Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne [Hardcover]

Grant Morrison (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 8, 2011

Grant Morrison’s best-selling multi-part Batman epic continues with Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham city.

A time-spanning graphic novel featuring Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham City to take back the mantle of Batman, written by award-winning writer Grant Morrison and illustrated by a stable of today’s hottest artists including Chris Sprouse, Frazer Irving and Yannick Paquette. This is the final chapter of the epic storyline that began in the bestselling graphic novels BATMAN: R.I.P. and FINAL CRISIS in which the original Batman was lost in time.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
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From Publishers Weekly

An odyssey for one of the most iconic figures in comics stretches from prehistory to the end of time, revisiting and reimagining Batman's mythology through a complex narrative. Writer Morrison and a team of artists pick up from the end of Morrison's Final Crisis and Batman: RIP. Bruce Wayne is lost in time after killing Darkseid, a godlike being of pure evil. Piecing together the memories of his past that he's lost and slowly realizing he's been turned into a human booby trap meant to destroy the universe by Darkseid, Bruce is pulled through eras of Gotham City's history that include confrontations with cavemen, witch hunters, pirates, cowboys, and 20th-century cultists. These adventures culminate in a return to the present where he must rely on his fellow superheroes to save him from Darkseid's curse. Morrison's story is designed to add to Batman's aura as a timeless, mythical hero, but the time jumps and Bruce's amnesia sometimes create an uneven narrative. The story also asks readers to possess a wealth of familiarity with the character's decades-long history, making the book not as accessible to newer fans. Different artists—all strong, colorful storytellers—give each time period its own mood. (Feb.)
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics; Deluxe edition (February 8, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401229689
• ISBN-13: 978-1401229689
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 0.8 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Grant Morrison is one of comics' greatest innovators. His long list of credits includes Batman: Arkham Asylum, JLA, Seven Soldiers, Animal Man, Doom Patrol, The Invisibles and The Filth. He is currently writing Batman and All-Star Superman.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

123 of 138 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Batman's Bewildering Journey Through Time February 16, 2011

By E. David Swan VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Grant Morrison is the most frustrating comic book writer I have ever read. On the one hand he is CLEARLY capable of writing some of the most fabulous stories ever. Problem is he is also capable of producing some unholy messes but with the way the professional reviewers have gushed over The Return of Bruce Wayne it surely falls in the category of Morrison's masterpieces. "Ain't it Cool News" is quoted on the back cover saying, "If you don't pick up this book, you hate comics". Um, ok. If you haven't figured it out by now I was not bowled over by The Return of Bruce Wayne.

Following a blast from Darkseid's Omega beam near the end of Final Crisis, Batman is thrown back through time to the dawn of mankind. Now he needs to fight his way to the present transporting forward every time there is an eclipse while losing much of his memory with each jump. Wayne meets prehistoric man, pirates, puritans and 1940's cultists all the while his body is filling with "Omega-Charge" that will unleash a universe smashing cataclysm when Wayne returns to present day. This is Darkseid's final revenge. It actually sounds pretty neat but it's in the execution where things go all wonky.

There are at least three things that Grant Morrison does in his writing that annoy me. The first problem is that he has difficulty creating believable dialogue. Instead of feeling like I'm reading actual human interaction it feels like actors in a play reading from a script. At one point Wonder Woman says, "Gods and New Gods like Darkseid are self aware ideas. They use concept-weapons, anti-life equations, hunter-killer metaphors". That is most definitely NOT Wonder Woman speaking, it's Grant Morrison speaking THROUGH Wonder Woman and he does this stuff all the time and I don't enjoy it....

The second problem is that Morrison sometimes has difficulty with general storytelling and Final Crisis was evidence `A' in sloppy storytelling. I read the series three times and still find it a confusing mess. The Return is not on the bewildering level of Final Crisis but it's definitely in the same vein. There was a pretty sharp split between fans who LOVED Final Crisis and those who hated it. I was not a fan... at all. So if you loved Final Crisis this is probably right up your alley but otherwise be forewarned. This story is not like Batman and Robin which I enjoyed or Batman R.I.P. and the Black Glove which I loved. It really felt like a homework assignment trying to follow the story.

