I do think of Jason's return as something of a shakeup. He'd been one of the few characters in comics to actually -stay- deceased, and I'm not sure if his return has really amounted to much.
It amounted to a great deal until Winnick left and everybody else started ruining the character.
Batman and Son was definitely a shake up as it brought a story that was of dubious canonicity to begin with into the mainstream books, or at least elements of it. IMO, the inclusion of Damian was certainly a giant surprise.
"Surprising" and "shakeup" are not the same. The status quo was not changed. All that happened was new element was introduced and then whisked away, to be used later.
Some of the "problems" people have with Morrison's run also has to do with some of the smaller details, like "Joe Chill in Hell" and the confusion that sprung up from that (though that could be more Tony Daniel's fault),
What was confusing?
and the idea that basically all of Batman's publication history is in some form or another valid and it all happened in the last 15 years, which on one hand leads to awesome ideas, and on the other hand seems wacky.
I This is not related to my comments, which were abou the attitude that Morrison's run has been all "shakeups."
As far as "status quo" goes, I mean that in the sense of building up a cast of players and letting the situations happen in a natural manner, not so much in the sense of keeping everything the same as it ever was.
And this has not been happening in Morrison's run, in your opinion? I am inclined to
disagree.
Face the Face is, IMO, a good example of reverting back to the old status quo instead of setting up a new one. I know a lot of people liked Harvey scarring himself, but I was ready for something new with the character.
My real problem with it was that the reasons for Harvey's relapse were idiotic. Very, very disappointing story. Even more disappointing was that nobody even bothered the use Harvey between Hush and Face The Face--and entire avenue of storytelling was just ignored. Frustrating.
As for how all of this -will- end up.... Crap isn't that just part of the fun!?!? Dick as Batman though, eh, not again, and he doesn't even want it anyway, does he?
As I've said in the past, if no one else was going to be Batman, I believe Dick would do it in a heartbeat--no mater how much he hates it. Moreover, if the person another person put on the costume and did not meet Dick's standards, he'd take it from him. The only thing Dick would hate worse than being Batman is watching the mantle die or be perverted.
I'd rather see Tim take it up. Of course he's too young, but that'd be part of the fun, and I don't mean fun in a Spider-Man wisecrack-punch-wisecrack sense. Tim as The Batman with a Damian Robin, I'd read that. I wouldn't expect it to last, since I don't expect DC to actually let Morrison keep Bruce out of the picture forever.
I think this needs to be for keeps. This has been billed as the final Batman story, and it needs to be for real if that's the goal. It may be that the story isn't really about replacing Batman--that the replacement is only to serve a larger goal when he returns. That would be fine, but that's not the impression I'm getting. If you say you're ending the Bruce Wayne story, do it--and don't do it with a plan to undo it in two years.
This is the sort of story that can make or break the potential the future of the book. If Dick's time as Batman (or whoever puts on the cowl) is just a stunt, then it will
forever sour the chances of anyone ever succeeding Bruce Wayne. I
want to see Bruce Wayne succeeded one day, regardless of the fact that he's my favourite character and could never be surpassed. That is simply where the story should go, and I want stories to move. I want them to end, too. Bruce deserves and ending someday--not an endless repetitive cycle battling the Joker, Penguin, and Two-Face.
They've painted themselves into a corner by saying (repeatedly) that this is the real deal; the end of Bruce's story. Now they have to deliver. If it turns out to be temporary, people will feel cheated. I will feel cheated, even though the idea of Bruce Wayne never being Batman again is scary. If it is temporary, they had better make it mean something, make it important
somehow, lest it become the Clone Saga.
Speaking of Bruce being out of the picture. We apparently know that he doesn't die, so what happens? My wacky guess is rehab to combat the heroin and meth addiction gifted to him by Dr. Hurt, even though that hasn't even really been touched on since it happened and there might not even -be- any addiction as far as we know. Did the emergence of the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh backup persona effectively wipe out the possibility of Bruce becoming an addict? That's the impression I got from the end of 678, but who knows how this could turn.
I think that something so traumatizing happens that Bruce can't bear to be Batman any longer. Maybe he kills someone. In any case, I think he's retired and left Gotham to try and put himself back together as human being, not as Batman. He's gone to live as a hermit, or perhaps at Nanda Parbat. I think an interesting situation would be for Dick to be Batman for a couple of years (comic time) before Bruce returns to Gotham. Use the time to age him, grey his hair a little, to hammer home the point that he's not going to be--and not interested in being--Batman any longer. Make him a supporting player, as in Batman Beyond.
I think the reason he's "gone" in the RIP tie ins is that DC knows they could never establish a new Batman so long as Bruce is still in the book--the stories would always gravitate towards him, Batman or not. If they keep him out for a couple of years, they can take that time to establish Grayson without having the kill Bruce and his future potential. They bring him back as a supporting player, and by this time all but the most stubborn fans have accepted Dick.
Another interesting question: could their be two Batmen? We've got plenty of Green Lanterns, two Wildcats, and if Geoff Johns' comments are any indication, he intends to have three co-existing Flashes when Flash: Rebirth is done. I'm inclined to think there can only be one Batman, but I will admit the idea of Bruce returning in the future and having both Dick and Bruce as Batman is intriguing.
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