Batman Incorporated #6

[flint_marko]

Comments

[angelophile]

Apparently we're still not allowed to have nice things.

[akodo_rokku]

We got to keep Squire, who is a much nicer thing really.

[silverhammerman]

I find the conflict between Talia and Bruce to just be so incredibly boring. And is Knight dead now? That seems like a colossal waste.
I find myself really on the fence about this series. On the one hand, the plot bores me to tears, on the other, I really like Chris Burnham's art, and I'm eagerly anticipating seeing how this ends, plus I feel invested at this point and want to see the series wrap.

[espanolbot]

Cyril certainly looks dead, what with how his body's twisting at the neck like that.

[drexer]

Goddamnit Morrisson.

I like what you're writing here, but even I have to say this:

PUT THE TOYS BACK IN THE F-CKING BOX IN ONE PIECE!

[espanolbot]

Heheheh, do you honestly expect anyone in DC at this point who isn't Morrison will be allowed to use them?

They don't have enough pouches or guns for one thing.

[silicondream]

While I really hope Cyril survives--no one deserves to go out via art this ugly--I gotta say that these particular toys are practically Morrison-only in the first place. He wrote almost all their appearances aside from, what, one miniseries? I doubt they'd see much use from other writers in the near future, and if someone's dying to bring Cyril back they can just Lazarus him or something.

Again, I'd rather he not die, because I like him. But it's not quite the same situation as with, say, the JLI characters, where some creators' killing them off was a potential block to other creators who regularly used them.

[mrosa]

Wait, I thought it was Red Skull who was responsible for the economic crisis?

[espanolbot]

He's Marvel, this is DC.

The difference being that DC's skullfaced sadists are generally more entertaining than Marvel's.

[espanolbot]

Knight and Squire, nooo! :(

Personally I think that the Heretic is going to be that back-up clone of Damian from way back, though I don't think that'll be the case personally.

[apexpredator]

Or Ra's himself. He's a body jumper these days, and perhaps achieved his endgame of having Damien's body housing his mind. As well as seeing just what Leviathan/Talia can accomplish without the Demon's Head in the mix.

[jaybee3]

Knight and Squire were the best things to come out of Morrison's run (and I include Damien) and he does this? What to make Beryl the new "Knight" (when she's already awesome as Squire)? What a waste. What a complete waste.

And Talia has literally become a parody of a comic book villian (or James Bond villian) by now. Hard to believe this is the same character from the Denny O'Neil era.

[espanolbot]

If only they were allowed to use some of the other canon members of Batman Inc, they might have had the weight of numbers to save them. :(

And Beryl sadly stands as much chance of becoming the new Knight as Cass Cain does of getting a solo series as part of the new 52.

[arbre_rieur]

I don't get it when people complain about the death of a character being a waste. I mean, yeah, that's what death is. The tragedy of a life cut short and all that. If it wasn't a waste, it wouldn't be much of a tragedy.

[icon_uk]

It's as much that the character in question could be a particularly rich seam of storytelling for someone else (as Paul Cornell proved). Killing for shock value adds little to the story and breaks the toys for everyone else, so it doesn't even seem to be a dramatically "useful" death.

[captainbellman]

Michael de Montaigne once wrote that men at war are more inclined to see a death as "Honourable" if it is fought in valour rather than trickery (i.e., a decent battle rather than a sneak attack or a Trojan horse).

Perhaps people still like to think that way? Knight was surprised from behind while reviving a beloved teammate, murdered without being given a chance to defend himself and then used as a bludgeon. I dare you to think of a more dishonourable death.

[q99]

In short, people like reading stories with characters, and when characters die, that means no more stories with them (in most cases).

That's my thoughts on it.

[janegray]

Real life isn't escapist entertainment. I get my fill of waste when I watch the news.

[glprime]

"Economic instability will lead to SOCIAL ANARCHY!!! MUHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

God, writers, just... ugh... stop trying to be relevant.

[espanolbot]

To be fair, it kind of does. Or it leads to conditions where political extremes are seen to be more viable as a means of escape, for example Nazi Germany.

[darth_cloudo]

*Glances over at Knight action figure*
...
:(

[mrstatham]

When did Morrison go from arguably having the best writing skills on the best Batbook with the best artists in DC at his command to being one of the worst with an artist who looks like he's going too far in trying to emulate the Quitely-patented 'lumpy porridge' look for his characters?

Just.. Ugh. I know Ra's Al Ghul is basically meant to be the 'Bond villain' of Batman characters, but this is just so dull. Do we really need yet another recap of how Leviathan works and what it is? Or is Morrison really that egotistical that he doesn't think we're quite capable of following along with what basically amounts to little more than a standard supervillain indoctrination and infiltration plot?

[bamf2me]

I hate this art. Wide shots and environmentals are not too bad, but Burnham cannot draw a face to save his life. Throughout the entire book, Damian looks like a bobble head and everyone else looks ... puffy? Swollen? Zombie-like? I get distracted by the horrendous art which just makes the story even worse.

[mrosa]

It's not worse or better than most art - it's the typical five horizontal panels per page layout that shows up in every SD post, the same static art, the same widescreen panels that have no meat and a glimpse is enough to take them in. Invention is no longer a priority for pencillers. Welcome the greatest age of comics, according to Grant Morrison!

[zapbiffpow]

Loved that part with the Leviathan children attacking the GCPD.

Bit of a masterstroke for Talia here - it's the impossible army, one you can't hurt without going past all kinds of moral barriers. It's like going into a fight blindfolded with a hand tied behind the back.

[team_mummy]

I enjoy Chris Burnham's art, it's got a raw grit to it rather than the hyper-polished sheen of every other comic. It was when the artists switched for a couple of pages that took me out of it for a minute. Really identified with Bruce shaving in his car because I got an electric shaver for x-mas.
But yeah, I am starting to think maybe Ra's is in Talia's body, or Ra's is Heretic, ughhh they really got me wondering this time. Also I got tingles when Damian got all "hero time." I'm really proud of that kid.