Batman & Son

Infobox comics story arc
title="Batman & Son"


caption=Cover from "Batman" #658, the concluding issue of "Batman & Son".
Art By Andy Kubert.
publisher=DC Comics
date=July - October 2006
titles= "Batman" #655-658
notable=y
main_char_team=Batman
Damian Wayne
Robin
Talia al Ghul
League of Assassins
The Joker
writers=Grant Morrison
artists=Andy Kubert
TPB=Batman & Son hardcover
ISBN=1-4012-1240-9
cat=Batman
sortkey=PAGENAME

"Batman & Son" is a comic book story arc from DC Comics by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert, featuring Batman in the monthly title of the same name. It ran from July to October 2006.

This marked Morrison's debut as the writer of the flagship "Batman" title, a post he continues to hold into 2008. This also marked artist Andy Kubert's first work for DC Comics in nearly 15 years, as he and his brother Adam had just signed a new exclusive contract for the publisher.

Plot

The Joker has managed to poison Commissioner Gordon and is crouched over what appears to be a bloody and beaten Batman. As Joker gloats over his "victory," the beaten Batman pulls out a handgun and manages to shoot the Joker in the face. At that moment the real Batman appears and captures the Joker, throwing him into a dumpster. After visiting Gordon in the hospital, Batman learns that in his short time back in Gotham he has managed to rid the city of supercrime.

In the Batcave, Alfred tells Batman that he has been so focused on his war on crime that he has started to lose touch with his Bruce Wayne identity. Robin states that he believes a vacation away from Gotham could be beneficial, so Batman decides to attend a charity event at the London Pop Art museum where he can spend time rejuvenating the playboy Bruce Wayne identity.

Meanwhile, Kirk Langstrom, the former Man-Bat is shown being told by Talia al Ghul that if he does not give his "Man-Bat Formula" to the League of Assassins, she will poison his wife Francine, rendering her blind and crippled. As Bruce arrives in London to attend a gala opening at London's Pop Art museum, Kirk and Francine are thrown out the back of a van by members of the League of Assassins. Alfred asks them what is wrong, and Kirk tells him that Talia now has the Man-Bat serum. Batman faces down a whole army of ninja Man-Bats in an effort to save the attendants of the gala until Batman is rendered unconscious. When he awakens he finds Talia, who explains to him that he is the father of her son Damian.Citation | last = Wallace | first = Dan | author-link = | contribution = Batman | editor-last = Dougall | editor-first = Alastair | title = The DC Comics Encyclopedia | pages = 40-44 | publisher = Dorling Kindersley | place = London | year = 2008 | ISBN = 0-7566-4119-5]

Batman and Damian return to Gotham City where the Dark Knight introduces his son to the Batcave, Alfred, and Robin. However, Damian's petulant attitude gets him locked up in one of Wayne Manor's many rooms.

Meanwhile, Robin is searching for Alfred in the Batcave when he comes across Damian, armed with a sword Batman had taken from him. Suspicious, Tim tries to befriend Damian when the younger child reveals that he went out and beheaded a criminal known as the Spook, and placed a grenade in his mouth. Shocked, Tim appeals to Damian that killing is not their way. Damian responds by tossing the head in the air, which explodes when it hits the ground. The two spar in the Cave until Damian defeats Robin leaving him for dead, and taking Jason Todd's displayed Robin uniform with him. Later, the Bat-Signal is lit and Batman finds Damian wearing the Robin suit. Batman asks how he got out of the Batcave without being seen and then asks what he's done with his partner.

Back at the cave, Batman cares for Tim and reluctantly agrees to take Damian to stop Talia and save the British Prime Minister's wife, when Damian reveals he has worked out that Talia wishes to trade her hostage for control over Gibraltar. Soon, Batman, Damian and Talia are in a confrontation on Gibraltar as the British Navy bomb the Peninsula. Talia and Damian vanish in an explosion.

Three ghosts of Batman

The "Three ghosts of Batman" is the fan-given name of a group of fictional characters, DC Comics supervillains and the name of the comics sub-plot in which they appear. These three individuals have appeared during Grant Morrison's run on "Batman". All three have worn variants of his costume. All three of them have ties to the GCPD, as former policemen. In a strange twist, Batman explains to his butler Alfred Pennyworth, that he saw three similar figures in a past vision, but he believed it was merely a hallucination. As it turns out though, what Batman thought was a hallucination turned out to be a forgotten memory in which three men were chosen from the police force to train with Batman to replace him should anything ever happen to him. During the test Batman had himself isolated so that a Doctor Simon Hurt could study his moves and what drives him. During his time in the isolation experiment Batman hallucinated the death of Robin and was driven with guilt. When the three replacement Batmen came in to challenge them, he took them down easily. Dr. Hurt decided that the three Batmen needed to be driven by rage and sorrow, so he killed the third man's family, pouring glue in his brothers eyes, and carving up his sister. He also began adding venom and monster serum to the second cop, Bat-Bane, until that cop was driven to kill his own family in rage. Doctor Hurt put hypnotic suggestions into Batman's head to help him forget the whole experience and dismiss it has a bad dream. The three replacement cops were hidden away to await the day they would return. [ Batman #674- DC Comics]

