GKO: MADHOUSE
Here you will find our rambalings on all area's of Batman, interviews and speical features!
IGN Comics: Batman Inc. has just been announced here at the show. While we're sure you want to keep quiet on many details and keep the focus on the Return of Bruce Wayne, what can you say about Inc?
Grant Morrison: I don't want to say too much about the high concept until readers have seen the next couple of Batman and Robin issues, but I suppose you have to take the title The Return of Bruce Wayne literally. There was a kind of tacit understanding for a long time that there was no Bruce Wayne, only Batman, and that 'Bruce' was just a mask or persona. A lot of what we've been trying to do is to undermine that idea.
In Batman R.I.P. the 'Batman of Zur-En-Arrh' was a way of showing what happens to Batman without Bruce Wayne, Batman Inc. (with its 3-letter echo of R.I.P.) is about a Batman who has a lot more obvious 'Bruce Wayne' in his methods and operations. I wanted to do something to really bring home how he'd changed during the events of R.I.P. and Return. The last few years have been his Dark Night of the Soul, so this is a different kind of man and, I think, the natural result of fusing Wayne and Batman back together as one.
This really is the return of Bruce Wayne to the mix in a big way. It's Bruce we've seen pushed way out of his comfort zone, into supernatural and time travel scenarios where he's had to fight to survive and hold onto his sense of self. He's faced ultimate challenges to his very being and now he's back from those fringes to a more down-to-earth kind of story.
The new direction kicks off in a 30-page one-shot Batman: The Retrun which David Finch is drawing. We see the Batman Damian/Robin team in action and how that plays out, introduce some new villains and get the whole breakdown of how the Batman Inc. concept works, alongside a good half- ton of guest stars. With David on board I wanted to do something big and this is where we get our first look at Batman's updated costume, vehicles and allies (as designed by Finch). It's a blockbuster entry-level kind of Bat-book aimed at setting up the new rules and kicking off into one of those new eras we're always hearing so much about.
IGN Comics: Through your tenure on the Batman franchise we've seen you analyze all sorts of angles of the Dark Knight through various lenses – time, his family, his friends, his enemies… what new perspectives does Batman Inc afford you?
Morrison: I suppose this is my team-up book and it's about Batman's wealth, power and influence above all. This is Brave and the Bold in a way although most of the team-ups will be confined to our extended Batman family characters (Batman/Red Robin, Batman/El Gaucho, and Batman/Kathy Kane Batwoman among many others).
I'm a big fan of the animated Brave and the Bold show and the Johnny DC kids so I suppose there was a conscious effort to bring that kind of story into my all-encompassing every-Batman-ever structure. And of course I've always loved Bob Haney's iconoclastic but hugely successful run on The Brave and the Bold comic book from the'60s and '70s. This is my attempt to tackle that aspect of the life of the character – the relationships with other heroes – and wrap it into my own version of a consistent, 'definitive' portrayal of Batman and his world.
IGN Comics: All of your books – even arcs – tend to have radically different tones and themes. I remember back in the start of Batman and Robin you were describing your interest in doing quick, punchy serialized storylines. How will you be approaching Inc? Are there particular elements of the plot or concept that are driving this sort of approach?
Morrison: The first year is mostly 1, 2 and 3-part stories and the second, final year is a 12-issue rollercoaster ride through Hell. The biggest Batman story I could think of. I like to plan each book in terms of a 'season' on TV, where there's a series of individual stories with running subplots that come to a head in the season ender. The first year lays down the new status quo for Batman, introduces a horde of new characters and sets up the players for this apocalyptic finale.
Read the entire interview here.
LISTEN TO THIS WEEKS PODCAST ONLINE COVERING NEWS, REVIEWS AND INTERVIEWS WITH GUESTS FROM ALL BATMAN INDUSTRIES!
GKO: PODCAST #43
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This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. 20th Sept to 3rd Oct, including Batman: Knightfall Pt10.
GKO: PODCAST #41
This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. 13th to Sept 20th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt9.
GKO: PODCAST #40
This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 30th to Sept 12th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt8.
GKO: PODCAST #39
This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 23rd to Aug 29th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt7.
GKO: PODCAST #38
This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 9th to Aug 22nd, including Batman: Knightfall Pt6.
GKO: PODCAST #37
This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 2nd to Aug 8th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt5.
GKO: PODCAST #36
This week we have a new host and review Batman: Under the Red Hood along with all the news from the week.
GKO: PODCAST #35
This is our SDCC '10 coverage special covering all the news from July 19th to July 25th.
GKO: PODCAST #34
This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. July 12th to July 18th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt2.
GKO: PODCAST #33
This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. July 5th to July 11th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt1.
GKO: PODCAST #24
This week we interview with artist Lee Garbett to talk about his current run on Batgirl
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