Culture news Batman has changed a lot: he is now a homeless man with amnesia who wanders the streets of Gotham
In the long line of Batman stories, there is one that particularly stands out for its tone as serious as it is absurd. Broken and exhausted, Bruce Wayne wanders aimlessly through the streets of Gotham before being saved by someone unexpected: Zur-En-Arrh.
In more than eighty years of existence, Batman has experienced many adventures that go in all directions. However, in all of his history, there is one author who stood out from the rest for his clever use of the superhero’s legacy, as well as for putting him in situations. This man is Grant Morrisson, and during his time in Batman, he gave the Dark Knight a hard timeespecially in a particular saga.
Batman RIP, a superhero more broken than ever
In Grant Morrison’s seven years of working, there are plenty of great stories. While everyone obviously thinks of Batman Incorporated and its tragic conclusion, that’s not what we want to talk to you about today. As its name suggests, Batman RIP features the death of Batman… but not literally. As his relationship with the mysterious Jezebel Jet intensifies, Bruce Wayne seems to lose control of his troubled life to the point where he ends up giving up on everything. Obviously suffering from a mental illness, he abandons his identity as Batman and wanders aimlessly through the streets of Gotham City. Meanwhile, the Black Glove and Dr. Hurt’s army are preparing to conquer Gotham City, the Black Knight’s allies will have to fight this threat and try to save their mentor.
In this chaotic context, Bruce Wayne wanders broken through the streets of Gotham City. But since Batman thinks of absolutely everything, that’s when the character of Zur-En-Arrh comes into play. In reality, he is a “backup personality” created by Bruce Wayne in case he becomes mentally compromised. However, the latter is very different from Batman because he is much more violent and unbalanced than him, as evidenced by his funny colorful costume made up of red, yellow and purple rags. In reality, this doesn’t come out of nowhere and shows Grant Morrisson’s deep knowledge of the Batman universe.
In Batman #113, published in 1958, readers were introduced to a volunteer scientist named Ttlano. After observing Batman’s every move on Earth using a powerful telescope, the latter decides to play the same role on his home planet called… Zur-En-Arrh. But when his world is attacked by robots from another world, the scientist teleports the original Batman to his dimension to help him fight and that’s when the characters meet. An obscure reference that Grant Morrisson brought up to date in his run which you can read in full from Urban Comics.