Batman and Robin #2 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; Simone Di Meo, Artist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Josh Williamson has really become “Mr. DC” over the last few years, doing extended runs on top books and spearheading their most recent events. I think the key to his success is how he’s able to do big action that still maintains time for fun, personal moments, and that’s definitely the biggest strength of this title. When we last left off, Batman and Robin were investigating a mysterious case involving a scientist who specialized in DNA hybrids, and encountered a team of villains that included Killer Croc, Man-Bat, Orca—and a mutated Terrible Trio, all hybrids. Batman wound up under attack by a swarm of ravenous bats after a pheromone attack, and a brutal flashback to Damian’s days in the League of Assassins shows where his compassion for animals comes from, even as they’re trying to eat his dad. The action in the opening pages really shows off Di Meo’s skill as an artist.
From there, Damian and an injured Bruce try to figure out their next move, but Damian has another, more challenging task ahead of him – his first day of high school. He tries it out, gets briefly bullied and fantasizes about violently assaulting the kid, and then decides to dip out of the building before first period even starts. This subplot has the potential to be a lot of fun, although I kind of wish he was still going to Gotham Academy with Maps Mizoguchi. I will say once again that the design of Damian here is a little distracting—he has the hairstyle most associated with Tim Drake, so it’s a new look for the character. But overall, the banter between Bruce and Damian is the best it’s ever been and this might be the only time I can remember where they actually feel like father and son rather than associates. It’s a golden age for the bat-books and this is another winner.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
