What Story/Arc was the beginning of uber-prep God Batman?

[MindofShadow]

What was the story or arc or run or whatever when Batman become known for being a prep master/contigency plan/10 steps ahead type of guy?

Just out of curiosity.

[Frontier]

I think there were tinges of it before, but it didn't become so expected of the character until maybe Morrison's JLA run.

That's where it became a very popular take on the character.

[JBatmanFan05]

What was the story or arc or run or whatever when Batman become known for being a prep master/contigency plan/10 steps ahead type of guy?

Just out of curiosity.

There's no one story I can think of. Batman comics from the earliest days cast Batman as Morrison did, a detective who knew something you or the bad guy didn't (that he knew about X, or prepared his batsuit by doing X, etc), and that was the bad guy's undoing. The Adam West Batman series had that.

Had I guess, I suspect that with modern readers that meme impression intensified not only during Morrison's JLA run but just after in JLA Tower of Babel by Mark Waid, where Ra's steals then-revealed contingency plans that Batman had always kept if he needed to take down the JLA for some reason.

[Aioros22]

The prep god thing is a bit exageratted (like most memes are) but I`ll guess early 90`s to 2000`s era? I didn`t care for it so I can`t pinpoint a storyarc for it. I`ve seen some mention Morrison`s first Justice League run as a prime exemple.

[Aioros22]

Ah yes. Tower of Babel, Kindgom Come and co with all the special batsuits and contengency plans.

[millernumber1]

The story where Batman and Superman go to Apocalypse and he outplans Darkseid (I think that was Jeph Loeb's Supergirl introduction?) seemed like one of those stories to me, and the earliest I remember reading. Of course, I don't like Morrison in general, so I probably missed stuff he wrote.

[MindofShadow]

The prep god thing is a bit exageratted (like most memes are)

Just to be clear, im not criticizing it at all lol. Hell, my avatar is T'chalal who gets the same thign said abotu him so...

[Buried Alien]

I would say it's Morrison's JLA run. In the late 80s/early 90s, Batman was alarmingly vulnerable (that stretch from A DEATH IN THE FAMILY to KNIGHTFALL). No "Bat-God" then.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Aahz]

I would say it's Morrison's JLA run. In the late 80s/early 90s, Batman was alarmingly vulnerable (that stretch from A DEATH IN THE FAMILY to KNIGHTFALL). No "Bat-God" then.

But already around Knightfall they started to bring in more hightech stuff, while in the 70s and 80s, Batman was quite down to earth lowtech for the most part.

[JBatmanFan05]

But already around Knightfall they started to bring in more hightech stuff, while in the 70s and 80s, Batman was quite down to earth lowtech for the most part.

Better tech isn't necessarily related to "Bat-God", but it's certainly a big part of it, Buried wouldn't disagree with this claim I'd bet.

Batman's always been a good bit gadgety. And in 1967 the Batcomputer first appeared. As real life higher tech became leaps and bounds better and more important in our daily lives, obviously Batman's staple of gadgetry was already the opportunity to just say he uses high technology in general. You can't have Batman comics where the GCPD and govt (based off of real police and govt) outclass Batman in technological resources to better fight crime.

[Aahz]

Better tech isn't necessarily related to "Bat-God", but it's certainly a big part of it, Buried wouldn't disagree with this claim I'd bet.

Batman's always been a good bit gadgety. And in 1967 the Batcomputer first appeared. As real life higher tech became leaps and bounds better and more important in our daily lives, obviously Batman's staple of gadgetry was already the opportunity to just say he uses high technology in general. You can't have Batman comics where the GCPD and govt (based off of real police and govt) outclass Batman in technological resources to better fight crime.

Yeah but it was a step away from the more street level feel of the 70s and 80s.

And even the Batcomputer was not that important during this time, I think that it were actually the Burton movies and the DCAU that brought us the modern Batcomputer (and the modern look of the Batcave and his vehicles).

[Scott Taylor]

Miller's TDK, because he was able to have a chance against Superman due to prep. That series changed Batman because it took concepts that were already around, like his utility belt, and ramped it up significantly.

[Carabas]

Miller's TDK, because he was able to have a chance against Superman due to prep. That series changed Batman because it took concepts that were already around, like his utility belt, and ramped it up significantly.

Not only did he have a chance against Superman, he deliberately threw the fight to fake his death.

So, yeah, The Dark Knight Returns is wheer the Batgod started to take off (although there's been traces of it in the character ever since Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams revived the character).

I think the Batgod kind of Batman is a fine line to walk. Morrison did it masterfully in his JLA and Batman runs, Mark Waid just made it ridiculous in Tower Of Babel.

Mark Waid also married the Batgod to the Batdick in that story, which is what really changed the character for the worse, I think. Morrison's Batgod didn't make plans to take down his allies.

[Agent Z]

Not only did he have a chance against Superman, he deliberately threw the fight to fake his death.

So, yeah, The Dark Knight Returns is wheer the Batgod started to take off (although there's been traces of it in the character ever since Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams revived the character).

I think the Batgod kind of Batman is a fine line to walk. Morrison did it masterfully in his JLA and Batman runs, Mark Waid just made it ridiculous in Tower Of Babel.

Mark Waid also married the Batgod to the Batdick in that story, which is what really changed the character for the worse, I think. Morrison's Batgod didn't make plans to take down his allies.

Didn't Waid make it so the plans had to be modified by Ra's to be effective?

[Carabas]

Didn't Waid make it so the plans had to be modified by Ra's to be effective?

Modified to be lethal. They already were effective. IIRC.

Batgod is oddly incompetent though. Good enough to devic countermeasures to eliminate the entite JLA, but not good enough to store those plans somewhere secure. And this kept happening over and over again.