Batman #666 Review

The Revolution is excited to read Batman #666. This issue centers on the Batman of the future: Damian Wayne. This has all the makings of a rocking good story. I’m curious to see what kind of adult the bratty Damian has turned out to be. Let’s go ahead and hit this review.

Creative Team
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciler: Andy Kubert
Inker: Jesse Delperdang

Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9.5 Night Girls out of 10

Synopsis: It is fifteen years in the future and Damian Wayne is now the Batman. Damian is driven by the guilt of his father, Bruce Wayne, and walks the fine line between good and evil as the Batman. We see Batman brutally take down on of Professor Pyg’s dollotrons.

Commissioner Barbara Gordon and the Gotham police arrive on the scene. Barbara Gordon accuses Batman of killing Candyman and various other Gotham criminal bosses. Barbara comments that she always knew Damian would snap. Batman says that he didn’t kill any of the criminal bosses. Damian quotes Yeats and tells Barbara that Gotham is Bethlehem where the force of darkness and the forces of light meet.

Batman then eludes the Gotham police in his Batmobile. Barbara Gordon and the police then find Professor Pyg’s dead body. Barbara wonders what is going on in the world. That everything is getting out of control.

We cut to Damian arriving at his penthouse. He has a cat named Alfred. Damian goes to his version of the old Batcave. Damian talks how the killer of all the crime bosses is the last of the three men, the insane replacement Batmen, who haunted Bruce Wayne years ago. That this final lunatic Batman claimed to be the Anti-Christ and promised to return to Gotham one day on the eve of the Battle of Armageddon.

Damian sits at the Batcomputer and sees all the various news feeds from around the globe showing that the entire world is descending into Armageddon. There are calamites all around Earth like disease, famine, record breaking heat and dirty bombs from anti-Islamic groups. (Wow, really P.C. there Morrison. Non-Islamic terrorists.)

Damian says that he knows the Devil. Damian wonders if the Anti-Christ knows anything about the bargain that Damian made at the crossroads on the night Bruce Wayne died. Damian punches in the locations of the murders of the five big Gotham crime bosses into the Batcomputer and it forms the shape of an upside down pentagram on the map of Gotham. In the middle of the pentagram is the Hotel Bethlehem where the Anti-Christ will strike next.

We shift to the Hotel Bethlehem where the Anti-Christ Batman arrives on the scene with his group of super powered thugs. Batman arrives on the scene and a huge fight breaks out. Batman viciously takes down all of the thugs. Blood flies everywhere.

Batman then squares off with the Anti-Christ Batman. Batman blasts the Anti-Christ into a pool. The Anti-Christ Batman then rises out of the pool and walks across the surface of the water. The Anti-Christ Batman tells Batman to join him as his soldier. Batman proceeds to beat the hell out of the Anti-Christ.

Batman says that the Devil must have not told the Anti-Christ that the Devil made a bargain with Damian when Damian was fourteen. That Damian would give the Devil his soul in exchange for Gotham’s survival. Batman tells the Anti-Christ to tell the Devil that if he wants what Damian owes him then the Batman is waiting. Batman then snaps the neck of the Anti-Christ Batman. Damian mentions how he promised his father to not kill. That it looks like Damian let his father down again.

Barbara Gordon and the police arrive on the scene. The Gotham police open fire on Batman and the bullets riddle his body. Batman falls down and stands back up. Evidently, the bullets did nothing to harm him. Barbara is stunned and asks “What are you?” Batman responds that he is the best friend she has. Batman announces that the Apocalypse is cancelled, until he says so.

Comments
The Good: Batman #666 was an awesome read. Morrison delivers a kick-ass issue that is a wonderful blend of intense action and brooding drama. This is a fantastic one-shot issue. Normally, I dislike one-shot issues, but not this one. Batman #666 is an excellent example of how to pull off a one-shot issue that doesn’t feel like filler. Plus, I’m a sucker for a story that deals with the Book of Revelations.