The third and perhaps most annoying thing Morrison does is when he has some character start spewing pseudo intellectual gobbledygook such as this gem from a fuzzy robot at the "Vanishing Point", "...and so plane time--- space b... an immense cosmic loom of converging and separating timelines... each track a new vibration, a separate universe, a superstring on a mighty fretboard" and this just goes on and on and on. I find myself zoning out. At other times Morrison seems to be trying to channel Jack Kirby who used to hyphenate two words to create a new word but when Morrison starts using phrases like Omega-Charge, Darkseid's Hyper-Adapter and The "All-Over" it has none of the charm of Kirby and just makes the whole reading experience bloody tedious.

Morrison has charmed the professional reviewers and enjoys very generous reviews. The problem for readers is that often his work is quite spectacular and by and large I've enjoyed his Batman stories although I think the Batman and Robin series is overrated. This makes it difficult, at least for me to determine if Morrison really has scored a hit when reviewers slobber over EVERYTHING he produces. It's like the whole comic industry is composed of enablers praising Morrison when he starts engaging in self indulgence. The final nail in the coffin for me was the Final Crisisesque ending. In Final Crisis the "Crisis" was resolved when Superman built a ridiculous wish machine and wished the problems away and then I think he sang a song or something. It was so confusing it's hard to explain. The ending here isn't as bad but it's still way too simple and very disappointing. Clearly a lot of people love this series and I'm going to give it a second go through but only to try and figure out what the heck is going on. By the way, it IS possible to create a complex, multilayered story without making it nearly incomprehensible without an in depth study. Read more ›

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The End comes Full Circle February 9, 2011

By Greg Savel

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

So what is this book? It is basically the aftermath of an event that took place in a limited series (Final Crisis) that was foreshadowed in previous batman books, that were the conclusion of a saga that was written back in the 70's. Confusing? Yeah- kinda. Although it really isn't as bad as it sounds. This book is one of two conclusion books to Grant Morrison's current Batman epic (the other being "Batman and Robin vol. 3" coming out in May), but it easily stands on its own. As far as art is concerned, there are many different artists, and while in most comics it may be a little jarring, it makes sense in this particular instance, and contributes to the story. The story is told in a brisk and enjoyable manner. Now, here's the thing: as said before, this is the cumulation of an ENTIRE run on the batman books, as well as a follow up from Final Crisis. For Final Crisis, I found that those who praised it did the extra back-reading, while those who just read it without knowing history of the current DC universe didn't like it. Now this book is much more accessible than Final Crisis, but to get the whole story, one should read "Batman: R.I.P" and "Final Crisis". Once again, you will be able to enjoy this story without the extra reading, but this book really is a part of a larger epic. So, in conclusion: this book is for: Grant Morrison fans, Batman fans, people who like good art, and people who don't mind digging into a little extra thought in order to get the most out of the story. WHo is it not for: People looking for a brisk read, people who believe that Batman should be 'down to Earth' and not really have supernatural adventure. For me though, I loved this book, found the story to be very engaging, and can't wait to see what the next chapter is for the Dark Knight.

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece within a Masterpeice February 26, 2011

By edcerc

Format:Hardcover

If you were going to teach a class about comics as fine art than this would be on the required reading list. I guess I can understand if some people don't want to take the details of a comic so seriously and just want an fun quick read, but I personally like to take time and soak up any art-form that I love. Especially when in the hand of such a genius collaboration of minds and styles. I think everything Grant Morrison has done with Batman has been one of the most important works in any art-form to come into my life. The Return of Bruce is maybe not the best place to start from, but if you have read everything leading up to this it is one hell of a ride. The amount of plot threads that come together during these six issues is uncountable and the feeling of off payoff for loyal readership is no more apparent than it is here. Each issue shows grant writing in a different style to accompany the story archetypes that each time period dictates and creates rich dialogue and narration for each one. Each issue is done by a different artist allowing for even more diversity for each piece and allowing some really great people to show off. The only problem i really had was that i felt that the art for the cowboy issue, which seemed a result of a rushed replacement for I believe cameron stewart, was a little lackluster when compared to the other issues. However it is still pretty good and the writing is probably the best of any issue at that point in the story. The artwork of the other five issues is really insane. I can't even pick one as my favorite. The last issue was some of the craziest revelations I've ever read in any work of fiction and I was really surprised that morrison was still paving new ground after all he's done.... All I can say is that it really frustrates me that somebody could not like this book but I am glad that I can say my piece give my solid 5 out of 5. Read more ›