Little did I suspect when I accepted the BATMAN writing assignment back in 2006 that I’d wind up spending the next six years writing the longest continued comic story I’ve ever attempted. I thought I’d said most of what I had to say about the character with Arkham Asylum, Gothic, and Batman’s appearances in JLA. Clearly, I was wrong. 

The original pitch was for 15 issues winding up with BATMAN R.I.P. but something happened along the way and, as I was researching his rich history, I became fascinated by the idea that every Batman story was in some way true and biographical - from the savage, young, pulp-flavored “weird figure of the dark” of his early years, through the smiling, paternal figure of the 1940s and the proto-psychedelic crusader of the ‘50s, the superhero detective of the ‘60s, the hairy-chested globetrotting adventurer of the ‘70s, to the brutally physical vigilante of the ‘80s and snarling, paranoid soldier of the ‘90s.

By taking his entire publishing history as the story of his life, I was able to approach Batman from a different angle and the multifaceted character that was revealed became the subject of my story.

What would such a man be like, realistically? This was a man who had saved countless lives, faced innumerable perils, and even prevented the destruction of the world itself. This was a master of martial arts, meditation, deduction, yoga and big business. This was a man who had tamed and mastered his demons and turned personal tragedy into a relentless humanitarian crusade.

Taking that man seriously meant I had to throw out a few of the accepted ideas about Batman as a semi-unhinged, essentially humorless loner struggling with rage and guilt. The totality of his history and accomplishments made that portrayal seem limited and unconvincing, so instead, my Batman was a true superhero at the height of his powers and the peak of his abilities, surrounded by a network of friends and associates, all of whom had been inspired by his lead.

I chose to build my story around the basic trauma, the murder of his parents, that lies at the heart of Batman’s genesis. It seemed to me there would be a part of Bruce Wayne that resented his parents for leaving him and especially resented his father for not being Batman that night, so the principal villains were an archetypal bad father figure in the form of Dr. Hurt and a dark mother in the form of Talia, our villain for the concluding chapters of the story.

This master theme of damaged and ruined families was nowhere more in evidence than in the creation of Damian, the first “Son of Batman” to be acknowledged in the canon. In many ways this has been Damian’s story as much as it has been the story of Bruce Wayne and it’s a story that had its end planned a long time ago - for what son could ever hope to replace a father like Batman, who never dies?

And so, via Batman, Batman and Robin, Return of Bruce Wayne and Batman Inc. this epic tale has finally reached its finale.

Thanks to all the artists who helped realize the story – Andy Kubert, JH Williams, John Van Fleet, Tony Daniel, Ryan Benjamin, Lee Garbett, Frank Quitely, Philip Tan, Cameron Stewart, Andy Clarke, Frazer Irving, Scott Kolins, Chris Sprouse, Ryan Sook, Yanick Paquette, Georges Jeanty, David Finch, Scott Clark and of course, Chris Burnham.

Thanks to the inkers, colorists and letters and to my indefatigable editors.

Thanks to the readers who joined in the fun and contributed to the thought-provoking debates and analyses online.

The conclusion is finally here. I’m done, while Batman himself continues into as yet unimagined future adventures. He’ll still be here long after I’m dead and forgotten; long after all of us have come and gone, there will be Batman. It’s been a joy and a privilege to spend so much time in the company of pop culture’s greatest character but it’s going to feel weird waking up and not having Bruce Wayne’s calm, commanding, ever-so-slightly cynical voice in my head.

Batman forever…

Grant


Follow along with the Dark Knight, Robin, and the members of the Batman Family as writer Grant Morrison steers the course of their destiny throughout his seminal run with the Caped Crusader!


BATMAN: THE BLACK GLOVE

  • Starting with a BANG! – The Joker gets shot in the face, leading to major changes to the character later on!
  • Introducing Damian Wayne: the Son of the Bat!
  • Future Shock! Damian Wayne takes on the mantle of the Bat in a dark and dystopian future Gotham
  • League of Batmen: Pre-cursor to what will become Batman Incorporated!


BATMAN: R.I.P.

  • Meet the Members of the Black Glove!
  • Who or what is the Batman of Zurr-en-Arrh?!
  • Ring the Bell – the Dark Knight reflects on this iconic moment from the celebrated BATMAN: YEAR ONE
  • Batman Captured – Batman imprisoned by Darkseid, tying into the events from FINAL CRISIS


BATMAN AND ROBIN

  • Introducing the NEW Dynamic Duo!
  • Return of the Red Hood! – Who is under the mask?
  • The Dark Knight Returns? – Has Batman come back from the dead?
  • Batman and Batwoman! – Batwoman’s early adventures can be seen in ELEGY!
  • Joker and his Crowbars – the Joker infamously killed another Robin with a crowbar in DEATH IN THE FAMILY


BATMAN: RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE

  • Batman’s Back!
  • Welcome to Batman: Incorporated!


BATMAN, INCORPORATED

  • Batman Inc recruits its first member: the Batman of Japan!
  • Batwing Flies onto the Scene
  • The Batmen of the World
  • Leviathan Revealed – the real threat shows its face!


BATMAN, INCORPORATED Vol. 2

  • Batman & Son as the Dynamic Duo
  • The Bat-Cow!
  • The Origin of Talia al Ghul
  • Back to the Future – the truth behind Batman Inc finally revealed!
  • Damian Wayne and Dick Grayson: Gotham’s Greatest Reunited
  • Death in the Family – The Heroic Sacrifice of the Boy Wonder
  • The Stunning Conclusion to Grant Morrison’s Epic Dark Knight Saga!