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May 29, 2012 DC Comics By Kyle Lemmon

Grant Morrison’s Batman, Incorporated returned last week with a bloody and action-packed debut issue. It’s essentially the crown jewel of DC’s “Second Wave” of New 52 titles in terms of writing, but artist Christopher Burnham is no slouch either. His kinectic and poppy art (pencils, inks, and colors) continue his stellar work on Morrison’s earlier series, Batman & Robin. Facial expressions, epic splash pages, and small character moments are crafted with the same amount of care. Longtime Morrison fans know that his comics can be as dense as they are madcap. His storylines are not filled with easily telegraphed peaks and valleys. Sometimes the floor drops out from underneath the reader or the path to a general conclusion is as gnarled, circuitous, and overgrown as an old hedge maze.

Thankfully, Batman, Incorporated #1 is more action than intruige for the Morrison neophytes. It begins with a flash-forward of Bruce Wayne about to be arrested in front of two unmarked graves; Morrison coyly doesn’t reveal whether Bruce is visiting his parents one last time or fallen comrades. We just know that he wants to quit being Batman, a decision that Alfred is not so keen on. All the information you need to know about the previous series is subtly brought up in the opening panels; Damian Wayne’s mother, Talia al Ghul, is leading an evil organization called Leviathan.

The narration for the issue comes from some low-level thug Goatboy who got his name from a stupid Bill Hicks sketch. He has plans to assasinate Robin so he can put his kid through college. It’s a nice touch for a small character to be so fleshed out since most goons say something stupid before the superhero breaks their kneecaps. After the opening page, we jump backwards one month and the plot begins to unfold. A chase through a slaughterhouse is boisterously sick and hilarious all at once and Damian’s wisecrack about becoming a vegetarian and naming a bovine Bat-Cow is spot-on for the bratty character. Morrison knows how to spin an entertaining yarn.

New 52 Continuity Note: Batman, Incorporated seems to be set outside and/or before the DC Universe’s post-Flashpoint timeline—Batman’s death and rebirth, as well as Dick Grayson’s stint as Batman, are mentioned in passing. Outsiders and Element Man are also mentioned as old Justice League members. No matter. This book is near-perfect. Just go out and purchase it as soon as you can. It’s that good. (www.dccomics.com/comics/batman-incorporated-2012)

Author rating: 9/10