Scoop Batman Reborn: Morrison talks Batman & Robin and the Return of Bruce Wayne at IGN

[oddballuk]

IGN.com have posted another of their excellent interviews with Grant Morrison, this time focusing on the Batman family and Morrison's plans for Batman & Robin and the Return of Bruce Wayne mini.

Here: http://uk.comics.ign.com/articles/106/1063765p1.html

This all sounds great to me.

My favourite parts are:

SPOILER. Highlight below text to read

Jonah Hex and Vandal Savage in the Bruce Wayne mini and another year of Morrison on Batman after Batman & Robin #16!

[CatsMeow]

People always ask what would happen if you went back in time and shot your own grandfather, but who the hell would shoot their own grandfather under any circumstances in the first place ? [laughs] It's such a daft idea. Obviously your grandfather didn't die, or you wouldn't be alive to shoot him. Something clearly happened to prevent you from shooting him because your very existence is proof he wasn't shot!

Finally, someone who gets time travel!

[Jake1823]

Another year on the book! Woohoo!

I'm not sure I understand his time travel theory, though. You can alter objects around you, but not people?

[CrimeSyndicateCraig]

Another year on the book! Woohoo! I'm not sure I understand his time travel theory, though. You can alter objects around you, but not people?

Jake1823

What I think he was saying was that you can't kill someone responsible for your own creation, because you technically wouldn't be alive to go back and kill the person. At least, that's what I thought.

[RetroWarbird]

Finally, someone who gets time travel!

CatsMeow

Seriously! The only other thing I can think of that really played it correctly is Futurama of all things, by asking themselves the ridiculous questions right in the episode.

If you go back in time and kill your grandfather, you are never born and therefore can not have gone back in time and killed your grandfather. That's the paradox. So, if in your fictional universe Time Travel exists, and it's actually possible to go back in time, there has to be a corrective "fate" thread to the timeline that ensures the safety of linear time from your various expeditions into the past. This doesn't discount the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle at all - rather, the H.U.P. only applies in linear normal time.

If you've gone back in time - that (incursion) already technically happened in the past, so whatever you did back in time didn't come into contact with your ancestors in any way that would change your history. It was destined to happen, so to speak - although not by any sort of sentient thought process or reasoning.

This is of course in the case of a linear timeline that only works back and forward, with no divergent timelines.

At any rate ... I'm glad to hear DC characters will pop in, and it sounds like Morrison will be using ones that are really organic to it.

Vandal Savage and Anthro continues their appearances in Final Crisis.

Witch Hunter Batman sounds AWESOME. I hope we see Klarion, it would make sense, considering Seven Soldiers.

Dark Knight he said last in line, which makes me wonder what it'll be - will it be by issue six, he really returns to the present, or is the timing weird and is it literally "Dark KNIGHT", medieval style? Because again, Morrison using Shining Knight would be pretty cool.

[dl316bh]

I'm glad to see others seem to get what Grant meant. I looked at the comments section and saw the usual responses of "Morrison is an ass and his time travel talk doesn't make sense". Such made me wonder if either I was the only one who read it that got what he was saying or if I was just nuts because I got what he was saying.

Return sounds like it's going to be bitchin' and I'm glad it's coming sooner rather than later. I'm not sure if I'm looking forward more to cowboy Batman (Jonah Hex cameo!) or Pirate Batman.

[RetroWarbird]

I'm glad to see others seem to get what Grant meant. I looked at the comments section and saw the usual responses of "Morrison is an ass and his time travel talk doesn't make sense". Such made me wonder if either I was the only one who read it that got what he was saying or if I was just nuts because I got what he was saying. Return sounds like it's going to be bitchin' and I'm glad it's coming sooner rather than later. I'm not sure if I'm looking forward more to cowboy Batman (Jonah Hex cameo!) or Pirate Batman.

dl316bh

It's definitely one of those "helps to be a Trekkie" things. Which is funny, because actually in Star Trek, they typically do it wrong all the time, and attempt to use the "time travel" sections of the Prime Directive for non-interference so they don't affect the past too much - which they don't need to worry about.

Except in the case of the 2009 film, I suppose ... or Yesterday's Enterprise ... or Voyage Home ... or First Contact ... or ... well, whatever. I'm rambling. The point is, in those cases, it was historically impossible for the heroes to lose. They were destined to win and smooth out the wrinkle in time.

[CatsMeow]

Another example of the timeline thing is this:

Let's say you have a time machine and you saw an old newspaper clipping from 1901 and it has a picture of you and you're wearing your favourite Batman t-shirt. You would be compelled to go back in time and take that picture with that shirt on even if you didn't really want to. Somehow you'd have to go back there, even against your will, because it's already happened.

