Rian Hughes' BATMAN & ROBIN Logos

Today, you get a special"Grant Morrison" treat when you head to your local comic shop, a deluxe version of Batman & Robin Volume 2 and Batman vs. Robin #16 hit the shelves. DC’s Source blog had a trio of posts yesterday promoting the occasion.

In addition to a preview of Batman & Robin #16, they also shared Morrison’s thoughts on the covers to issues 7-12 and, as seen above, Rian Hughes’ logo design. I love these logos.  Rian Hughes did a great job on these beautiful and creative logos.

Preview of Grant Morrison's final chapter of BATMAN AND ROBIN MUST DIE

I am the first to admit Grant Morrison's whole run on Batman has really confused me. I've re-read Batman: RIP , Final Crisis and Batman and Robin in an effort to get a handle on WTF is going on with Bruce. The release last week of Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #5 did nothing to help me understand this long arc.

Now as we get closer to the end of the Black Glove, Dr. Hurt, Thomas Wayne, Joker, etc. storyline, I am hopeful the release of Batman and Robin #15 (and titles coming in the near future) will help shed some light on the mysteries surrounding the the events of the last two years.

Here is a preview from DC's The Source of Batman and Robin #15.  The preview story and art look awesome!

The Dynamic Duo and Dr. Hurt collide for a final confrontation that serves as the culmination to the latest chapter of mastermind Grant Morrison’s epic and multi-layered Batman saga. Will Dick Grayson succeed where Bruce Wayne failed? Will Damian return to the dark side and betray his friends? How does the Joker fit in? Morrison and artist Frazer Irving tell the tale in Batman and Robin #15, and it’s a doozy, folks. hits tomorrow.  Batman and Robin #15 hit tomorrow.

Preview: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #5

I've waited a long-time for this day.  The real Batman, Bruce Wayne, finally returns home to Gotham after Darkseid sent him back in time via the Omega Sanction in FINAL CRISIS #6. 

Tomorrow, Grant Morrison's highly anticipated Batman issue titled, BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #5, featuring a noir-ish tale of the Dark Knight, as Bruce Wayne struggles to return to the modern day, aptly illustrated by the masterful Ryan Sook and Pere Perez.

Check out the preview below:

via: DC's The Source

NYCC 10 - DC Releases Covers to Five Batman Titles

Here we go Batman fans.  Five Batman titles will be on sale from DC Comics in November. At the start of what the publisher promises to be a very Bat-heavy weekend at New York Comic Con, DC's The Source blog released a series of five new house ads spotlighting the new Gotham lineup of books from creators including Grant Morrison, J.H. Williams III, Tony Daniel, Scott Snyder, Jock, Yanick Paquette, David FInch and Amy Reeder. Check them out after the jump.

In addition to these five titles, DC presently publishes "Batman & Robin," "Batman: Streets of Gotham," "Gotham City Sirens," "Red Robin" and "Batgirl," among other books featuring the Dark Knight or other Gotham-based characters.

 Via:  the Source and Comics Alliance

DC Entertainment Releases ALL STAR SUPERMAN TRAILER

MTV has gotten it's hands on the trailer for All Star Superman, the animated adaptation of the Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely comics considered by most Comic/Superman fans to be the finest hour yet for the Man of Steel.

The movie adaption rarely lives up to it's literary predecessor, so I am not disappointed in this trailer. While I would love to see the entire movie in Frank Quietly's beautiful work, I am a realist and understand this is not possible.

All Star Superman is one my favorite books, and I am very excited to see how Bruce Timm and the gang bring this book to life.  Enjoy the first trailer below.

Via: Major Spoilers

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Shocking News Alert: Grant Morrison to Frustrate Comic Fans

I know what you will say, "if you don't like it, don't read it."   That is easier said than done since Morrison authors the books from my favorite superhero, Batman.  Now we have so many damn Batman books with more than one Batman and apparently it is all connected because we are awaiting the return of Bruce Wayne and its significance to the DCU and the Batman Universe.  Except, Grant's too busy and we have to wait for these books.

Will everything be delayed?  Does the DCU storyline as a whole revolve around Bruce Wayne?  Is Wayne truly a White Lantern?  Does Bruce a play major role in Brightest Day?  We were told TIME MASTERS: VANISHING POINT plays an important role in the next DCU storyline?  Who  knows!

Batman: The Return of Bruce #5 was confirmed as being postponed for two months. Originally scheduled for Aug. 5, the DC Comics website now has it coming out on Oct. 6. Blogger David Uzumeri brought this to my attention with a Twitter poster on Friday, and the realization of the delay dovetailed in with two other pieces of stray information from weeks ago.

The first was the news of a sudden artistic change-up to Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #4 from Cameron Stewart to Georges Jeanty; originally solicited for July 21, the book only came out one week late, but the artwork looks a tad rushed. Stewart wrote on his blog that “conditions were such that I felt that my work would be drastically compromised and sub par should I stay on board, and so I felt that it was best that I walked away.” It has proven to be amicable, with pages already filtering out online of a future collaboration with Stewart, Morrison and DC on the 16th issue of Batman & Robin.

The second is from the blog of Sean Murphy, artist of the Morrison-penned Joe the Barbarian. According to his post, he’s waiting on the script for the final two issues of the series. Joe the Barbarian #7 was originally scheduled for release on July 21, while DC’s website now has a release of Sept. 15.

Checking with the solicitations for the past three months, Morrison is working on four series: Batman, Batman & Robin, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne and Joe The Barbarian. He’s also been announced to work on two miniseries, Batman: The Return and Multiversity, a new series titled Batman Inc., as well as a prose book titled Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero.

Source:  Robot6

Ethan Van Sciver’s Cover to JLA #50 - Where are the Real JLA Members?

You know what would be a good way to celebrate the 50th issue of JLA?  Actually, have someone from the "real" JLA in the issue?  No Bruce Wayne, No Superman, No Oliver Queen, No Martian Manhunter, No Wonder Woman, No Aquaman, No Hawks, No Wally West or Barry Allen.  We do get Donna Troy, Supergirl, Tim Drake, Congorrilla, Guardian, Mikaal Tomas, Mon-El, and Cyborg. 

I very much like Van Sciver's art and he does a wonderful job with this cover, but the current line-up sucks.  The JLA is it's best when we have the "A-Team" superheroes we love working together to thwart whatever threat is upon us.

Morrison's JLA run was fantastic.  Bruce Timm's JLA & JLU run on Cartoon Network was even better. Now we are stuck with a bunch of C-list superheroes running the greatest League in the world.

PREVIEW: BATMAN & ROBIN #14 (and why it's a good series)

I have changed my tune on Grant Morrison's BATMAN AND ROBIN.  Admittedly, I was filled with sour grapes when Morrison and Didiot "killed-off" Bruce Wayne and started the run with Dick as Batman and Damien as Robin.  I was upset and did not give this book a chance.  Now, that I have come around and am current on this title, I have been impressed with the book, especially the Tim, Damien, Dick, and Alfred relationship.  Now, I do admit that current plot line of hunting down Bruce, history of the Wayne family, Batman RIP tie-in, Joker, etc. was a very big reason for my turn around but nonetheless I give the Scottish Alan Moore his due.

Well this month BATMAN & ROBIN #14 hits the shelves and DC has given us a preview. 

Grant Morrison and artist Frazer Irving continue their epic BATMAN AND ROBIN tale, as one of our heroes lies near death. Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne enter the ultimate, blood-soaked battle against two foes who almost destroyed the original Batman. But are they up for the challenge? And if they can’t make it as a team, have they sealed their fates?

FIRST LOOK: Cover to BATMAN INC. #1

We've seen a lot and read a lot over the last two weeks about BATMAN INC., the new ongoing series kicking off in November, from writer Grant Morrison. Want a little more?  Here’s a peek at the first cover to BATMAN INC., by Yanick Paquette and it’s a stunner.

FIRST LOOK: Grant Morrison's BATMAN INC.

Grant Morrison did an interview with the Geoff Boucher over at Hero Complex and talked about various Batman related projects, including BATMAN, INC.

After time travels and dark challenges, Bruce Wayne is back in Gotham City and writer Grant Morrison has big plans for the hero. I interviewed Morrison about "Batman, Inc.," a new series that launches in October and will present the "franchising" of the caped crusader -- essentially the dark knight of Gotham City drafts, trains and commands a team of heroes who will wear their leader's colors. "It's all about branding," says Morrison. The team will include Dick Grayson, Knight and Squire, El Gaucho and eight others. Their leader, meanwhile, gets that little yellow circle back on his costume. Read all about it below and check out the exclusive art after the jump . -- Geoff Boucher

Here are some highlights from the interview regarding BATMAN INC.:

 Sane or not, Batman is not a guy that plays well with others, at least not all the time. That makes it intriguing to hear that you have plans for the Bruce Wayne to "franchise" Batman and enlist others to wear the costume.

" Oh yeah, I mean, 10 of the team-ups will be like that.  A lot of the experiences that he's been through now, the way I want to play it is that they have changed his focus and his view of what his mission is and what he can accomplish. He starts to bring in more people. The first 12 issues of the book will be team-ups with Batman and different characters as he traveling the world and kind of training people. [SPOILER ALERT: THE REST OF THIS ANSWER REVEALS SOME LONG-VIEW STORY ARC] And at the end we found out what that's all about; it's not just habit or routine. He actually has a big agenda. That leads into where I'm taking this. At the end of the "first season" I want to wind up with a really enormous Batman story. Everything is building up to that kind of climatic arc."

For the characters around Batman, I imagine there's some tension. To wear a Batman costume and join his team, you have to submerge yourself, correct?

"10 of the team-ups will be like that. The second team-up is Batman with El Gaucho, the Argentinian hero. So here's these super macho guys, these alpha males, and the Gaucho isn't sure he wants to wear that bat symbol, He doesn't always agree with Batman but he does agree with his principles and ideals. He agrees with the mission but not the branding. That's what it's all about: Branding."

You can read the entire interview by heading over to Hero Complex.  

What do you think after reading the highlights from Morrrison's interview? AS with anything Morrison, I reserve judgment until I read a few issues.  Will it be ALL STAR SUPERMAN or FINAL CRISIS? We'll have to wait and see.  Let's hope it's more ALL STAR SUPERMAN.

Grant Morrison's Joe The Barbarian to Become a Movie

The film rights for Grant Morrison's Joe The Barbarian comic book have been picked up by Thunder Road Pictures, according to Morrison, who broke the news today to Robot6.


Thunder Road Picture is the studio that put out the Clash of the Titans this year, so they don't exactly have a lot of experience making good movies. 

Joe the Barbarian is set in the mind of a boy who is having some very real world problems, and the movie will need a very skilled director to portray the subtlety and nuance of this series.  In addition, Grant Morrison is not writing the screenplay, which is strike two against this project.
Strike three is that this comic book mini-series is getting picked up for a film adaptation before its completion.  I suspect that even though the movie rights have been picked up, it may be a long, long time before we ever see it in theatres.  If we ever do.

Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne #4 PREVIEW- COWBOY BATMAN

I like the idea of Batman being in a cowboy setting.  It's like Bruce Wayne is the Roland Deschain of his own Dark Tower series - Batman:  The Last Gunslinger.  This is the first issue of Grant Morrison's Bruce Wayne arc that I have been excited about. 

Solict from DC reads:

This Grant Morrison’s can’t-miss Batman story rolls on as Bruce Wayne’s next stop on his amazing journey through time brings him to the Wild West – but will he escape alive? Artist Georges Jeanty joins Morrison to take The Dark Knight on a ride.

Enjoy the preview below.

ALL STAR SUPERMAN Next DC Animated Movie

SDCC is full of so many surprises that it is hard to remember all the announcements that did not garner the publicity as the premier of AVENGERS Movie cast or footage of the GREEN LANTERN movie.

One revelation that you may have missed in all the hullabaloo is that Warner Bros. Animation officially announced a DC Universe Original Movie based on ALL STAR SUPERMAN, the award-winning series by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely.

The direct-to-DVD animated feature, set for release in spring 2011, is written by Dwayne McDuffie, who calls the series "one of the greatest stories in comic book history."

Tony Daniel Takes over BATMAN Title

Tony Daniel will permanently take over as writer and artist on the regular BATMAN series.   I have mixed emotions because Grant Morrison frustrated me immensely at times, but am indifferent to Tony's run thus far.  I'm willing to stick with it and see what comes about this Fall and Winter.  I am hoping for good things for the Bat family.

Quote from Tony for the The Source blog:

“I am thrilled and honored to be tapped for further writing duties on the world’s most iconic super hero, Batman. I look forward to telling exciting tales with the caped crusader and exploring old and new characters alike. I will continue to put my best foot forward on each and every page.”

Another Batman Title Coming Soon from DC, Why?

Today, DC's official blog, The Source announced that DC will publish a brand new monthly Batman comic book. Here's the solicit form DC:

Starting in November, BRIGHTEST DAY and ACTION COMICS artist David Finch will take the reins as writer and artist of BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT, a new ongoing Batman title featuring the hyper-detailed and kinetic artwork Finch has become known for plus his unique and yet classic interpretation of the Caped Crusader.

Can’t wait until November? The fun begins in October, with BATMAN: THE RETURN, a one-shot featuring Finch’s masterful pencils and words by Morrison, kicking off a new era for the Dark Knight and giving fans a quick taste of what’s coming in the new ongoing.

The Dark Knight takes Batman outside what he knows, into a world of demonology, dark arts, and mystery. He’s the ultimate detective, faster, stronger and smarter than any villian, but now he faces creatures to whom logic and mortality don’t apply.

I want Dark Knight to be true to Batman’s street level, crime fighter roots. He’ll face a rogues gallery that we’re all familiar with, but this book will take him on a darker path where he’ll be stretched to his physical and psychological limits.”

While I am always excited to have Bruce Wayne as Batman in any comic book, do we really need another Batman title right now?  DETECTIVE COMICS, BATMAN, BATMAN AND ROBIN, SUPERMAN/BATMAN, ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN, JUSTICE LEAGUE, JUSTICE LEAGUE/THE 99, BATMAN ODYSSEY, BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE, BRUCE WAYNE: THE ROAD HOME, BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL, BATMAN BEYOND, and BATMAN BRAVE AND THE BOLD. 

All these books with two different characters playing Batman and relatively little or no continuity between any of the books. Why do we need another book?  Can we just focus on making the current Batman comics books relative, cohesive, and interesting.  I guess DC (Dan Didio) will do anything to suck another $3.99 a month out of its loyal fans.

Preview: BATMAN #701 'R.I.P.The Missing Chapter'

Thank God and issue of BATMAN with the real Batman.  Maybe we will actually get an issue of ACTION COMICS that contains Superman himself.

I am excited to read these next few issues of the Grant Morrison's BATMAN to find-out what happened to Bruce Wayne prior to getting hit with Darkseid's Omega Sanction in FINAL CRISIS #6.  I know the percentage if being extremely disappointed is very high, but I have faith.

The good news is Major Spoilers got a sneak peak of BATMAN #701.  Enjoy the preview.