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Topic: Morrison on Batman (and Frank Miller) (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Matt Linton
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Posted: 23 August 2006 at 1:20pm | IP Logged | 1  

The idea here is not to soften or emotionally reset Batman as an exercise in nostalgia but to make him more real and relateable, while at the same time offering some rationale for his complex multi-faceted personality.  I want to see a Batman that combines the cynic, the scholar, the daredevil, the businessman, the superhero, the wit, the lateral thinker, the aristocrat.  He terrifies the guilty, but he has great compassion for the weak and the downtrodden and will lay his life on the line for anybody who's in trouble.  He's a master of yoga and meditation who has as much control over his body and his feelings as any human.  He has a wider range of experiences than most people will dream of in ten lifetimes.  This is not a one-not character!  So, while I won't pretend we all live on Sunnybrook Farm, I don't think it's appropriate - particularly in trying times - to present our fictional heroes as unsmiling vengeance machines.  I'd rather Batman embodied the best that secular humanism has to offer.

More at http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/Batman/Morrison/Morrison_Batm an.html

Thoughts?
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Jeff Lommel
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Posted: 23 August 2006 at 1:33pm | IP Logged | 2  

Don't forget " I'd be so much more impressed if Frank Miller gave up all this graphic novel nonsense, joined the Army and, with a howl of undying hate, rushed headlong onto the front lines with the young soldiers who are actually risking life and limb 'vs' Al Qaeda."

I was pretty surprised to read this, although from the tone of the rest of the piece I'm pretty sure it was meant as a joke and not a true slam of Miller.   My expectations were raised by almost the entire article, especially what he said about how he sees Batman and his influences on this current run.  I got a chuckle from a few different parts of the interview too.
'MY BACK SPLINTERS INTO A THOUSAND SHARDS OF AGONIZED BONE. HE'S GOOD. HE'S YOUNG. HE'S TOUGHER AND YOUNGER THAN ME. AND TOUGHER. DID I MENTION TOUGHER ? MUSN'T BLACK OUT...'
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Robert Last
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Posted: 23 August 2006 at 1:38pm | IP Logged | 3  


Sounds very much like a Batman I'll enjoy reading.  I certainly enjoyed the first issue in Morrison's run.
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Matt Linton
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Posted: 23 August 2006 at 1:38pm | IP Logged | 4  

I was already excited by Morrison's take on Batman (especially after how well he wrote him in JLA), but this pretty much sold me on it.  Batman as a well-adjusted super hero is something that's been missing for a long time.
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Troy Nunis
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Posted: 23 August 2006 at 5:40pm | IP Logged | 5  

>>Batman as a well-adjusted super hero is something that's been missing for a long time. <<

Greatly in part due to Morrison's handling of Batman in JLA and Arkham Asylam

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Michael Roberts
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Posted: 23 August 2006 at 5:51pm | IP Logged | 6  

Greatly in part due to Morrison's handling of Batman in JLA and Arkham Asylam

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I agree. I am enjoying his current run and glad that Morrison has changed his take on Batman, but I thought a lot of the psycho-ninja Batman portrayal of the last 10 years was inspired by Morrison's JLA run more than Miller's Batman.
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Daniel Andreyev
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Posted: 23 August 2006 at 7:14pm | IP Logged | 7  

The latest Batman issue was hilarous (the whole Roy Liechtenstein idea was great!)  and the interview sounds pretty fun. I'm curious about the Kubert designed Batmobile (his job, right ?).
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Gregg Allinson
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Posted: 23 August 2006 at 8:25pm | IP Logged | 8  

I'm curious about the Kubert designed Batmobile (his job, right ?).

Most likely- 'though remember that Morrison is also an artist (and one who should draw more!) too.

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Matt Linton
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Posted: 23 August 2006 at 8:44pm | IP Logged | 9  

Greatly in part due to Morrison's handling of Batman in JLA and Arkham Asylum.

*****

I haven't read Arkham Asylum, but I thought he wrote a fairly well-adjusted Batman in JLA.  I think you can certainly say that his Batman in that book is responsible for a lot of the "Batman can beat anyone if he cheats" nonsense, but the "psycho-ninja" Batman came much more from Miller (and mostly those trying to write like Miller).  And even if Morrison is in some way responsible (like I said, I haven't read Arkham Asylum) I give him credit for acknowledging that things swung way too far in that direction, and he's trying to swing them back.
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Robert Cosgrove
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Posted: 23 August 2006 at 8:48pm | IP Logged | 10  

"Cynic" isn't really a word I'd associate with Batman . . .
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Chris Back
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Posted: 23 August 2006 at 8:54pm | IP Logged | 11  

Matt....Arkham Asylum was written for an audience of one.  Morrison being the sum total of that audience.  Skip it.  
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Michael Roberts
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Posted: 23 August 2006 at 9:18pm | IP Logged | 12  

I haven't read Arkham Asylum, but I thought he wrote a fairly well-adjusted Batman in JLA.  I think you can certainly say that his Batman in that book is responsible for a lot of the "Batman can beat anyone if he cheats" nonsense, but the "psycho-ninja" Batman came much more from Miller (and mostly those trying to write like Miller).

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People trying to ape Frank Miller did contribute a lot to the psycho-ninja Batman, but I still think it was really Morrison's Batman that set the tone for the Batman of the last few years. While one could argue he was just really prepared, but he seemed to have contingencies for dealing with all his colleagues (the device he had to prevent Superman from hearing his heartbeat in the first issue). He never acted like a team player, dealing with things on his own and treating the others like they were in his way.

This led to Mark Waid's Tower of Babel storyline, where Batman's plans for taking out all his teammates were revealed. To be fair, the storyline ended with Batman trusting the rest of the JLA with his secret identity, but later writers seemed to ignore that part and carry on with the tone set in JLA that Batman doesn't trust his colleagues. This somehow turned into Batman doesn't trust his own family. Which then led to Batman is totally paranoid and an utter dick to his friends and family.


Edited by Michael Roberts on 23 August 2006 at 9:19pm
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