He’s dying, Mike. That’s right, The Batman is dying. Forevers. And he’s never coming back. Never. Just like your gerbil when you were little. It’s harsh, but it’s the cycle of life. I know that may seem brutal but hey!, it’s okay, it’s allright, c’mon now rainy face, let it out. It takes a strong man to cry. Good soldier. Good soldier.
Oh, you mean why does it make no sense? Why do you feel like you are starring in Memento when you read it? I think GM is expecting a lot of effort from his readers, maybe too much. It is after all Batman not Gravity’s Rainbow. Anyway, I don’t know. I think getting someone who could draw a sequential graphic narrative properly might be a start, but that’s just me.
I think we’ll need to bust The Maniac of Meta-Commentary, The Sultan of Subtext, The Maharajah of Meaning - the one the only - The Pickler! out of Arkham to solve this one. Who's got the dynamite?
Bat-Mite's in it! I'm not even joking! He's dark and creepy but he is Bat-Mite! Bruce! Don't trust the Dark-Mite! Kick his grinning face off, now!Pick your teeth with his tiny bones! Or. You.Will. Die!
NT, You didn't give up before Dark-Mite appeared did you? Or was that the previous "story"? Who cares? No one can tell.
It all makes sense if you read the Batman in The Fifties TPB so I hear. I've read that and it just makes this seem less nonsense which isn't the same as more sense by any stretch.
I just read Part 3 and I had no problems at all following the issue. I think maybe I read them, enjoy them and then the Internet convinces me I didn't understand them, when in fact I did. Or maybe I didn't. I certainly laughed at Robin-Mime Fight! and was impressed that the Hobo Bats gave all the money to last issue didn't get a new suit, a haircut and become an upstanding citizen, but did something far more human (but no spoilers, eh?).
And this time I braced myself for the quite clearly not-ready-for-prime-time art, which helped. Boy, that splash stunk so bad my eyes watered. And it's a good job Robin was always eating and Nightwing had sh*t dialogue so I could tell them apart.
Enjoying it I may be, but I'm certainly not picking up all the subtleties. But hey! Someone is doing it for me:
At first I hated it. I thought everybody was just pretending to like it because they wanted to seem clever. But now I realise it's Crisis on Infinite Batmans. (yeah, that's right, the plural of Batman is Batmans). Everything that ever happened to Batman in a Batman comic, actually happened. All the mental 50's and 60's crazyness, Thomas Wayne being the first Batman, it happened. Bruce Wayne starting out as Robin before graduating to Batman, happened. Training as a cop only to realise the difference between law and justice, happened. Batmite, happened. Yeah, Morrison demands a lot of his readers, but what's up with that. Although I think if I were a 10 year old kid picking this series up for the first time I'd be like "OMG, WTF, where's my XStationDS" or whatever...
I like Batman RIP too! And I am so far from clever even if I had SatNav I'd not find it. I think it is a genius idea. It seems complex but it's really simple. As you say, all the Batman stories happened. Which is how it is in your head when you read a Batman story anyway. Simple idea, but it requires complex execution. And it's working it really is. Even though it is (really) badly drawn it is still working. Grant Morrison, ladies and gentlemen...
Howcum you know all that about Batmans, OKComicsman? I didn't and I've been reading Batmans for long time, yes.
What's up with demanding a lot of your readers? Nothing as long as you don't mind not having a lot of readers. He's got me though. Right where he wants me, the wee Scots tyke.
(And I think we're safe from confused 10 year olds because...comics aren't for Kids! Didn't you get the memo?)
Well, apparently Battle Royale's not for kids. Just ask the irate mum who came in the shop yesterday to tell me so.
I don't mind my brains being stretched by a comic. I quite like it. I think it's probably more appropriate in Invisibles or Promethea than it is in Batman though...