The Three Ghosts

Muller/"Bat-Cop"

Battled the Joker in "Batman" #655 (the first part of the Batman and Son storyline) who believed he was fighting the real Dark Knight. Using his years of experience of battling the real thing, the Joker nearly killed him. [ Batman #655- DC Comics]

Battered and bleeding, this impostor pulled out a handgun and shot the Joker in the face, disfiguring him even further. Later in the issue, Commissioner Gordon explains to Batman that he was an ex-cop who seemingly snapped and decided to "clean up the city" using vigilante methods.

It is revealed in "Batman" #674, that this officer's name was Josef Muller. He was an ace marksman, but had both his hands broken by Batman while in the isolation chamber.

Branca/"Bat-Bane"

In Grant Morrison's "Batman" #664, Batman discovered that a pimp had been supplying an ex-policeman who lived on an abandoned facility with prostitutes. The women eventually turned up dead. Batman tracked him down and was severely beaten by the man, who was dressed in a mixture of Batman's and Bane's costumes. Batman suspected the imposter had used Hugo Strange's Monster Serum and daily venom shots to gain his size and strength. [ Batman #664- DC Comics ]

"Batman" #674 established that this monster really was force fed the growth-enhancing serum of Hugo Strange and the strength-enhancing super-steroid Venom. This made him strong enough to lift a Batmobile over his head during his battle with Batman and Robin. It is also revealed that he was a family man by the name of Branca, who eventually killed his own family while driven by rage from the drugs that Doctor Hurt had put into him. [ "Batman" #674- DC Comics]

Lane/"Bat-Ghost"

"Batman" #674 revealed that the third man's name is Lane. It never clarifies if that is a first or last name. This third Batman appears twice in two different times. First he appears to Bruce Wayne's son Damian. Damian has taken the mantle of the Batman some 10 to 20 years in the future. In "Batman" #666, an adult Damian has inherited the mantle of the Bat and is seen pursuing this third Batman "ghost" who has been systematically murdering Gotham's ganglords, claiming to be the son of the Antichrist come to begin the end of days. He is eventually killed by Damian, who throws him out the window of Hotel Bethlehem. This "Batman" uses the basic costume, seemingly upgraded with either Firefly's or Heatwave's flamethrower. Like the "Bane" ghost, his face is completely hidden by his mask (goggles and a metallic plate conceal his eyes and mouth).

We see this third man again in the "present" storyline in "Batman" #672. Here he is referred to as the Third Man and attacks the Gotham City Police Department asking for Commissioner Vane. He then attacks Batman on the roof where he tosses him into the Batsignal. During the battle, Batman has a heart attack and goes into cardiac arrest. The Third Man then takes Batman and revives him with the intent to torture him in a rundown location. While Batman is captured with the Third Man, he has a series of visions that involve his final confrontation with Joe Chill who killed Bruce Wayne's parents, Thomas and Martha, some sort of isolation test Batman did earlier in his life, the death of Robin, the Thögal Ritual he endured in Nanda Parbat, and a visit from Batmite [ [http://www.wizarduniverse.com/022708dkdev.html Dark Knight Developments 2/27/2008] , "Wizard Magazine"] . Batmite seems to encourage Batman to pull answers from the visions. These visions answer the question of where these three Batmen came from. With Batmite's help Batman remembers the isolation test and the three replacement police officers involved. Batman manages to escape from the Third Man, when the Third Man attempts to cut off Batman's hand. Batman had slid his hand completely out of his glove and while the Third Man is surprised, Batman attacks. Batman knocks a tray of acid onto the Third Man traps the third man to the floor. At this point the Third Man says to Batman, "this...this is your chance... if...if you kill me now, you can stop what's going to happen." Batman does not kill him so the Third Man continues, "well then, I...I have a side kick too...". At this point Bat-Bane comes through the wall with a rock. Before he can smash Batman though, he is shot in the head by Officer Farelli. During the confusion the Third Man escapes and Batman goes after him. Batman catches up to him but is too tired to follow him over the fence. The Third Man, standing on the opposite side of the fence tells him that his replacements are circling him like vultures because Batman's luck is about to run out and soon he'll be gone. The Third Man disappears into the mist. [Batman #672; Batman #673; Batman #674-DC Comics]

Collected editions

The story has been collected into a single volume in both hardcover and softcover formats:

*"Batman & Son" (200 pages, hardcover, August 2007, ISBN 1-4012-1240-9 [ [http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=7429 "Batman and Son" hardcover trade details] ] , softcover, July 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1241-7)

Notes

References

*comicbookdb|type=storyarc|id=1992|title=Batman & Son