Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Batman Turns 700

Batman's 700th issue just came out, with Superman's 700th and Wonder Woman's 600th to follow this summer.  So why does it not feel like much of a celebration?

Batman #700 was written entirely by the questionably talented Grant Morrison.  It's unfortunate that DC Comics relies too heavily on Grant Morrison to bring Batman to the world.  His writing is so divisive; there's no middle ground.  People either really love him or really hate him.  For that reason, his stories exclude a large portion of the audience that DC is trying to reach.  

Batman #700 was divided up into short, separate tales that included past, present, and future Batmans (i.e., Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne, respectively).  Again, like with his "Batman RIP" storyline, I think Morrison was using hallucinogens whilst writing these tales.  The stories -- and I use that term loosely -- weren't entertaining, weren't grabbing, weren't noteworthy, and definitely weren't substantial enough to warrant placement in the milestone 700th issue of Batman.  Furthermore, they didn't fit in with any of the current Batman storylines going on.  In fact, the recent Riddler one-shot was better written, certainly a lot more entertaining, and offered a better value for the $2.99 cover price.  The rest (almost half) of the $4.99 issue was filler, featuring Batman art from different artists, a layout of the Batcave that we've most likely seen before, and um...well, that's it. 

All in all, Batman #700 was a big disappointment.  Better luck with #800, Batman.  I hope Superman and Wonder Woman receive a better treatment for their upcoming milestones. 

And now, I leave you with a message from Grant Morrison: