Broken Frontier

The words "making comics history" and "Grant Morrison" are synonymous these days, and his latest work on the seminal Batman #700 is no exception.  In this monumental issue, a testament to the historical significance of the Dark Knight himself and his place in American cultural history, Morrison is joined by a team of top-tier artists to interpret Batman's varied past, present, and potential futures.  Never one to offer simplistic superhero shtick or fall prey to conventional formulas, Morrison's work here is only rivaled by his recent explorations in Batman & Robin.

Divided into four separate but interconnecting stories that each explores a specific period in Batman's life, this fifty-six page adventure traces the evolution of the symbol Batman embodies and the endurance of that message for multiple generations.  The first offering, "Yesterday," finds Morrison collaborating with his Batman R.I.P. artist Tony Daniel to explore a vignette in Bruce Wayne's long tenure as Batman.  This review will leave the annotations and larger significance for others to distill; however, the common thread introduced in "Yesterday" that unites all four tales is Professor Carter Nichols, a character from the Silver Age that Morrison has so recently been reintroducing into Batman's continuity.  Morrison even etches out some great moments that recall the 1960s television show here with the Eartha Kitt-esque purr of Catwoman, the Frank Gorshin stylings of Riddler, and even Chief O'Hara played by actor Stafford Repp.  The crucial turning point, however, of "Yesterday" may be the interference of Professor Nichols in notifying the police and thus obtaining the Joker's infamous Joke Book.  While Batman and Robin speed away with Bruce telling his ward that "we can't change what already happened," it adds yet another level of mystery with the Maybe Machine and its possible relation to Bruce's return. 

Moving into "Today" and the designs of Frank Quitely first followed by Scott Kolins, Batman (Dick) and Robin (Damian) arrive at the scene of an intriguing murder; however, the investigation is put aside as it is the anniversary of Thomas and Martha Wayne's murders and Dick pays homage to the fallen.  After a short detour to reassert that the evening is indeed "Bat-Night," audiences witness what is perhaps a typical night for the Dynamic Duo, topped off by one of the most humorous moments between Dick and Damian in recent Batman history captured brilliantly by Kolins. 

From here, Morrison jumps ahead by decades into the future in "Tomorrow" as Damian has inherited the Batman mantle.  Once again, the Joker's "legendary" joke book plays a crucial role as it was auctioned off in the previous story but now is the source of ransom demands by a villain known only as January.  Witnessing Damian in action is amazing and this story perhaps has the greatest energy of the four vignettes as Brother I returns to assist Batman against futuristic threats.  Yet, continuity is either thrown asunder or made even more complex here as Batman must rescue the kidnapped McGinnis baby while witnessing the simultaneous time travelling exploits of both an elderly and a significantly younger Professor Nichols.

The shortest and by far the most perplexing story is the final entry, "And Tomorrow," where readers see the return of Terry McGinnis as Batman and an unknown figure sitting in the Batcave directing events.  Whether this is Bruce Wayne from the animated Batman Beyond series or an elderly Damian is unclear.  Additionally, this stranger's dialogue seems to imply that there are indeed an army of Batmen at his disposal.  While it's uncertain if the remaining pages represent shifts forward in time or simultaneous events across the globe or perhaps even universe, these obscure and thought-provoking sequences  are brought to a resounding conclusion as Morrison seems to imply that while time may change, the symbol remains the most crucial and critical element that cannot be defeated—the Batman.

How this issue relates to the overall portrait Morrison is developing with the Return of Bruce Wayne saga now across three separate Batman books remains to be seen.  And while moments may infuriate some readers, alienate others, and satiate diehard Morisson-ophiles, no one can deny his impact on the ongoing history of Batman or the comic medium.