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People seem to be loving these guys for the brief nod to Robin-Stephanie's (?) case (I was going to write "suit" before 'case' to avoid ambiguity, but...), even if it was only hallucinatory (which could perhaps be the future in Morrison's worlds). But I didn't really get why his "when did I die?" line relate to it. I thought at first it could be about his overall dickishness towards Tim and Stephanie (I'm still thinking if "keeping at arms' lenghts" is supposed to be ambiguous, keeping his distance and by that coin overcompensating in restraining and keeping him too “close” for fear).
I really liked Robin's "you think about the Joker way too much". It felt genuinely like he and Alfred are what make him sane, if only for human contact to bring him down to earth, by sometimes bringing him up on altitudes of 'silliness' (and their way of bringing context to Bruce by giving humor and humanity). And even if I was a bit confused by Chill moments (and Batman's attitudes – but kinda cool re-reading it seeing him as Frosty), I loved the way those moments "were all the same” ("Isolation chamber? No, this is the 30th day of Thogal").
I want to know what happened when Batman stayed w/ the ghost tribes of the ten-eyed brotherhood!
I'm a bit disappointed that it didn't touch on the cave exorcism more directly (or more explicitly/blatant/simplistic/spelled out for me). I thought it'd be more about recontextualizing the many dark events and issues (and the overall drives, factors and the needs to put that world's face in the dark toilet water) that turned that world and character into the DarkGrime Fastfood Inc (while using weird comic book metaphors to Morrison's majiks!1!23!-speak). I think I left wanting it to be more deep in a explanatory way instead of walking with Bruce so subjectively, but I should give it another reading to see if I missed something, or if I’m coming from stupidfield. Overall, it reminded me of King Mob's Edith exorcism issue, that moment "look, Edith’s alive" and the logic behind the progress of the moments in the “mess” (only with Robin in her place -- and wasn't that King Mob in Chill's office, tripping on the chair head up like in that issue? Only thing lacking was the bloody nose). But in terms of putting those concepts into the big landscapes of superhero metaphors, I thought the death – and affirmation of his ‘spirit’, the overcoming of death -- of Pa Kent in A*S#6 was more inspired. But I guess current editorial and readership’s demands doesn’t allow much in that vein other than the usual Morrison’s Invisible-esque trope of rituals, hallucinations-real/‘real’ and the sort of thing that’s more in key with current notions of filmic realism, ninjas’ exoticism freepass and tripping-tea rituals.
But I think the ritual was exactly this. Many moments at once, being the same moment in progression, the many-eyed being us (and Robin, and Chill, and his own self as a pre-trauma child* in safe security about to be confronted by death, throwing a rock on the dark cave of isolation where nobody can see him, stirring up the DeathBats -- while making them leave at the same time).
*Or, as LDones said so much better, the sillier, more boyish aspects of Batman/Bruce Wayne's character (and Batman as a mythic figure, a vehicle for stories) are what keep him sane or balanced, healthy - the toys and Bathounds and sci-fi closets his way of dealing with existential terror & mortality.
Was the cover about Batman integrating Chill and the trauma? To find himself in Chill (and find Chill in himself) for reintegration and to exorcise? a)The most obvious, Bruce pointing the gun at himself in the alley; b) Chill on one moment is crying on his knees amidst his own piss, like kid Bruce in the puddle; c)In isolation and fear, being the traumatized and scared side of Bruce that takes him into the darkness and wanting to be/ understand the criminals, be amidst them, be in stealth and in the shadows etc; whipping himself, keeping others at distance at fear so he’ll be harder and darker, the scary side revealed as being just scared; Smearing filth, blood, violence, faux cynicism and darkness onto self as a form of insecure chest thumping, instead of more natural and contextualized ways to approach such things. d)Chill’s “the son I lost", like Robin; e)Chill’s lines standing in for Bruce’s (“he can’t get me, right?”, while the cave is closing; briefly alluding to that sort of safespace womb bubble – circles motifs in those weird old rituals); f)Recognizing the points where Chill becomes his creator. I'm sure there were lots more, but they're usually that sort of subtle turns from moment to moment.
But the question is, I think, on what side will the coin fall, will the images of the monk will prove themselves as being the door closing or opening -- did Chill kill himself or not; did Batman 'killed' him or not; Did Batman killed him for good inside himself (and his fears and traumas that make him like Chill himself), or will audiences and editorial keep him as an abortion on the darkness womb.
And, fuck, the art could be at times extremely effective, and at others just goddawful urgh.
PS: greatest metaphor ever, the reawakening of the hairy chest (even if at first I thought it was a completetly different thing!). And fuck, I loved the new context for all the hard-boiled hammer-speak (does that symbolically makes us Alfred when reading DKR and its derivatives?).
(sorry for the messy jumbled text. And the lenght) |
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I love Morrison and his hallucinogenic drug trip-type stories, just trying to figure some stuff out here...