Batman #677: Batman RIP Review

The Revolution enjoyed Morrison’s much anticipated debut issue of the Batman RIP story arc. There is no doubt that Morrison has a wild story in store for us. I fully expect for Morrison to crank up the intensity with Batman #677. I have a feeling that this issue is going to be an exceptional issue. Let’s go ahead and hit this review for Batman #677.

Creative Team
Writer: Grant Morrison
Pencils: Tony Daniel
Inks: Sandu Florea

Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10

Synopsis: We begin with Batman brutally beating up a thug in the sewer. Batman screams for the thug to tell him who the Black Glove is. Commissioner Gordon and the police arrive on the scene to take away the thug. Batman says that the thug must be working for the Black Glove. Gordon responds that he has checked the police database for anything related to the Black Glove and nothing came up other than an old movie. Gordon asks if Batman is sure that some secret criminal mastermind is pulling the strings behind all of these events. Batman disappears from the scene without answering Gordon’s question.

We shift to the Batcave where Batman tells Alfred that he has to pin down the connection between Dr. Simon Hurt and John Mayhew as well as their connection to some other names linked to the Black Glove. Batman tells Alfred that one of the black casebooks was missing from the drawer.

Alfred answers that he has committed all of Batman’s handwritten notes to the Bat-computer. Alfred says it is possible that he left the missing casebook in his desk. Batman is bleeding from a nasty wound from his fight with the thug. Alfred tends to Batman’s wounds.

Batman tells Alfred that The Black Glove is a movie by John Mayhew about two innocent lovers who are corrupted and destroyed by a group of super-rich gamblers. Batman says that the movie is playing at a local theater in Gotham and he instructs Alfred to go watch the movie and see if he can pick up any clues.

Batman asks where Tim is and that he could use Tim’s help. Alfred replies that Tim left two days ago and that recent events have dented his confidence. In particular Batman’s relationship with Damian. Batman replies that that is not what he wanted to happen. Batman then curtly says that they will talk later and for Alfred to leave and go see the movie.

We cut to the League of Villains. Hurt says that the Black Glove is going to teach Batman a lesson he will never forget. That what they are about to do will be a work of art. Nothing less than the complete and utter ruination of a noble human spirit.

Le Bossu inquires if Hurt thinks he can do what not even the Joker and Two-Face or any of the others have been able to do all these years. Hurt replies that no one knows Batman better than he does. That the extreme lengths that Batman has gone through to make himself stronger are powerful indicators of the weakness he feels he must overcome. That weakness is still inside of Batman. The fracture that will break the man.

Hurt says that if Le Bossu’s gargoyle henchman did his job then the Librium on the henchman’s blade will make Batman more susceptible to the induction trigger phrase that Hurt planted all those years ago. Hurt then tells the villains that their targets, Batman’s friends, await. All they have to do is push and Batman will self-destruct.

We cut to Batman arriving at the Batcave with Jet alongside him. Batman shows Jet around his Batcave. Jet is duly impressed and yet at the same time horrified by what she sees. Jet comments that a sane person might see the Batcave and say that Batman was mad.

Batman tells Jet that the Black Glove has targeted them. Bruce says that the invite to the party is a trap. Bruce says that Mayhew already tried to kill him and now the Black Glove is trying to kill him. Bruce says that they are closing in on both he and Jet. Bruce says that Jet needs to stay away from him until all of this is over. Batman grips Jet’s wrists so hard that she says he is hurting her.

Batman apologizes and says that he lives in the dark. That Jet is the best thing that has happened to him for a long time. That he can’t risk her becoming a part of this. Bruce says that when he first met Jet that if felt like he had known her his entire life. That meeting her was always meant to happen.

We hop over to Commissioner Gordon meeting with the Mayor of Gotham. The Mayor tells Gordon that Ed Sheldrake at the Gazette wants to run with a story about Bruce Wayne and his family. Evidently, during the Gotham Grand Central bomb scare a dossier turned up in an empty locker and found its way to the Gazette news desk.

The dossier had the sordid secret of Thomas and Martha Wayne. That Thomas Wayne evidently transformed into a foul mouth and brutal degenerate on booze and hard drugs. That Alfred might actually be Bruce’s father. That Alfred Pennyworth is an actor and his name is a stage name. That Alfred fooled the Waynes.

