Having largely abandoned the outre projects (e.g., Doom Patrol, The Invisibles) that made his reputation for chronicling DC's big superheros, Morrison here gives us the caper that puts the lid over the Caped Crusader. Dr. Simon Hurt, leader of the international criminal associates known as the Black Glove, has devised an elaborate psychological trap for Batman.

The scheme succeeds in breaking Batman's sanity, long established as being dangerously fragile, and leading him to adopt a psychotically violent persona, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, who squares off in Arkham Asylum against Dr. Hurt's new ally, the Joker. Batman's delusions are likely to be as confusing to readers as they are to him.

Morrison uses elements from seven decades' worth of disparate and contradictory versions of the character, and only the most dedicated fans will recognize most of them. Tony Daniel's art grounds the complex proceedings with clarity and verve. Batman's apparent demise at the saga's end leads into an arc in which various would-be successors vie for the right to wear his cowl.