There’s absolutely no words to describe how awesomed I was when Grant Morrison first announced that Bruce Wayne is going to start franchising Batman and is going to turn it into a brand in “Batman Inc.". Seriously, it doesn’t matter if you hate or love Morrison’s run on Batman, I think we can all agree that he did more for the character for the last 20 years over any other writer. And Batman as a brand is the logical (or illogical) next step.

In the new series, Batman will create a team of super-heroes who will be wearing his colors. The team will include Dick Grayson, Knight and Squire, El Gaucho and eight others. Again, Morrison says, “it’s all about the branding.”

Incidentally, this new era of Batman also means that we get a costume change:

I don’t need to explain how much I absolutely loathe the yellow oval on Batman’s chest. Although I grew up watching the Adam West TV show and reading Bronze Age Batman comics where he is always depicted with the yellow oval and symbol on his chest, I really prefer the oval-less symbol. It gives me the impression that Batman is a much more badass character that way.

(continue reading…)

Honestly, I didn’t find most of this week’s releases great. I got an overpriced copy of Doom Patrol #4 (courtesy of RJ) so I can get that blasted Sinestro Corps Ring. Honestly I don’t know anything much about Doom Patrol except that the X-Men ripped them off. So reading it pretty much left me saying “Guh? Duh? Muh?” I’d probably enjoy reading it if I knew anything at all about the Doom Patrol’s history.

Anyway, the reviews!

Amazing Spider-Man #601

They’re not finished with this Ben Reilly storyline yet? Dammit. (continue reading…)