Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #360359 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 200 pages

Customer Reviews

It starts out brilliantly...
The story is pretty solid and has some genuine classic moments, but it's often ruined by Grant Morrison's style of writing. Ideas have never been his problem, but too often i find myself struggling to fathom out what is going on. It starts out brilliantly, until about half way through, you start to feel that Morrison's going to pull a fast one and go off on one of his (un)usual tangents. The ending is confusing and relates and resolves nothing.
I can relate to Morrison's more conceptual work and i think when he puts his mind to it, he can be one of the best straight up comic writers about. However, too often (for me) he veers off from the latter, almost as if he's embarrassed to be writing a comic, and things start to get a bit bizzare.
This is a case in point, readers who are used to his style will probaly find this very rewarding, those unaquainted will quite possibly find this difficult to read as it progresses. Oh, the artworks magnificent, and quite often saves it.

Brillant Start... Awful Finish
Batman and Son was eagerly anticipated by many people, including myself. The story starts off like a firework display as we learn (at the same time as Batman) that he has a biological son, after his night of passion with Talia Al-Ghul. After using an army of creatures to capture Batman, Talia leaves Damion with the Dark Knight for some father-son bonding.

The interaction between Damian and Tim was very well written, and never did the word "father" sound so eerie. The first hiccup comes in the middle, were the Batman and Son storyline is rudely interrupted by "The clown at midnight interlude" a text story, completely out of place in the middle of a graphic novel. I skipped over this strange (and unrelated) insert and carried on.

The story unfolded wonderfully until the last section. It seemed as if the writer went on holiday, and the pet frog was asked to finish it off... by the end of the day. I still don't understand what happened! Where is Batman? What happened to Tim? Why is Damian trying to live up to Dick Grayson when he never even met him? There are more questions than answers.

This storyline started off with so much promise (5 stars) that it pained me to read the final chapter - you can't call it an ending (0 star). Shame really.

Oddly enough, Batman's already got two "sons" (Dick Greyson and Tim Drake) it would have been more interesting if Batman's biological child had been a daughter... maybe next time.

Four stories collected together - Good overall if somewhat disjointed
This book covers four loosely connected stories so I will review each one individually.

It starts with a four part story chronicling the revelation that Bruce Wayne has a previously unknown son (this isn't much of a spoiler, it is in the title). The lackluster storyline is just a vessel for the fascinating relationships between the Batfamily and the son. The interactions between Batman's adapted son, Tim Drake, and his biological son is easily the highlight of this story.
The artwork is perfect for Batman. Andy Kubert's drawing makes the Grant Morrison's story come to life and it is never unclear what is going on. The double page spread with the joker and the last page of chapter two stand out in particular.

After this story there is an "interlude" story about the joker attempting to break out of Arkham. This chapter was written in prose with some hit-and-miss illustrations by John Van Fleet. This chapter could easily been skipped but is worth giving it a look since it sets up Grant Morrison's take on the Joker.

This is followed by another story that seems more like set up to the next story arc than a story in its own right. It is in two parts and continues what seemed like a side story in the opening chapter about three ex cops who are impersonating Batman. It is a pretty standard affair with no real twists or turns. Andy Kubert again provides excellent art.

The last story is a "what if" story set in an alternate future where Batman's son took up the Batman cowl after Bruce is killed (possibly by his son's hand). The actual story is, again, somewhat conventional and most likely no relevance to Morrison's overall Batman story. One thing I really enjoyed about this story was the design of the Batsuit. Instead of the his usual attire, this Batman wears a long coat with the cowl attached. It presents this Batman as more of a detective than traditional superhero and is very film noir-esque.

Overall, each one of the stories are average if compelling in their own way. It would be a three star book if it were not for the excellent art and the really well handled character moments in the first story.