Batman Incorporated #13
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Batman Incorporated #13

Writer: Grant Morrison Artist: Chris Burnham Publisher: DC Comics Release Date: July 24, 2013 Cover Price: $2.99 Critic Reviews: 27 User Reviews: 17
8.0Critic Rating
8.9User Rating

Batman saves the world and loses everything.

  • 10
    Imagination Centre - John McCubbin Sep 11, 2013

    This was a fantastic issue, and the perfect way to end the series, as although it may not have been as shocking as I expected, it had the right tone, and atmosphere that this issue needed. It also had some great action, and dialogue, as well as some brilliant symbolism, and I will sadly miss seeing Morrison work on Batman, though great things must end. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this issue, as whether you've been following this series, or enjoyed a few stories from Morrison's run, it's worth seeing how it ended. Read Full Review

  • 10
    Major Spoilers - Wayne Hall Aug 1, 2013

    The best way to sum up this review is to quote Mr. Morrison through Commissioner Gordon's last words about the Dark Knight: "Batman always comes back, bigger and better, shiny and new. Batman never dies. It never ends. It probably never will." Read Full Review

  • 10
    Comic Vine - Tony 'G-Man' Guerrero Jul 31, 2013

    Batman Incorporated was a fascinating experiment. It took Batman to different places and introduced many great characters. It's fitting that with Grant Morrison's departure, we may be seeing less of the idea as a whole (let's not forget the one-shot coming in August). This series gave us a lot of what we wanted to see. We had some endings and some beginnings. The Leviathan story felt it went on a little too long at times but there were definitely some great moments throughout. Who else is ready to re-read all the stories from the beginning once more? You'll get excited over the events here but you'll still be a little sad over seeing some things end. It's not often a story can tug on your heart-strings like this. Read Full Review

  • 10
    AIPT - Russ Whiting Jul 31, 2013

    This is the kind of comicbook that makes you proud to be a fan; makes you apathetic to the derisions of those uninitiated to your hobby because " who gives a damn? What you just read was truly laudable. A story resonant and thoroughly felt. One of mythic quality. One that you'll read to further scrutinize, to more deeply possess, and most importantly " enjoy anew. Read Full Review

  • 10
    Gotham Spoilers - Gotham Spoilers Jul 31, 2013

    I mean, what is there to say? Morrison has made his mark on the Batman franchise, and as he promised, returned the toys to the toy box where he found them. It has been a hell of a seven year run, and as far as I'm concerned, Morrison delivered until the end. There will never be another Batman story like this one, which is both a blessing and a curse. Nothing will ever get near this level of quality again, but this story will always stand alone, as it should. I'm going to miss it greatly, but Grant Morrison's Batman certainly went out with a bang. Read Full Review

  • 10
    The Comic Book Revue - Jay Mattson Jul 31, 2013

    Whether you subscribe to Grant Morrison's wacky narrative style, his Batman saga has been a landmark of DC comics over the past seven years. Throughout his runs onBatman, Batman and Robin, and finallyBatman Incorporated, Vol. 1and Vol. 2, Morrison rewrote the book on Batman. He gave us Batman's son, then took him away. He killed Bruce Wayne and let Dick Grayson wear the cowl before Bruce came back. He made Batman go global, and the implications were mesmerizing. There have been many great Batman stories, and many great Batman arcs, but a Batmansaga; that's all Morrison.Batman Incorporated #13is the end of Morrison's Batman story, but it's not the end for his characters or his various plot points. The final pages of this book bring up a whole slew of unresolved issues that leave things open for the future. Damian Wayne and Talia al Ghul may be dead, but what does that mean for Batman, Leviathan, and the League of Assassins? We'll all just have to keep reading. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    Population Go - Population Go Staff Dec 31, 1969

    However, what really drives the point home is Morrison's final pages. After everything is done, you have a broken, tattered, and torn Bruce Wayne considering ending his tenure as Batman, but without skipping a beat, he is thrust right back into the game; right back into the circle. With a final epilogue Morrison delivers one last hook. He gives us one final cliffhanger that drives the message home; this will never end. There is no "The End" in the corner of the final page, but an Uroboros instead. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    Following The Nerd - Sarah Barclay Aug 1, 2013

