This review contains spoilers.
by Eric Levy:
Gotham City’s Caped Crusader has been going through a lot as of late. Not only has he lost the trust of some of his closest allies following the events of Scott Snyder’s Death of the Family, but his only son, Damian, was brutally killed in the closing pages of Grant Morrison’s Batman Incorporated #8.
Due to the loss of the young Robin, series writer Peter Tomasi is exploring the five stages of grief: denial, anger (or rage, in this case), bargaining, depression and acceptance. After last month’s grief issue, it is clear that Bruce Wayne is going through some heavy stuff.
Speaking of last month’s issue, we saw the New 52 debut of Carrie Kelly. Carrie is known for portraying Robin in Frank Miller’s classic The Dark Knight Returns, and there has been a lot of fan speculation as to whether or not she will become the next Robin. In the New 52 era, Carrie is a college student who has been giving Damian acting lessons—something Bruce had no idea was going on. She is also very curious as to why her star pupil has decided to stop showing up. After asking Carrie why his son wanted acting lessons, Bruce tells her that her services are no longer required. Although, something tells me that we haven’t seen the last of her as Alfred suggests that she may be of service around the manor.
Aside from Carrie, there was another appearance by a former Robin: Jason Todd AKA Red Hood. Red Hood is brought on a mission with Batman, who reveals to Jason his true intentions. This leads to a fist fight and a series of panels that really has you feeling the rage of both men. Before their confrontation, though, there was a nostalgic moment where we see Bruce and Jason fighting crime in perfect harmony. Batman even says to Red Hood, “Feels like old times,” to which Jason replies, “Thanks for the invite! Just what the doctor ordered!”
In my eyes, Batman and Robin (or whichever bat family member is filling in for the time being) has been a standout series for DC courtesy of Tomasi’s excellent storytelling and Patrick Gleason’s dark style of pencilling. It should be noted that Cliff Richards also did a great job of filling in some of the gaps of this issue. It was one of those seamless transitions that you often rarely see when two peope are handling art duties.
We all know that death, in any fashion, is a hard topic to deal with. And letting go isn’t always as easy as one may think. But for Bruce, it is exceptionally difficult. He wanted to see his son grow up, but that was taken away from him in the cruelest of ways. So, is his behavior as of late justified? I’ll let you be the judge. But one thing’s for sure: if the next stage of Bruce’s emotional spectrum (bargaining) is anything like his denial or rage, then those who have formed themselves around him are in for a treat.
Eric Levy covers the hit CW TV show Arrow for DarkMedia. He is a comic book enthusiast who loves to read, watch, and write about his favorite characters. You can follow Eric on Twitter at @LifeinStrips. You can also check out his blog at lifeinstrips.blogspot.com
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