| "Batman and Son" | |
|---|---|
.png) Cover of the collection of the story arc, art by Andy Kubert. | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Publication date | September – December 2006 |
| Genre | |
| Title(s) | Batman #655–658 |
| Main character(s) | |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Grant Morrison |
| Artist(s) | Andy Kubert |
| Editor(s) | Peter Tomasi |
| Batman and Son hardcover | ISBN 1-4012-1240-9 |
"Batman and Son" is a 2006 comic book story arc featuring the DC Comics character Batman. Written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Andy Kubert, the story was published in four parts in the comic book Batman starting in #655 and ending in #658. The story was the beginning of Morrison's run in the Batman comic as well as their long-term take on the character of Batman through multiple titles over the next seven years. The arc introduced Batman's son, Damian Wayne, bringing him into the mainstream continuity of the DC Universe.
Morrison was hired by DC editors to give their take on Batman after having recently given their definitive take on the character of Superman in All Star Superman. In writing the arc, they took ideas from past Batman stories, especially the 1987 story Batman: Son of the Demon. Morrison brought back the idea of a son, Damian, being born from a love affair between Batman and Talia al Ghul, the daughter of his nemesis, Ra's al Ghul. The boy had been trained from birth by the League of Assassins and was sent by Talia to live with Batman in a plot to disrupt his crime-fighting and distract him. It also includes the use of sometime Batman adversary, Dr. Kirk Langstrom and the serum he uses to become the creature Man-Bat.
The arc served as the beginning of Morrison's Batman run and was followed by a prose story about the Joker in Batman #663 and then the fan-named story arc The Three Ghosts of Batman (Batman #664–666). These two arcs and the Joker story were ultimately collected together in trade paperback form since many elements introduced in the first arc were used and expanded upon in the second arc. The story had a lasting impact on the DC Universe, introducing the character of Damian who would go on to co-star in two on-going monthly series for DC and appear in other comic books frequently.