Batman: The Knight #9 Preview

[Frontier]

As I say about Zatanna, I consider it lazy and contrived to retcon it in. DC's world feels smaller and more contrived if all these people met and were integral to Bruce's journey.

I'm not a fan of retconning Bruce into this great savior (which isn't how I see Batman at all) that the universe conspires to bring about, instead of a boy who just wants to stop any other kids from losing their parents.

Batman Begins was a movie so it helps the viewer to see Ra's early on as he's revealed as the villain later. It doesn't work for me as longform comic book mythos.

It legit make sense that Ra's (as originally envisioned as Bond villain) would be aware of someone like Bruce travelling and accruing such skills but isn't it far more interesting that he kept that in his back pocket until Bruce became useful, rather than trying to recruit him early on? Ra's is supposed to be playing a long game.

At least with the Zatara's it's generally canon in the comics or in continuities that they were one stop in Bruce's training, so it's not too unsurprising that they would show up in this, but having to retcon in involvement of Ra's that has never been brought up before...feels more like too much fanservice.

[phonogram12]

As a concept, I also have an issue with Zatara being one of Bruce's teachers for the same reason as previously stated that it's just far too convenient (I also like that bit I read in one of the Who's Who's where it was actually Thadeus Brown, the first Mr. Miracle, who trained Bruce in escape artistry).

In execution, though, both this and Dini's version convinced me that it's not all that bad of an idea after all.