Well, if you clicked on that image, you probably know what the “big reveal” was at the end of Batman & Robin #16. After the past few years of storytelling, where Batman was broken, “killed”, and lost in time, Bruce Wayne has now returned to the present with a new attitude. Going just short of revealing his identity to the world, Wayne announces that he has been Batman’s financial backer, and that a new division of Wayne Enterprises will be Batman, Incorporated: a global initiative to franchise Batman. While it was a surprise, I can’t say it was that groundbreaking of a concept. Sure, it’s new for DC and Batman, but it’s another example of taking notes from the leading competition. After all, this setup is similar to the way that Marvel used to portray Tony Stark. To those only familiar with the Iron Man movies, in the comics Iron Man was only Tony Stark’s bodyguard. As a paid employee of Stark Enterprises, his identity was a closely guarded secret. Sure, people assumed it was always Tony, but it wasn’t until recent years that his identity was revealed publicly. Now, with Bruce’s new role as financial backer/Batman recruiter, it’s just another page from the Marvel book, as he becomes Steve Rogers, and Dick Grayson continues his Bucky-Cap impression of Batman.
Well, comic fans tend to take a negative approach to any big event, so I’m going to really try to steer clear of that (really try hard!). Instead of trying to write up a whole narrative, I just thought I’d try a Pro/Con route with the different directions that the story could take. Bear with me – I’m really good with “con”, so this was a struggle at times.
PRO: This move will, at the very least, bring attention to DC and the Bat books. Not that they had been lacking in attention of the years, but it does show a willingness, on DC’s part, to try something new. It’s just telling that “new” for DC is “been there, done that” for Marvel. Still, it’s a good indicator that DC is taking notes from the competition instead of thinking the old ways would eventually pull them out of 2nd place.
CON: I hope this storyline will end up an example of the foolishness of “Too big to fail” economics, as the notion to franchise Batman seems like it would dilute the brand. Part of what makes Batman unique is that he’s the poster boy for secular humanism. He has reached the heights of what is humanly possible, with no magic, super powers, or enhancements, yet he can stand shoulder to shoulder with metahumans. Now, he’s going to go on a recruiting drive to find people worthy to wear the mantle of the Bat? No one else IS worthy. Even if they’re not on his level, to even tease the idea that there are many others out there who can carry that weight, is kind of a slap in the face to the legacy.
It almost feels like a rehash, as it’s reminiscent of the X-Books prior to House of M, where Marvel greatly reduced the number of mutants. At that time, there were SO many X characters that Marvel introduced the concept of X-Corporation (which, coincidentally, was also created during Grant Morrison’s run on that book), which was built upon an embassy framework throughout the Marvel Universe. Each X-Corporation team would be assigned a territory in which they would protect the interests of local mutants. Not only was it a good way to handle the growing number of mutants, but it also allowed stories to be told with characters who hadn’t been seen in some time. At the end, however, X-Corporation’s undoing would be the fact that it expanded too quickly without proper oversight. I can see the same thing happening with Batman, and Morrison’s already familiar with the process.
PRO: At the same time, I was raised during the “grim and gritty” era, of Batman so that’s just what I’m used to reading. I’ve read older stories, and I realize that Batman can be calculating and effective without being hateful-emo. In the 70s, he was the Dark Knight Detective, and there was more emphasis on his crime-solving than lurking in the shadows. In the 80s, all Batman needed was a chemistry set and a strong Aparo backhand. Maybe those are the days to which we’re returning. I like what I’ve read from that era, and I feel that there are many more stories to be told with that version of Batman.
CON: The reveal puts Bruce Wayne in the Jimmy Olsen role, as he’s now a target in his role as “Batman’s friend”. People will come after Wayne when they want to get Batman’s attention. The difference is that Jimmy has to call for help, while most of Batman’s allies can hold their own. Sure, the inner circle of the Bat Family will be safe, but he can’t protect everyone. Maybe Lucius Fox ends up taking a bullet meant for his boss?
PRO: It still lays the groundwork for interesting story angles. Think of the legal ramifications of the reveal. In today’s litigious society, every criminal would now be trying to get a piece of the Wayne fortune, as they can now sue for damages and injuries inflicted upon them by weaponry supplied & developed by Wayne Enterprises. There’s a glimpse of this in “Over the Edge”, which was one of the final episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. Once Batman is revealed to be Bruce Wayne, his rogues take to the talk show circuit to promote a class action suit meant to pay them for the pain and suffering they received at the hands of Batman. It was just a few seconds of a 20-minute show, but I’ve always been curious to see that play out somewhere.
CON: People are going to connect dots. They are gonna realize that Wayne and Batman have a similar build. All it’s gonna take is a snarky reporter and Photoshop before someone publishes a story with a image of a cowl over an 8×10. Hell. it’s even a scene in the original Tim Burton movie, as the same general result was achieved with a Sharpie. I mean, anyone with half a brain could look up at the podium and notice that Wayne’s sons (both biological and adopted) fit the physical profile of the rest of the Batman Family. How long can he dodge that bullet? It just makes me feel like it’s a plot line where we’ll all be waiting for the other shoe to drop. The same way nobody believed that Marvel would permanently eliminate all but 198 mutants, this public reveal also seems like a temporary thing that will probably be retconned in 2015 (at the latest) during Supreme Crisis.
PRO: I feel this is a move to return to Silver Age Batman, the period during which he and Superman were best friends, and there wasn’t the angsty edge that has lingered since the Dark Knight Returns was published in the mid 80s. Geoff Johns has risen to be quite the power player for DC, and his love for the Silver Age is no secret. If a Silver Age character was dead, he has resurrected them. If a plotline was too dark, had made it darker (Blackest Night), only to make things light again. It’s the standard “things get worse before they get better”, but it has all been in this direction. Once Superman returns from his coast-to-coast stroll, look for similar events in those books.
Comics don’t ever really change, just like soap operas. If a car goes over a cliff, but you don’t see a body, “Trent” is coming back just as soon as Rick Duvet renegotiates his contract. Considering DC has 51 other worlds in their Multiverse that they aren’t touching, it somewhat limits what I find shocking anymore. After all, they could have left Bruce dead (for real *dead*), let Dick stay as Batman, and then launched another Batman series, set on another Earth that’s similar enough to New Earth that readers wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Or even say “Psyche! The Earth you’ve been reading about since Infinite Crisis is the WRONG Earth!”, and we’d find out our Batman is alive and well on Earth-47 or something. It’s just hard for me to get excited about all the detail work you’ve done on your old car, when you’ve got a garage full of newer cars that you aren’t even touching. As you can probably tell, I’m talking in circles here. I can be as pessimistic as I want, but I’ll still end up buying the books. I’m curious to see where things are going, but at the same time I just don’t really see why things had to change.
