Digging Deeper in Bruce's Past #6
Grant Morrison is acclaimed because he is one of the few writers who really push the medium to its potential. Part of the reason he can do this is because of his knowledge in the Occult. There will always be three types of readers that walk away from a Grant Morrison story: (1) Those that had no idea what happened and did not like it, (2) Those that had no idea or little idea what really happened but enjoyed the story and (3) those who understand the messages between the lines. With Grant Morrison spearheading Batman, the three camps have been more obvious than ever. Some old fans have left the series and have not comeback, many have stayed on for the ride and try to understand as much as they can. The following review is more about the Occult symbols and why it is making Batman the level of young Vertigo when Grant Morrison was making his name.
What makes this series really nice is the reread level. There is so much hidden knowledge (occult) in his book that the more research you do, the more you notice that things are there on purpose. One thing that is nice about Grant Morrison, is that with his Batman stuff he has been giving us "Code" books every so often to keep us on track. This issue had a "Code" page on page 20. All the key things to look for are highlighted, such as the Sigils (Superman/Wonder Woman necklace), Martha Wayne's pearl necklace, the eclipse, the bat, the bullet, etc. There are also some occult symbols in the mix, such as the Hangman Tarot card and the Ace of Spades.
The Hangman in Tarot suggests:
- Sacrifice ----- Letting go ----- Surrendering ----- Passivity
- Suspension ----- Acceptance ----- Renunciation ----- Patience
- New point of view ----- Contemplation ----- Inner harmony
- Conformism ----- Nonaction ----- Waiting ----- Giving up
The Ace of Spades is a card known as the "Death card" or "Bullet". The Ace of Spades also is attached to the infamous "Dead Man's Hand", something Grant Morrison explored in past Batman comics. The Ace of Spades also has a demonic connection to some people.
The 4th Dimension, which I mentioned in the first issue review comes to full circle in this comic. All the major events are revisited in at least a quick snapshot of a page or so. Grant Morrison has written this mini-series so tightly you have to give it a reread to make sure you haven't missed anything.
These are just examples of how deep we can get into Grant Morrison's work. If you would like to add something or talk more about the comic in general, I would love to discuss the layering in the comment section.
Cheers
- Silkcuts
