"Little did I suspect when I accepted the BATMAN writing assignment back in 2006 that I’d wind up spending the next six years writing the longest continued comic story I’ve ever attempted. I thought I’d said most of what I had to say about the character with Arkham Asylum, Gothic, and Batman’s appearances in JLA. Clearly, I was wrong.  

The original pitch was for 15 issues winding up with BATMAN R.I.P. but something happened along the way and, as I was researching his rich history, I became fascinated by the idea that every Batman story was in some way true and biographical - from the savage, young, pulp-flavored “weird figure of the dark” of his early years, through the smiling, paternal figure of the 1940s and the proto-psychedelic crusader of the ‘50s, the superhero detective of the ‘60s, the hairy-chested globetrotting adventurer of the ‘70s, to the brutally physical vigilante of the ‘80s and snarling, paranoid soldier of the ‘90s.

By taking his entire publishing history as the story of his life, I was able to approach Batman from a different angle and the multifaceted character that was revealed became the subject of my story.

What would such a man be like, realistically? This was a man who had saved countless lives, faced innumerable perils, and even prevented the destruction of the world itself. This was a master of martial arts, meditation, deduction, yoga and big business. This was a man who had tamed and mastered his demons and turned personal tragedy into a relentless humanitarian crusade.

Taking that man seriously meant I had to throw out a few of the accepted ideas about Batman as a semi-unhinged, essentially humorless loner struggling with rage and guilt. The totality of his history and accomplishments made that portrayal seem limited and unconvincing, so instead, my Batman was a true superhero at the height of his powers and the peak of his abilities, surrounded by a network of friends and associates, all of whom had been inspired by his lead.

I chose to build my story around the basic trauma, the murder of his parents, that lies at the heart of Batman’s genesis. It seemed to me there would be a part of Bruce Wayne that resented his parents for leaving him and especially resented his father for not being Batman that night, so the principal villains were an archetypal bad father figure in the form of Dr. Hurt and a dark mother in the form of Talia, our villain for the concluding chapters of the story.

This master theme of damaged and ruined families was nowhere more in evidence than in the creation of Damian, the first “Son of Batman” to be acknowledged in the canon. In many ways this has been Damian’s story as much as it has been the story of Bruce Wayne and it’s a story that had its end planned a long time ago - for what son could ever hope to replace a father like Batman, who never dies?

And so, via Batman, Batman and Robin, Return of Bruce Wayne and Batman Inc. this epic tale has finally reached its finale.

Thanks to all the artists who helped realise the story – Andy Kubert, JH Williams, John Van Fleet, Tony Daniel, Ryan Benjamin, Lee Garbett, Frank Quitely, Philip Tan, Cameron Stewart, Andy Clarke, Frazer Irving, Scott Kolins, Chris Sprouse, Ryan Sook, Yanick Paquette, Georges Jeanty, David Finch, Scott Clark and of course, Chris Burnham.

Thanks to the inkers, colorists and letters and to my indefatigable editors.

Thanks to the readers who joined in the fun and contributed to the thought-provoking debates and analyses online.

The conclusion is finally here, with only four more issues to go. Four issues which take Batman to dark places he has never had to visit before. Four issues and I’m done, while Batman himself continues into as yet unimagined future adventures. He’ll still be here long after I’m dead and forgotten; long after all of us have come and gone, there will be Batman. It’s been a joy and a privilege to spend so much time in the company of pop culture’s greatest character but it’s going to feel weird waking up and not having Bruce Wayne’s calm, commanding, ever-so-slightly cynical voice in my head.

Batman forever…

- Grant

Scotland, December 2012"

Welcome back for another installment of Preview Monday! This week we’re giving you exclusive first looks at BATMAN AND ROBIN ANNUAL #1 and GREEN LANTERN CORPS ANNUAL #1.

It’s time for some father/son bonding in Wayne Manor! But Damian’s idea of bonding is anything but ordinary. He decides to lead Bruce on an unrelenting scavenger hunt across the globe for family secrets to prove that his alter-ego, Batman, is in fact the greatest detective in the world. But will the discovery of these secrets change the Dark Knight and his trusty sidekick forever? And who will protect Gotham while Batman is away? Find out in BATMAN AND ROBIN ANNUAL #1, in stores this Wednesday, written by Peter J. Tomasi, illustrated by Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes, and featuring a cover by Andy Kubert with Brad Anderson. Click here for an exclusive preview of the issue. 

Also this week, make sure not the miss the stunning conclusion of “Rise of the Third Army” in GREEN LANTERN CORPS ANNUAL #1! The Guardians have shut down the Green Lantern Corps and stripped Guy Gardner of his power … but little do they know that Guy and Simon Baz, the new Lantern of Earth, have formed a surprising new alliance! Now, the time has come for the final battle on Oa between the Guardians and the Green Lanterns. Will the Lanterns defeat their creators? Or will the fall to the Third Army once and for all? The results will leave you speechless and set the stage for the next exciting GREEN LANTERN event, “Wrath of the First Lantern”! Written by Peter J. Tomasi and illustrated by ChrisCross, Scott Hanna & Marlo Alquiza, GREEN LANTERN CORPS ANNUAL #1 flies into stores this Wednesday. Click here for an exclusive preview of the issue.

What do Grant Morrison, Greg Capullo and Dave Gibbons have in common? All three men have created comics for DC and all three have photos included in our latest batch of DCComics.com talent portraits.

If you’re not sure what we’re talking about, allow us to recap a bit. Over the past year, we’ve been taking our mobile photo studio and crack team of professional photographers to some of the biggest comic book conventions in the country to capture our talented creators on film. Our first convention was Wondercon, then C2E2, and then San Diego Comic-Con. Throughout it all, the response to the portraits has been phenomenal, so to make sure we ended the year on a good note, we sent our studio to one final 2012 convention: New York Comic-Con.

Considering how many of our writers and artists live in or near New York, we knew this would be a big convention for us, and we weren’t disappointed. All told, we added over 30 new portraits to our talent directory.

You can see a few of them below, but why don’t you take a pass through our directory and see how many you can find? Then come back to THE SOURCE on Wednesday for the full list.

Grant Morrison

Andy Kubert

Phil Jimenez

(All photos by Mike Jara Photography)

This week sees the publication of ACTION COMICS VOLUME 1: SUPERMAN AND THE MEN OF STEEL. Written by the incomparable Grant Morrison (ALL-STAR SUPERMAN) and drawn by the sensational Rags Morales (IDENTITY CRISIS), this hardcover book is the premiere collection of the acclaimed series that launched with DC COMICS-THE NEW 52. This updated Superman has been re-imagined as a more vulnerable and relatable hero. Young, naïve, and with incredible powers he’s only begun to explore, Superman is waiting to be discovered by a whole new generation.        

Collecting issues #1-8, ACTION COMICS VOL. 1: SUPERMAN AND THE MEN OF STEEL is in comic book stores now and in bookstores everywhere on August 7th. Below, take a first look at some of the bonus material from the back of the hardcover.