There is also a picture in the dossier that shows John Mayhew, Mangrove Pierce, Marsha Lamarr, Thomas Wayne and Alfred. Martha Wayne is also in the picture and looks brain-dead and her needle tracks on her arms are visible. The Mayor wonders what terrible things Bruce Wayne saw while he was a child.

Evidently, the dossier was compiled by a detective hired Martha Wayne’s family. Martha’s parents claimed that Thomas Wayne had Martha murdered and faked his own death. The Mayor states that Thomas Wayne might still be alive.

We cut back to Wayne Manor and see thugs jumping out of a plane above the manor. We slide into the Batcave where Jet tells Bruce that Tim, Dick and Alfred are all too scared of him to talk to him bluntly. That Bruce has spent his life and billions of dollars trying to make everyone afraid of him. And the price of fear is truth and intimacy and all things that hold together normal human relationship. However, Jet is not afraid of Bruce. Jet says that she loves him and she will say what Alfred, Dick and Tim are too afraid to say.

Jet then says Bruce has made himself into the Dark Knight who wasn’t there when he needed him. That all of this is a disturbed little boy’s response to his parents’ death. That Bruce is over thirty years old and that this cannot go on. That Bruce could use his wealth and influence in other ways. That he has to think about what he is doing to himself and to impressionable young people. That Bruce needs to talk to somebody. That the Batcave us a gigantic underground museum of death and technology.

Jet then says what if Bruce is not well. Bruce answers that he knows what this looks like but this is how the Black Glove would work. The Black Glove knows everything about him and would know the exact moment that he is most vulnerable. That the Black Glove would try and isolate Bruce and make him question his mission. That the Black Glove would even use Jet as a weapon to make Bruce doubt himself.

Bruce tells Jet to let him show her one more thing that might make her understand the world that he lives in. Bruce takes Jet over to the Bat-computer. Bruce mentions the dead man’s hand that Joker dealt the Batman in Arkham Asylum: two Aces and two 8s. That the eighth letter of the alphabet is “H”. That the cards said “H.A. H.A.”

Jet then says what if the Black Glove is Bruce. Jet says who would hate Batman more than the little boy whose life was sacrificed so that the Batman could live. Who would really know all of Bruce’s weaknesses? Who else could match the Batman’s moves? Who else has Batman’s love of mysteries, games and puzzles and the resources to battle him?

Bruce ignores Jet and says that Hurt had him in an isolation chamber for ten days. That maybe Hurt is the Black Glove. Jet then tells Bruce that she is so sorry. That this is terrible. Bruce says that he could not be the Black Glove. That he knows he has been under pressure these last few years.

Batman stands before the Bat-computer. All of the Bat-computer’s monitors have pictures of graffiti from around Gotham all of the same word: Zur-En-Arrh. Bruce says that he has inputted every scrap of data into the Bat-computer in order for it to detect a pattern. If Bruce is indeed the Black Glove then the Bat-computer will say so.

Bruce stares at the screens and wonders what is wrong with the Bat-computer. That all he sees on the screens is static. Jet comments that Bruce is wrong. Jet says that Bruce is starting to scare her. Jet says that the screens all show graffiti writing the same word. Bruce says that all he sees is static. Bruce asks Jet what the graffiti says. Jet responds that it is gibberish. That it is the same word over and over: Zur-En-Arrh.

Bruce then says “No. Not now.” Bruce stares at the screens and a demonic mask appears and says what if Bruce is falling apart and having some sort of breakdown. Bruce mutters that he is not ready for this. Bruce says that it is now and he is not ready.

Bruce tells Jet that the Commissioner is on the hotline. That there is an emergency. That she has to get out of here and run. Bruce grabs his head and then collapses to the floor. We see Le Bossu and his gargoyle thugs in the Batcave surrounding Jet and Bruce.

Alfred then enters the Batcave and sees that the entire cave has been set on fire. Suddenly, Le Bossu and his thugs brutally attack Alfred. End of issue.

Comments
The Good: Batman #677 was an excellently crafted story. Morrison is on top of his game with this story arc and quite clearly pours his heart and soul into this story. Batman #677 was a well paced issue. Morrison begins with a furious and brutal action scene and then eases off the gas as he reduces the pacing to a simmer and slowly brings it up to a boil with a frenzied and heart pounding ending.