Morrison crafts a well paced issue. The story starts quickly with great action, and then slows down as it builds up momentum for a second wave of intense action. Batman #666 is also well plotted as the story is tightly written and moves forward with direction and purpose and doesn’t waste a single panel.

The action scenes are insane. Damian doesn’t just take down villains; he rips, tears and cleaves his way through them. These are the kind of action scenes that get me excited. Flashy, over the top and hyper-kinetic fight scenes don’t do to much for me. But, street based, brutal, swift and bloody fight scenes like in this issue definitely work for me. I love this bloody version of Batman who shows no remorse for the damage that he causes.

I enjoyed the overall Gothic flavor and feel to this future version of Gotham. Batman’s costume, the architecture and even the quoting of Yeats all contributed to the Gothic theme of this issue. Plus, I love Yeats and always enjoying reading his work. This nice heavy Gothic feel is what makes Gotham the coolest city in the DCU and really separates it from the other major metropolises in the DCU.

Morrison also supplies the reader with plenty of well crafted dialogue. Morrison shows off his versatility in that he can pull of great action as well as delivering a nicely written story with a poetic feel to it. Morrison’s dialogue has a pleasant flow and each character has their own unique voice.

The excellent dialogue helps bring these characters to life. Morrison delivers well developed characters that interact well with each other. I dig Morrison’s Barbara Gordon in her role as Commissioner of the Gotham Police. Barbara does a good job channeling her inner Jim Gordon in steadfastly upholding the law.

Morrison puts a nice twist on the relationship between the Batman of the future and the Commissioner Gordon of the future by showing that there is no love lost between Damian and Barbara. While Bruce and Jim had a strong friendship build on mutual respect, Barbara clearly thinks that Damian is an unstable psychotic who is liable to snap at a moment’s notice.

While Jim realizes Batman is a useful tool to fight crime, Barbara views Damian a rogue dangerous force in Gotham. Morrison even makes a point at the end of having Damian tell Barbara that he is the best friend she has. The tension between these two characters is actually more fun than the close bond between Commissioner Gordon and Batman.

I love Damian as Batman. Morrison does an excellent job with Damian in this issue. I found the young Damian to be an annoying spoiled brat. However, this future Damian is much deeper and more complex. Plus, I always love a hero who is bitter and blackened inside his soul. And Damian is certainly one dark, twisted, tormented man full of nothing but self-loathing and hatred.

I dig that Morrison has Damian sell his soul to the Devil in return for Gotham’s continuing safety. It is interesting that Damian is spurred by his father’s death to take up the mantle of the Batman and turn his back on his mother’s aspirations for him. Damian is clearly wracked with guilt as he must have played some role in his father’s death. And Damian also acts just like a child who is starved for his father’s affection and approval. The fact that Damian is willing to sell his own soul just to carry on his father’s mission of protecting Gotham shows how much he feels he owes his father.

However, even in victory, Damian has a sense of loss. Gotham is safe, but Damian has still lost his soul. Damian has defeated evil and saved Gotham under his father’s mantle of Batman, but only won the battle by killing his enemy which makes him fail his father in the very moment of his victory.

And what is up with Damian’s powers? He is able to shrug off a whole bunch of bullets at the end of this issue. Damian is definitely not your father’s Batman. Clearly, the Devil gave Damian a serious power upgrade. I have to say that I hope we get to see more stories about Damian Wayne as Batman. This is exactly how I like my Batman. Guilt ridden, angry and violent.

Andy Kubert’s artwork is absolutely phenomenal. Kubert creates a beautifully rich Gothic look to this issue. The attention to the architecture and the smallest details makes this an issue that is pleasing to the eye. Kubert’s work on this issue really pulls the reader deep into this story. And Kubert definitely delivers some sweet action scenes.

The Bad: I have no complaints with this issue.

Overall: Batman #666 was an excellent one-shot issue. This issue has it all: good dialogue, an interesting story, nasty action and good looking artwork. Normally, I feel like I get cheated with most one-shot issues. That is definitely not the case with Batman #666. Morrison and Kubert have done a nice job making Batman one of DC’s better reads.