Grant Morrison on Batman

[Super Monkey]

NRAMA: You said some interesting things at San Deigo this year, and I was hoping you could touch upon them again here - the gritty, grim Batman worked for a time, but now…there needs to be a change. What's at the root of the change? Is it the shift in the DCU, a change in the larger zeitgeist of the culture?

GM: Personally, I wanted to see a psychologically 'healthier' Batman - the last couple of decades have seen the character in the comics deconstructed almost to the point of no return and the Bat-books were heavily-laden with an extended family of characters, many of whom existed only to stand in for some part of Batman's personality that had been lost or suppressed over the last twenty years. It seemed like the right moment to step in and start gluing him back together again.


Read the full interview here: http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/Batman/Morrison/Morrison_Batman.html

[JulianPerez]

I'm trying to put all kinds of things back into Bat-continuity in a way that makes sense, including Bat-Mite and Ace, the Bat-Hound.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

(slams fist on the ground) DAAAMN YOU! DAAAAMN YOU ALL TO HELLLL!

I'm in favor of a swashbuckling, pulp Batman as much as anybody else, but BAT-MITE? There's such a thing as a pendulum swinging too far in the other direction. Batman's editorial vision has been off for the past few years, true, but let's not make the mistake of getting sentimental about utterly unworthy things.

Bat-Mite has nothing to do with what Batman's stories are supposed to be about, and is an unwelcome intrusion on the pulp feel of Batman's stories. He's an inferior version of, and derivative of, other, better characters (Qwisp the Sea Sprite, Mr. Mxyzptlk).

Ace the Bat-Hound, on the other hand, might be interesting. Hero dogs are a big part of adventure fiction, if they play him more like White Fang than Wonder Dog.

Other than that, Morrison's approach seems solid. I love the Neal Adams references, and it's very classy of him to give props to O'Neil (though none for Stainless Steve? Way to diss by omission, Granty). Batman's stories being described as "vaguely James Bond-ish" shows that Morrison has a real grip and feel for Batman's world. And it was very sharp of Grant to pick up on the Mike Barr thread, and I'm legitimately curious to see what develops.

[Super Monkey]

But, this will be his version of Bat-Mite so who knows what it will be like.

[Uncle Mxy]

For the best Ace, watch the Krypto cartoon.  
Ace is awesome.

[MatterEaterLad]

There was a Silver Age comic where Bat Mite and Myx get into a war of magic that I always wanted to read, I'd give a new take on the Mite a chance, anyways...

[JulianPerez]

But, this will be his version of Bat-Mite so who knows what it will be like.

Hmmm, maybe that's true. If you asked me a few months ago about the Prankster, I would have written him off in the same vein as Bat-Mite: an unoriginal "Superman" version of the enemies of other characters; the only person that ever got interesting use out of the Prankster was Marty Pasko, and that was only because Pasko paired him up with other villains.

That was before Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns did their recent JLA arc that featured the Prankster in such true to life and sharp form. My favorite part of the whole thing was how the Prankster defeated Hal Jordan: covered him in itching powder, so he couldn't concentrate to use his ring!

[Michel Weisnor]

But, this will be his version of Bat-Mite so who knows what it will be like.

Knowing Grant Morrison, Bat-Mite will be a chain smoking; hard loving ne'er-do-well, wearing hip huggers with an uncanny resemblance to Johnny Puleo.

I love the old Bat-Mite stories I've read so I'll leave it at that...

Go Bat-Mat!   :wink:

[nightwing]

Don't forget "Ace" appeared on Batman Beyond as the elderly Bruce Wayne's rather cantankerous guard dog.  So there's always ways to make formerly goofy concepts work.

I'm extremely encouraged by everything Morrison's said about Batman and hope he can salvage what the disciples of Miller have made him into...which, as Morrison says, is less, not more than what he can be and has been.  I also liked his dig at Miller over the ridiculous "Batman vs Al Quaeda" comic in the works.  (Suggesting that a guy with the Miller Batman's psychological make-up would be a real-life candidate for the Taliban). Basically he told Miller to put on fatigues and join the Army if he wants to make a real difference.  Batman is a character in a comic book.

You go, Grant!