    (Is it too early to start a countdown to Damian's return?) Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    Chuck's Comic Of The Day - Chuck Aug 1, 2013

    The whole "Bat Inc" idea has been interesting, but perhaps a bit too unwieldy for any but the best writers - I'm not sure anyone but Morrison could manage it. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    Geeks Unleashed - Stephen Hardman Aug 1, 2013

    But does this represent the end of Batman Incorporated? Not likely. There are several signs in this comic that the seeds Morrison has sown over the past few years will grow and be significant in future Batman storylines within the New 52 continuity. That suits me fine. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    Comic Book Resources - Doug Zawisza Jul 31, 2013

    At the end of "Batman Incorporated" #13, the gauntlet is thrown down, not just within the story as Ra's al Ghul begins to plot and scheme, but from Morrison as well. The long-time writer added depth and diversity to the world of Batman while refreshing some older concepts and fan-favorite notions. Now, however, Morrison is walking away, leaving the life he has nourished in the care of others to continue to nurture and grow. The clippings Morrison shows are intriguing and it will be interesting to see the blossoms those pieces produce in the future. Appropriately enough, Morrison leaves his superhero work behind as quietly as he entered into it. There's no fanfare to declare his departure. There is no text page or behind-the-scenes script reveal. Morrison just leaves on a high note, giving readers one more enjoyable Batman story on his way out the door. Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    Read Comic Books - Cody Mudge Jul 31, 2013

    Whether we'll see much of the many things Morrison created or uncovered during his run in the years to come will remain to be seen, but it could be fun to see lasting consequences and rejuvenated characters see the light of day because of this run. We haven't seen a writer who fundamentally understood the character since Frank Miller, and perhaps it will be a number of years before we see another that just “gets it” on this level. A worthy end to one of the greatest Batman stories of all-time. It has been a long and great ride. Bravo. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    Comicosity - Gavin Craig Jul 31, 2013

    Grant Morrison has been writing his Batman story for nearly seven years now, and taken by itself, Batman Incorporated #13 can almost seem an anticlimax. Everything happens so quickly, and it's all narrated after the fact, as Commisioner Gordon interrogates Bruce Wayne alone. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    CHUD - Jeb Delia Aug 2, 2013

    I'm quite certain that this final issue will read differently picking it up a month(ish) after the last one, than it will having reread Batman Inc from the start of the New 52 run, than it will rereading the full series run from the beginning, than it will reading back to Morrison's first Batman and Son story. When the time allows, it will be interesting to see how its context changes. Equally it will be interesting to see Morrison's overall impact on the Bat-lore going forward. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    Comics Are Not Dead - Comics Are Not Dead Aug 2, 2013

    Batman Incorporated #13 is a poor wrap up to Morrison's Batman run, but it would have been an incredible issue if it weren't Morrison's last. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    Behind The Panels - Richard Gray Aug 4, 2013

    If this ending is less than the sum of its parts, it certainly doesn't fail from a lack of ambition. Grant Morrison has left an indelible mark on the Dark Knight, and superhero comics generally, and we hope there is still a place for this off-beat Bat in the New 52. Read Full Review

  • 7.7
    IGN - Benjamin Bailey Jul 31, 2013

    So that's it. Morrison's run is over and the story of Batman Incorporated is most likely finished, as well. There's little fanfare and not nearly enough excitement. The cowl has been passed to others and it's hard to see the new crop of writers and artists picking up these story threads. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe it was time for this to end, but it's hard to not be a little bit sad. There were some good times, Grant. We'll miss ya, buddy. Read Full Review

  • 7.7
    Multiversity Comics - Zach Wilkerson Aug 1, 2013

    Congratulations to Morrison, Burnham, and everyone else involved in crafting a definitive chapter in the fictional life of a character that never dies, a story that never ends. “It probably never will.” Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Weekly Comic Book Review - Minhquan Nguyen Aug 1, 2013

