes these characters again. Honestly its been a long time since I enjoyed a Batman book like this.

I would recommend this book to any DC or Batman fan.

Grant Morrison's tenure writing Batman has received incredible critical reviews and based on the year end awards many considered his work the best in comics for 2010. I was a huge fan of The Black Glove and Batman R.I.P. but since then have become increasingly disenchanted. The Batman and Robin books are quite good but not as good as advertised and The Return of Batman wasn't nearly as enjoyable as I'd hoped. So here it is; the big one; the culmination of several years of storylines. To all the Grant Morrison fans who've scolded me for daring to criticize the masters works let me just say that this book is FANTASTIC! Everything comes together in one colossal, amazing book; Thomas Wayne, The Joker, Professor Pyg, the mysterious box with the Batman symbol. I enjoyed this book so much I think I'll even give the disappointing Return of Batman another chance.

If Dick Grayson was permanently Batman to Damian's Robin I would have no problem with it. Grayson brings a level of depth to the character that Wayne has lost given his increasingly unfortunate perfection (of which Morrison is as guilty as any). Damian is an interesting Robin in that he will and does kill people. The real war in this book is between The Joker and Doctor Hurt (Thomas Wayne/ The Black Glove) with Grayson and young Wayne caught in the crossfire as Hurt's final plan for Gotham City unfolds. Morrison does an excellent job of writing The Joker as legitimately insane and terrifying and that's something most writers fail at. A great addition to the Batman universe, Doctor Hurt is a character I actually felt could go toe to toe with The Joker AND Batman. The revelations of Hurt are both astounding and unexpected and I won't even give a hint as to what they are. In fact a LOT of stuff happens that I won't talk about because this book is just too good to spoil.

I like to think of myself as a very honest reviewer of Morrison's works. I have criticized him as much as I've praised him so if I say I love something he's produced you can be sure it's not just sycophantic slobbering. I really was burned out on Morrison's stint as Batman's writer and had totally decided to take a pass on Batman Incorporated but this book may have just turned me around (something I might live to regret). I was completely satisfied with the book from the beginning to the spectacular ending and all points in between. Frazier Irving gets special mention for a unique and enjoyable art style that almost rivals Frank Quitely and the art in general remains superior even as artists are switched around. The final story is separate from the main storyline but serves as a bridge to Batman Incorporated and the book finishes off with some awesome sketchbook art. My final verdict is an unequivocal five out of five stars. Pick this one up and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Grant Morrison's work on Batman may be the most definitive deconstruction of the character ever attempted. His long-term, overarching saga of the battle between Batman and Dr. Hurt, a psychologist posing as Thomas Wayne, Bruce's murdered father back from the dead, has been by turns polarizing and frustrating, but also a progressive work of sheer genius, or at least brilliance in retrospect. If read singly, Morrison's Batman stories have had little in the way of closure, let alone accessibility, often feeling like the small disassembled pieces of a jumbo puzzle. At first pass, some chapters in his initial outing, Batman and Son, felt like an incomprehensible mess. Other chapters required a keen grasp on the timeline sequence of Morrison's work across both Batman and Final Crisis. If read as an encompassing narrative, as an ongoing story, he has created an impressive body of work that forces readers to actively participate in the construction of the story and to think long and hard about what has been happening and piece together events on their own.

This third volume of Batman & Robin is most definitely not recommended for newcomers, as it not only picks up immediately after the second volume, Batman vs. Robin, but closely connects to several other segments of Morrison's work within the Batman franchise. The confrontation between Dr. Hurt and Bruce Wayne comes to a head, while Joker is back and out for revenge. All of this is set against the backdrop of a Gotham City gone riotous after being poisoned by the disturbingly entertaining Professor Pyg. There's a hefty amount of work in the pages of this volume, but dedicated readers will have already done much of the heavy lifting thanks to Morrison's earlier entries.

Throughout his work on the various Batman titles, Morrison has crafted a unique story that is, ultimately, about time. Not just time-travel in the sci-fi sense, but time in a literal way. Morrison has borrowed from, and been inspired by, 50 years' worth of Batman mythology in an effort to tell his tale, reaching back to classic Silver Age comic book material, while also taking us into the near-future where Damian Wayne, Bruce's son, has taken on the mantle of the bat. We have gotten glimmers of The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Beyond, and Kingdom Come. His story has not been about Batman the character, but Batman the mythos. It is an expansive, ongoing work about family, memory, and legend, and the creation of mythology.

It's heady, thoughtful stuff that has been told in a fractured way, demanding readers to piece it together for themselves. Like all good mystery writers, Morrison has created an intricate puzzle that draws not only on the history of Batman but the entire Wayne family. It's about murder and magic, and the writer refuses to show his hand too soon. He tantalizes and teases, sometimes frustratingly so, slowly letting his readers in on the mystery before one-upping them again with another twist or a new wrinkle. It demands attention, and those who have dedicated themselves to Morrison's entire complex opus will be rewarded.

Some of the most enjoyable moments of Morrison's work have been watching him upend notable segments of Batman's history. There's a terrific reversal of sorts in this book when Damian, as Robin, confronts Joker, mimicking 1988's Death in the Family, which saw Joker dispatch a Robin (then Jason Todd) with a crowbar. Morrison has exhibited a strong grasp over Joker's craziness and has produced an excellent set of stories for the villain during his run on Batman and Batman & Robin that run the gamut of disturbing to hilarious, sometimes simultaneously.

As with The Return of Bruce Wayne, the weakest link to the story is artist Frazer Irving. While there are a few bright spots, such as his handling of the confrontation between Joker and Damian, too much of his art lacks dimensionality and appears flat. His work manages to be saved by a suitably dark color palette that contributes to the dark atmosphere of the plot. Frank Quitely makes a brief but welcome return, while David Finch expertly illustrates The Return.

Batman Must Die! represents a culmination of the work Morrison began with Batman and Son, while introducing readers to his next phase of stories in Batman, Inc. Examined through the filters of pop psychology, quantum physics, time travel, and an intriguing family dynamic, Morrison has injected an exciting level of freshness to the Caped Crusader throughout his run with the franchise. With Bruce Wayne firmly returning to the role of Batman, there is a renewed sense of energy and purpose that promises to propel the character, and his legend, forward into the future.

-- Michael Hicks