Batman #677 is strongly plotted as Morrison unleashes multiple plotlines at the reader. This issue offers the reader a complex read with plenty of substance. It is enjoyable to see how everything that Morrison has been doing during his run on this title has all been leading up to this story arc. Morrison is doing a fine job pulling together all the different long running storylines into one seamless story arc.

Morrison crafts plenty of simply wonderful dialogue. Each character has a well developed voice. The dialogue has a great flow and Morrison is able to generate good chemistry between the various characters.

Morrison sets the tone on this issue early by effectively using the opening scene to show the reader that even Batman’s biggest supporter in Commissioner Gordon is beginning to question Batman’s sanity. At no point does Gordon believe that the Black Glove truly exists. Morrison manages to make Batman look obviously unstable and slightly mad in this opening scene. Batman savagely beats the thug as he barks for answers concerning the Black Glove’s identity with an almost deranged manner.

Morrison continues to get the reader to question Batman’s sanity in the next scene between Batman and Alfred. Batman is normally single minded when dealing with a case, but what Morrison gives us in this scene goes beyond just single minded concentration. Batman is becoming completely and totally obsessed.

I liked the reveal that the only data that Gordon or Batman can turn up on the Black Glove is an old movie entitled the Black Glove by John Mayhew. This was an odd twist. Obviously Jet and Bruce represent the two lovers in the movie who are destroyed and the Club of Villains are playing the roles of the super rich gamblers from the movie.

We also learn about the missing black casebook and how strangely cavalier Alfred is about its disappearance. This is an odd moment that builds off of Alfred’s unusual tactic in the last issue of revealing to Tim that Damian is Batman’s son. Even early in this issue the reader wonders if something is off with Alfred.

It is possible that the Black Glove is using this movie as his inspiration for the method in which he destroys the Batman. Or perhaps Bruce saw this movie and suppressed that memory and is now attempting to bring that movie to life. There are so many possibilities and Morrison is not the kind of writer to introduce something into a story for no reason. I am curious to find out what role the Black Glove movie plays in this story.

I liked the quick scene with the Club of Villains. Morrison uses this scene to show the reader that the Black Glove is such a preeminent threat and that he can accomplish what the Joker and Two-Face have not. This immediately elevates the stature and standing that the Black Glove possesses within Batman’s rogues gallery. Morrison also reveals that everyone connected with Bruce Wayne is now a target.

The scene with the Mayor and Commissioner Gordon was just a sick, nasty and dirty scene. And that is why I loved it so much. Talk about dishing some serious dirt about the Waynes. A dossier suddenly appears at the Gazette full of some horrible secrets about Thomas and Martha Wayne. Morrison just goes wild in this scene. Thomas Wayne a brutish drunken drug addict. Martha Wayne also a drug addict. The Waynes being connected with Pierce and Mayhew. And the best part of it all the incredible assertion that Thomas had Martha murdered and then faked his own death and that Thomas Wayne may still be alive. What an insanely twisted and stunning take on Bruce’s parents and the terrible things that Bruce must have seen as a small child.

Then Morrison builds on top of the earlier suspicious actions by Alfred by having the dossier claim that Alfred is an actor who completely fooled the Waynes about his pedigree and background. Also the fact that Alfred might actually be the true father of Bruce Wayne. This scene succeeds in stoking the reader’s already suspicious view of Alfred in this story arc.

This scene is simply pure genius from Morrison. Only Morrison could take such outlandish ideas and actually make them work perfectly within the context of this story. Now, this entire scene could be a complete red herring. This could certainly be a part of the Black Glove’s plan to not just ruin Batman but also to publicly embarrass and ruin Bruce Wayne as well.

Morrison delivers a wonderfully written scene with Jet and Bruce in the Batcave. This was a seriously intense and powerful scene. Morrison does an excellent job using Jet to deconstruct the Batman to his very core. Morrison exposes Batman’s persona for the warped and bizarre fantasy that it is. This was such a riveting and intriguing perspective on Batman’s character, his Batcave and why Batman does what he does. Seriously, this was a beautifully written scene that I read several times over in order to truly soak it all in.

