Batman Incorporated #8Grant Morrison is going to rip out my heart, try to make me cry and maybe make me furious with him! Bruce and Talia Al Ghul’s war for control of Damian ends with a heartbreaker that will affect the entire Batman family!
Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time #2The second Doctor stars in this chapter of the year-long adventure starring all eleven versions of the Time Lord. What classic enemy will this Doctor face?
FF#4 She-Hulk has a list of romantic conquests including Hercules but who is pining away for the Jade Giant and how will Jen handle the unwanted affection?
Injustice: Gods Among Us #2 What tragedy turns hero against hero in this series based on the upcoming video game starring DC’s Finest from makers of Mortal Kombat.
Uncanny X-Force #2 courtesy Marvel
Uncanny X-Force #2 Psylocke and Storm’s undercover mission led them to Alpha Flight’s Puck and a showdown with Spiral but the big enemy is one of their own! Bishop is back! What’s on the rogue X-Man’s agenda? Plus, what was up with the Fantomex on Fantomex kiss?
Note: It’s a big Uncanny week – here are previews of Uncanny Avengers #4 and Uncanny X-Men #2.
Batman fans knew Grant Morrison was building towards something huge as he prepared to leave the Batman family. Rumors and speculation have been running wild. This week’s Batman Incorporated #8 includes a shocker that will haunt Bruce Wayne.
Batman Incorporated #1 by Chris Burnham courtesy DC Comics
Batman fans are buzzing over the potential death of a major character in the Batman family. In this previous post I speculated that Damian could be marked for (editorial) death after a sneak peek at DC’s May solicitations!
It doesn’t look good for the latest Boy Wonder after what is supposedly the cover to Batman Incorporated #8 revealed via Twitter but who knows?
I’m choosing not to reveal the images but if you are clamoring for it I’d like to recommend this Comic Book Resources link if you want to see it. That issue hits comic book shops March 26th.
In the balancing act of blogger and hard core comic book fan I want to share news and teasers while not blatantly giving away stories.
I still want to be surprised when I read comic books! I avoided the internet on Wednesday until I could read Batman #17 and Uncanny X-Men #1. I chose not to reveal the major spoilers in Amazing Spider-Man #700.
In the Batman family characters are always a target for death and resurrection (just ask Jason Todd!) so fans, writers, blogs will always be speculating on how a story will end.
Speculation is fun, spoilers are not!
So here’s my updated post on what could be a new Death in the Family:
The last chapter of this week’s Death of the Family revealed the Joker’s final shocker! While Batman Inc is not directly tied to Death of the Family could the death we’ve been expecting be due to Bruce and Talia’s blood feud and not the Joker’s maniacal manipulations?
The last chapter of this week’s Death of the Family reveals the Joker’s final shocker! Will a member of Bruce’s alliance die? Will the Batman family be torn apart? While Batman Inc is not directly tied to Death of the Family could the death we’ve been expecting be due to Bruce and Talia’s blood feud and not the Joker’s maniacal manipulations?
The Joker’s reign of terror hits this week’s Teen Titans #15. The Clown Prince of Crime claims to know the real identities of Batman and his allies. The Joker declares he must kill Bruce’s friends and allies to make him a better Batman. The men formerly known as “Robin” team up to take down the psycho.
The Red Hood (Jason Todd) of the Outlaws and Red Robin (Tim Drake) of the Titans join forces against the Joker in Teen Titans #15 by Scott Lobdell (writer of Red Hood and The Outlaws too) and Brett Booth. Batgirl will guest star and Batman artist Greg Capullo created this creepy image. This is not the final cover.
The Joker in Teen Titans #15 courtesy DC Comics
This week’s Death of the Family tie-in chapter picks after after Red Hood and the Outlaws #15. The Teen Titans rush to save a kidnapped Tim Drake. Jason Todd (aka Red Hood) may have a surprise for the Clown Prince of Crime.
“I think that the readers are going to be as surprised as the Joker is, to discover that his usual bag of psychological tricks that in the past that he has played on Jason no longer work they way he wants them to,” writer Scott Lobdell told MTV Geek.
“The Jason that the Joker faces off against here isn’t the same angry young man who was lashing out over issues related to Bruce and Joker. And part of that is because he’s actually developed these strong relationships with the two outlaws who have been close friends and confidants since they’ve started hanging out together. Unfortunately what that means is that the Joker has to dig even deeper into his bag of psychological tricks — and what he comes up with will shake Jason to his core!”
Will Batman be stripped of his friends and allies by the time Death of the Family is over?
Warning!
Spoilers Ahead:
In this week’s Batman #15 Bruce was confronted by Barbara, Tim, Dick, Jason and Damian. The Joker claims to know the identities of Gotham City’s crime fighting “family” and that Batman will be responsible for killing all of his friends and allies within hours. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have redefined the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime is more horrific, sadistic and creepy than ever. The creative team is redefining Batman and the heroes of Gotham City. We will soon know what the story title means. I wanted to share this part of Snyder’s interview with Comics Newsarama about how Bruce’s conflict in Death of the Family about being Batman and head of this family.
Batman #15 courtesy DC Comics
“What The Joker is saying, essentially, is “you don’t want them around for that reason.” And “deep down, you wish you weren’t responsible for them. You want to just be Batman. You don’t want the father figure role that is more of a Bruce Wayne role.”
“Well, the thing the Joker does, that I think makes him the greatest villain of all time, is he sees the things you’re afraid are true about yourself, and then brings them to life.
So they don’t necessarily have to be true….. Having young children, I was thinking about Bruce’s position as someone who’s responsible for all these younger allies and how much he is a father to them, and how in some ways, that would make him — especially coming off of the Court of Owls where he was so reliant on them — both proud of them and incredibly attached to him, but also make him worried. Not just for them, but also worried that he does rely on them in ways that he didn’t before.
The Joker, as his villain, hears that. You know what I mean? Not in a supernatural way, but in a kind of metaphorical way. He hears it and says, “I know what you’re feeling. I know you well enough, darling, to know that you just said you want the family dead, and you want to go back to being me and you.”
And Batman is saying, “No, I didn’t say that. I never said that.”
But Joker is like, “Sure you did. When you said you wanted to stop worrying about them, that’s what you meant. You’re not willing to say it, but deep down, that’s what you’re thinking.”
The Batman Family of books could be radically changed by the time this is over. Would you want to see a Batman completely on his own in a war on crime? No Robins. No allies. Batman a complete lone wolf?
Death of the Family rolls into Nightwing #15 and Red Hood and the Outlaws #15 next week. Batman #16 is Bruce’s showdown in Arkham Asylum.