[MattDiCarlo]

Dan does great interviews with Morrison. Can't wait to read this one.

[dl316bh]

Another example of the timeline thing is this: Let's say you have a time machine and you saw an old newspaper clipping from 1901 and it has a picture of you and you're wearing your favourite Batman t-shirt. You would be compelled to go back in time and take that picture with that shirt on even if you didn't really want to. Somehow you'd have to go back there, even against your will, because it's already happened.

CatsMeow

Or - in classic Jimmy Olsen style - see yourself in a newsreel shaking hands with Hitler, wonder who your "mysterious double" is and - completely unable to put two and two together - go back in time to see who it is, realizing way too late that it was you in the newsreel.

It's definitely one of those "helps to be a Trekkie" things.

I suppose it is. Still, some folks make Morrison out to be crazy to the point of incomprehensibility. At times, those kind of comments make me wonder if I'M nuts when I understand what he's talking about or trying to get across.

[Eric Q]

The art is great, very dynamic, feels like Batman and Squire are going to fly off the page.

[Yttox]

Morrison: It changes again obviously once Bruce comes back, and we start with a different sort of dynamic. But like I said, I was going to leave after issue #13, then I came up with an idea which seemed fun to do. So the Batman universe status quo changes again dramatically after #16, but I don't want to say any more than that. Anything else I say will reveal too much about where we're going.

WTF? Come on, whats that about? Isn't it allready enough???

IGN Comics: How would you describe the tone of Return of Bruce Wayne? Are you playing it as straight as possible? Morrison: Yeah, it's straight and it's rooted in reality but it's also a little bit of pulp as well.

Glad about that!

Morrison: A lot of people just don't understand time travel and make it confusing.

A lot of people just don't understand comics and make them confusing.

Morrison: There's probably going to be at least another year of stories on top of this. I want to see how long can I twist and turn things without breaking them.

I realy like Batman & Robin, but Morrison should take a break soon!

[General grievous]

Great interview.

The best way to deal with time travel in comics is to not have too many rules to it.

The more you try to explain stuff. The more questions asked.

[Jake1823]

Seriously! The only other thing I can think of that really played it correctly is Futurama of all things, by asking themselves the ridiculous questions right in the episode. If you go back in time and kill your grandfather, you are never born and therefore can not have gone back in time and killed your grandfather. That's the paradox. So, if in your fictional universe Time Travel exists, and it's actually possible to go back in time, there has to be a corrective "fate" thread to the timeline that ensures the safety of linear time from your various expeditions into the past. This doesn't discount the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle at all - rather, the H.U.P. only applies in linear normal time. If you've gone back in time - that (incursion) already technically happened in the past, so whatever you did back in time didn't come into contact with your ancestors in any way that would change your history. It was destined to happen, so to speak - although not by any sort of sentient thought process or reasoning. This is of course in the case of a linear timeline that only works back and forward, with no divergent timelines. At any rate ... I'm glad to hear DC characters will pop in, and it sounds like Morrison will be using ones that are really organic to it. Vandal Savage and Anthro continues their appearances in Final Crisis. Witch Hunter Batman sounds AWESOME. I hope we see Klarion, it would make sense, considering Seven Soldiers. Dark Knight he said last in line, which makes me wonder what it'll be - will it be by issue six, he really returns to the present, or is the timing weird and is it literally "Dark KNIGHT", medieval style? Because again, Morrison using Shining Knight would be pretty cool.

RetroWarbird

Ah, I understand. that does seem fairly simple.

[RetroWarbird]

I think I'm looking forward to Cowboy Batman the most ... Morrison had me at "High Plains Drifter", for starters, as an unabashed Eastwood worshiper. But I also think Bruce as a Man With No Name type wandering into a town with Jonah Hex and a hint of the supernatural really speaks to those 1970's style Batman stories. I'd love to see one of the 70's artists do that issue. Neal Adams if he could find a break in his big graphic novel ... though I think Luke Ross would be a great choice as well.

Just on the thought of artists for eras ... I'd like to see (in addition to Andy Kubert for Caveman and Frazer Irving for Witch Hunter, which seem to be semi-confirmed):

Cowboy Batman - Luke Ross.
Pirate Batman - Matt Wagner.
P.I. Noir Batman - Dave Mazzucchelli or Michael Lark.

[Jake1823]

I doubt Mazzuchelli does anything superhero related for a long time.

Dustin Nguyen would work well with P.I. Noir Batman.

I think I'm looking forward to Witch Hunter Batman the most.

BTW, another thing I found interesting from the article is the idea that Batman is the superhero book and Detective is the crime book. I am very much in favor of that.