I dig that Morrison takes the time to explain the scene between the Joker and Batman from DCU #0 and that the hand that Joker dealt Batman said “H.A. H.A.” Morrison deftly keeps the reader guessing as to Bruce’s sanity. Bruce is certainly shown to be completely insane as he accuses Jet of being a possible tool that the Black Glove would use against him.

Then Bruce begins to hallucinate. All Bruce sees is static despite the fact that the Bat-computer screens are clearly showing images of graffiti. And then Bruce sees the strange demonic mask that speaks to him and tells Bruce that he is falling apart and having a nervous breakdown. Bruce has completely descended into madness at this moment.

The best part of this scene is that Morrison already clued the reader in to the fact that the thug in the opening fight scene had his blade laced with Librium. The drug would in turn make Batman more susceptible to the induction trigger phrase that Hurt planted all those years ago. So now the reader’s head is spinning and wondering if Bruce has truly gone insane or if it is just a combination of the Librium and Hurt’s trigger phrase.

Once again, the word “Zur-En-Arrh” makes an appearance. I cannot wait to see how Morrison works in the obscure character of the Batman with superman powers from the planet Zur-En-Arrh. This is such a bizarre plotline and is a credit to Morrison’s talents to take such obscure references and seamlessly incorporate them into a modern story in a pleasant fashion.

Morrison ends Batman #677 with a jaw-dropping hook ending. We see Bruce recognizing that it is happening now and that he is not ready. Then Bruce collapses. WE then see Bruce and Jet surrounded by Bossu and his thugs. Then we see the Batcave engulfed in flames and see Alfred begin brutally attacked. That sick hook ending effectively puts the reader on the edge of their seat and has them anxiously wanting more.

I am curious to learn just what Bruce was referencing when he mentions that “it” is happening and that he is not ready. Morrison just keeps riddles and puzzles flying at the reader all through out this issue.

And that is what makes Batman #677 such a captivating and engrossing read. Morrison constantly peppers the reader with multiple mysteries and possibilities to the point that the reader doesn’t know which way is up and which way is down.

Morrison keeps the reader guessing with various suspects who could secretly be the Black Glove. Is it the “actor” posing as a dutiful butler in Alfred? Is Jet? Could she be a part of the Black Glove? After all, her name is “Jezebel.” That has to be an obvious sign of something bad. Maybe Thomas Wayne is still alive and is acting as the Black Glove and is orchestrating everything. Of course, maybe the Black Glove is Bruce Wayne himself? And there is still the possibility that the Black Glove is someone that the reader hasn’t met just yet.

Morrison delivers so many viable theories that the reader’s head is spinning trying to come to grips with what we just read in Batman #677. There is definitely tons to digest in this issue and it will take the reader some time to try and get their thoughts in order once they finish reading this issue. Batman RIP is just such a delightfully insane story that very few writers outside of Morrison could effectively pull off.

Oh yeah, and to top it all off, at the end of the issue we see the teaser line for the next issue stating that we will get the “shocking return of the first Batman!” What? I love it!

Tony Daniel provides plenty of his usual excellent artwork. It is nice to see Morrison’s fantastic story arc being done justice by such a talented artist.

The Bad: The one thing that Morrison has failed to do during his run on this title is to get me to ever buy into the Jet/Bruce relationship. I found this relationship to be poorly handled. This relationship feels artificial and was not allowed to evolve organically. Instead Morrison forced this relationship because it was a necessary ingredient for the Batman RIP story arc.

Now, there is no doubt that I am enjoying this ride. However, I have to admit that I do not have any interest at all in another character other than Bruce being the Batman. None at all. But, this is such a well crafted story that I will enjoy it till the end and if Bruce is removed as Batman then I’ll just drop the title until Bruce makes his eventual return as the Batman.

Overall: Batman #677 was just an amazing issue. Morrison delivers a story that is technically well written. This issue pretty much has everything that a story could ever possess. There is action, adventure, mystery, suspense, drama, madness, deceit and impressive character work. There really isn’t much more that a reader can ask from a comic book than what Morrison gives us in Batman #677. If you still haven’t hopped aboard Batman RIP then I strongly urge you to do so. This is one of the best stories currently on the market and is well worth your money.