Grant Morrison's tenure on Batman & Robin is about to end, turning over the reins to Paul Cornell and then Peter Tomasi before shifting to Batman Inc. But we've still a smattering of madness left with issue #16. Cameron Stewart returns to art duties, but there's still some of that great Frazer Irving residue in there as well. Plus two, count 'em two, Batmans. And a really big regular bat. Regular only in the sense that it's not a man. Otherwise completely irregular, as it's just a huge, huge bat with glowing cobalt eyes. That's never good.
DC offers this preview of the issue, which ought to put a powder in your wig. Whatever the hell that means:
I hope you don't have chiroptophobia. Or maybe now you do.
Look for issue #16 this week.
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I think this is my last issue of Batman and Robin. I know this is also Morrison’s last, but most of this series has confused me; i jumped into morrison’s story to late in the game. finishing it out for the sake of completionist. I will check out previews for the new creative teams and see if i still want to pick this up.
I am glad Stewert is back, his art looks very clean and well coloured here, plus he draws a really creepy bat, and i like that.
That is some fantastic art.
I really need to be following this in issues…i’m just so behind previously waiting for the trades. I think some back issue bin diving is in order
I have a feeling that the delay in Return Of Bruce Wayne #6 actually works in this book’s favor. It looks like we’re getting a bit of a background of Barbatos here, which can be useful knowing when Barbatos Bruce is running amok in the JLA headquarters.
So Dr. Hurt really is Thomas Wayne just not Batman’s father?
So we’ll see how ridiculous this is gonna be considering ROBW #6 couldn’t be done in time to come out before this issue.
Is there some kind of checklist reading order for the last part of this Bat Barrage? Starting with, say ROBW #1? This will for sure be better in trade because at least the orders and shipping delays will be but distant memories…
@Heroville: Yes. Dr. Hurt, El Penitente, and Thomas Wayne are all on in the same. The hole in things. That’s my impression at least.
This is a fun preview. Love those last two pages. Can’t wait.
After many months of trying to find the answers both online and in the issues themselves, I have come to the conclusion that Hurt is the hole in things (he is all of them). And the mystery surrounding this all is perhaps the most rewarding thing in and of itself. The ultimate stump for the ultimate detective. I do hope that some of the mystery around Hurt remains intact when Grant is done here (he is not really done, Hurt could very well show in Batman Inc. someday).
I wish it was Wednesday right now.
Consider my wig powdered.
Good stuff, but I’m with WeaklyRoll that this is my my last issue. I’ll check out previews and see if it it entices me but for now Detective Comics is going to take Batman & Robin’s spot on my pull.
Really sad this isn’t Quietly as it was originally supposed to be. It sucks that he never came back to do more on this title because I think it makes it less special for it.
@mikeandzod21 – I felt similarly until Frazer Irving came along. While entirely different, I think he matched Quitely’s level of artistic prowess.
Irving doesn’t really work for me. Aesthetically, he’s fantastic. I just have a hard time following his storytelling.
As long as we don’t mention He Who Must Not Be Named, the artists on this run were top notch. Clarke really suprised me of the bunch and Irving now arrives at Quitely level.
I don’t think Dr. Hurt is Thomas Wayne, father of Bruce Wayne. I think he is Thomas Wayne Jr. He alluded to the Waynes "taking him in" in one of the last couple of issues, so I think he was adopted by the Waynes and either ran away/was institutionalized/kicked out.
I don’t see any way any editor at DC – even DiDio who pretty much let Morrison go nuts and do all kinds of stuff no one else would be allowed to – would let any writer make Thomas Wayne, father of Bruce Wayne, still alive and a villain. That would fundamentally change the Batman mythos too much. It’d be like the Spider-Man Clone fiasco or Brand New Day.
Personally, I wish someone would put a bullet in Dr. Hurt’s head. I’m tired of him.
@kennyg: I think everyone’s well aware that he’s not Bruce’s father. And I think Morrison knows this. Like Roland said, the mystery lies not in who he isn’t, but who the hell he actually is. I agree that it seems apparent that he’s "Thomas Wayne Jr.", but that only covers this timeline. The guy’s been haunting Bruce since the days of the Puritans, so either he traveled back somehow from this timeline, or he’s acquired immortality. Presumably through the Barbatos rituals. Also, I’m pretty sure Bruce would be inclined to side with you on putting a bullet through his head, but it’ll be much more gratifying to beat him at his own game and destroy his mind. If someone does end up killing him, I really hope it’s The Joker.
It’s been pretty clear throughout most of the story that Dr. Hurt is not really Thomas Wayne. It’s been established quite a few times, especially recently.
@Conor – Didn’t Alfred have a "you sir are not Bruce Wayne" moment way back when, RIP maybe? That seemed like the definitive evidence against Hurt being Bruce’s dad
so who is this Dr Hurt i keep hearing about ?
@Cutty: He had a similar moment in the last BATMAN & ROBIN.
Yes I know, just pointing out that (I think) Morrison squashed any theories that Hurt was Thomas Wayne. Or at least he tried to, he gives our reading comprehension skills too much credit sometimes
…squashed any theories years ago that is.
here’s why Dr Hurt can’t be Thomas Wayne – if Batman’s parents didn’t die it DESTROYS the character
@edward – that’s what many many fans have been worried about ever since RIP
@Cutty: Stupid fans
@Conor: That last moment with Alfred and Hurt was chilling. It seems to me Alfred may know more about Hurt than he’s let on. Or at the very least he recognizes him face to face. Which I think is fantastic. It adds a whole new layer to Alfred. What I want to know is, if he does know, why would he keep it from the boys?
I find it funny that since RIP started to storylines now; fans really think Alfred is gonna turn against Bruce. Like he has been against Bruce this entire time and is secretly working for the Black Hand. Even when he got the crap beaten out of him in RIP, people still thought it was a ruse.
Gotta admit though, even if I don’t believe it will happen it would be a cool twist.
@tnc: which fans said alfred is working with the black hand?
That’s not what I was saying at all. I’m just curious as to what, if anything, Alfred knows. Having Alfred work for The Black Glove would be the dumbest twist ever.
WheelHands – Dr Hurt was taken in by the Waynes, before they gave up on him and had him committed to a mental institution. So of course Alfred knows him – he was their butler at that time.
Right. I get that. I just wanna find out what Alfred knows. That’s what I meant.
It’s also obvious that Dick, Damian and Alfred have had Hurt figured out for some time now, hence their preparing of the manor for his arrival. I doubt there is anything Alfred is keeping from them.
That’s true. Good point.
I am always in for all things Batman, and this art looks awesome. As for Hurt, I think he is..
He is Alfred’s son.
He is TW’s clone.
He is Bruce’s slighlty older twin brother.
He is Grant’s “Fever-Dream” and will never be explained.
Yes, "preparing of the manor" that Alfred mentioned – is there more of that to be seen? Can’t wait to find out. As much as I hate Dr. Hurt, I realized the reason I hate him is because he is such a threat. I hate him for what he’s done to Bruce, to all of them. And that is the hallmark of a great villain. That’s why the double-punch from the last issue was so satisfying for me. He’s so smug and seemingly unbeatable, I just want Bruce to crush him, devestate him.
Dammit, Morrison, you did it, you brilliant bastard…