    Morrison is mostly wrong. You probably won't hate the issue, but you will mourn for the greatness it could have been. With the DCU largely ignoring its presence, Batman Inc. is the lone artist shouting to be heard on his street corner while the rest of the world passes by, his message not fully-formed enough to vie for anyone's attention. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Henchman-4-Hire - Sean Ian Mills Aug 3, 2013

    I'm being generous with that 'Good' rating. This is, by no means, a bad comic. The final show down is cool, the dialogue and characterizations are sharp, and the wrap-ups are well done. The problem is that there is no urgency or energy left in this story. None at all. There are no stakes. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Modern Age Comics - Alexander Moser Aug 3, 2013

    This may not be the best issue of Batman of all time, but it's a nice ending for Grant Morrison. We may not see more of his Batman work, but it is always nice to see a long-building storyline finally hit a conclusion. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Comics: The Gathering - Wombat Aug 4, 2013

    Grant Morrison has taken us on a wild ride for the last seven years. His run on the Batman character, through various titles and miniseries, has been mythological in scope and scale, turning Bruce Wayne from man into an elemental force and ripping him from Gotham City into the cosmic void and back again. His Batman has faced death, numerous lifetimes of pain, and the end of time itself"but he has endured with fists clenched and teeth bared. With a salute to the writers and artists of years past, Morrison makes Batman's timeline an eldritch meta-fiction "explaining" how every Batman story ever told formed the foundation of the canon of today. And it was trippy stuff. Read Full Review

  • 6.0
    Batman-News - Andrew Asberry Jul 31, 2013

    I didn't find it to be a fitting end to such a daring and experimental saga. It didn't satisfy me in any way, really, and there were actually a couple of things that made me mad. And most of my appreciation for it comes mostly from how much I wanted it to be good! I needed it to be good. When I first started this review I had the comic at a 7.5 and I gradually brought the score down to a 6 by the time I was done writing and truthfully that still feels like it's being too generous. There's some really amazing artwork (I love the ouroborous 2-page spread– the second good ouroborous-themed page we've seen in a Batman book this month) and I liked the exchange between Bruce and Gordon but the rest of it just wasn't compelling enough. I guess you could say it was the ending we needed right now, but not the one we deserved. I can't help but feel that the series “jumped the shark” after Damian died. Read Full Review

  • 5.9
    Weird Science - eric s Aug 2, 2013

    Well it wasn't the issue I wanted, but it's what I got and it's the end. I don't know if I missed something but KathyKane coming out of nowhere just seems forced, and an easy way to end thestory. The cover states that this is the"EPIC CONCLUSION", it might be the conclusion but I didn't findanything about this issue to be epic.Readers of Batman Inc. will get it to complete their story, but thisissue will not draw people in to read the rest of the series. Sorry Grant, but yet again you have left mewanting. Read Full Review

  • 5.9
    Analog Addiction - Jideobi Odunze Aug 1, 2013

    Overall it was the conclusion we needed, but not the one we deserved. It could have been a whole lot better and I can only hope that they can turn things around after this story arc because there is just no appeal to it. Read Full Review

  • 4.5
    Comic Book Revolution - Kevin Aug 1, 2013

    By the time I finished reading Batman Incorporated #13 I knew something was wrong. Upon reading it again and again before even writing this review I understood that what I felt was emptiness to this supposed epic conclusion. For all that Grant Morrison built during his 7 year run on Batman this conclusion lacked the payoff that the characters and this comic book run deserved. There were many missed opportunities for meaningful character interactions that would have given this story a more proper ending. Given all that occurred there are many ways that Morrison could have ended things while leaving the door open for Ras al Ghul and members of Batman Inc. to return without the need of this jumbled. In the end this conclusion puts an epic stain on a 7 year comic book run that I enjoyed before reading this final issue. Read Full Review

  • 4.0
    Newsarama - David Pepose Jul 31, 2013

    Batman will never die, Morrison says, but will he always be shiny and new? I disagree, and I think this finale is proof: despite the coolness inherent in his concept, without a writer whose heart is truly in the product, this Dark Knight will always be just a shadow of his potential. Read Full Review

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