BATMAN & ROBIN #16

This is, more or less, the end of this book. The title will go on, but without writer Grant Morrison it will morph into something else, probably just a by-the-numbers superhero title. What does Morrison do to tie up his years-in-the-making run? Actually, a lot. This is Morrison's best issue in quite some time. I do miss artist Frank Quitely. He still draws all the awesome covers for this book but he hasn't touched an interior since #3. It would have been nice to see him return for the big finale. The book does feature some good art; Frazer Irving's work is exciting and modern, Cameron Stewart's is in a sort of classic, Saturday morning cartoon style, and Chris Burnham does a good job with details and mood. The three of them all helped draw this 30 page issue, the psuedo-conclusion to “Batman R.I.P.” The guy that runs The Black Hand and says he's really Bruce Wayne's father? He's not his dad, but an ancestor that used demon blood to sustain a long life. The Joker ends up knocking him out and burying him alive. As for Mr. Pyg: he gets attacked by his minions and sent to Arkham. The real Bruce Wayne comes back and helps save Alfred and the day. The big last page reveal has Bruce Wayne announcing to Gotham that he's been giving Batman money all these years and now he's setting up a global system to fight crime with both Batman's. This will lead into several new Batman titles, one called Batman, Inc. that will be written by Morrison. The problem with Morrison's run on this title is that a lot of it makes no sense or is just plain confusing. This does make his books stand out. They're certainly more interesting than a lot of comic books out there, but it does present a level of frustration that rarely recedes. Even with the confusion and super-odd dialogue, this issue at least is entertaining. It does wrap up everything in exciting fashion and leads to what could be an interesting future. I do think that Grant Morrison's work on Batman will end up being historic. He did things a little differently and it's been a fairly wild ride. As much as I sometimes can't stand his writing, I am looking forward to see what he still has up his sleeve with Batman. A new chapter dawns. Now...how fucking weird can it still get? *** (out of ****)