“The Island of Mister Mayhew: Part 1”
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: J.H. Williams III
Publisher: DC Comics
The future of Batman looks grim following Batman #666, my second favorite issue of Grant Morrison’s run. So far, only two issues have really captured the inner bat-fan as the rest of Morrison’s run has been a bit of a crapshoot. However, this issue has hit the shelves a mere two weeks since the last issue, which seems like a rare event these days with big name creators. Morrison’s run has definitely provided some interesting twists and turns and story ideas throughout, but a lot of it is not exactly what I’ve expected. This issue changes course quite a bit and has Batman featured with the Club of Heroes.
I suppose this is the part where I comment on Silver Age ideas running rampant in many of DC’s titles and stating that I really don’t think that it works. Look at the "Sinestro Corps War," for example. That event only requires knowledge of the history between the Green Lanterns and Sinestro and the basic idea of who Superboy-Prime, Cybrog Superman and the Anti-Monitor are, easy enough to look up. However, the Club of Heroes is something I know absolutely nothing about. As a child of the 80s and 90s, and not really getting involved with comics on a critical level until the 90s, the Club of Heroes is an idea I know absolutely nothing about. Even when I hit the all-knowing Wikipedia, there is nothing. Thus, the appeal of the Club of Heroes is nowhere to be found with me, where’s psychotic, murderous, illegitimate child of Batman when you need him?
I don’t really care for these Silver Age ideas taking prevalence in DC’s books. There is absolutely no need for them. I’m not even sure which Krytpon Superman comes from. So where do I begin with the Club of Heroes? I have no idea because I don’t even know when they first appeared, who they are or what the purpose of their meetings are. Frankly, I don’t care. I want more Ra’s al Ghul, I want more Damien, and I want more of the dynamic behind the duo of Batman and Robin as seen in issue #665. Instead, there is only a hint at the classic Batman and Robin relationship in this issue as the rest of the issue is kind of like “Bat-Worship.”
I’ll admit it’s very difficult to appreciate this title because I have no idea of the Silver Age innuendo. I can’t stress enough that not knowing about the Club of Heroes makes me wish Frank Miller’s “Goddamn” Batman would show up and beat down this little club while laughing and singing show-tunes. Okay, aside from the fact that I have no idea who these characters in the Club of Heroes are, there is a decent plot underneath it all. Aside from the over-the-top and cheesy bat-worship, the plot doesn’t really get moving until the end. While the inciting incident in this story is gruesome and actually pretty well done, I can’t help but feel like this issue is more of a dinner-murder mystery at a fancy restaurant. Sure, it seems a bit more violent, but a bunch of people on an island trying to solve a murder with the body count increasing seems pretty much like dinner theatre to me. Let’s not forget that one of them is the world’s greatest detective, so I think it’s obvious where this story-arc is going. I hope Morrison can actually generate some interest in the Club of Heroes for me because it just isn’t clicking.
J.H. Williams artwork is a bit of a mixed bag. It is good at some point and not so great at others. It is wildly inconsistent. The characters all look different, and I don’t know if that is intentional or not, but it is noticeable and takes away from the overall quality of the issue. Don’t get me wrong, I think his Batman looks great, but the rest of the art is mediocre.
Overall, I really wish DC would stay away from the Silver Age and Kingdom Come. Or at least give us younger folks an explanatino of whatever Silver Age idea they are referencing. The plot underneath this mess of an issue is decent, but I don’t know how much I really care. With the madness that has ensued during Morrison’s arc it’s really hard to appreciate this issue, but I do hope Morrison can spark my interest in this Club of Heroes, especially since the villain seems to have some tie to the group.
What did you think of this book?
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