Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason make their “New 52” debut in this new first issue for
BATMAN AND ROBIN. In truth, when I learned that this title was going to be back as part of the relaunch, I was a little bit perplexed. Didn’t this book serve its purpose after the disappearance of Bruce Wayne? I was curious to see what sort of place this book would have among the books released so far, and even whether or not this title would be able to find a voice among the flurry of new Bat-titles.
In the end, I think it does.
The most obvious thing that makes this volume of the title different from its predecessor is that instead of pairing Dick Grayson with Damian, it pairs Bruce Wayne himself. This is THE Batman and Robin. What could their dynamic as teammates be like after such bitterness between the two has been explored? With Damian used to operating under one Batman, will he be able to measure up to the man he reveres so highly?
Peter Tomasi obviously knows how to characterize Bruce Wayne, but I kept feeling like he wasn’t letting Bruce loose enough on his son’s behavior. For those unsure about whether or not Damian is modified in the relaunch, this book proves that he’s not. At all. In fact, he may be proving to be even more disrespectful than he was previously, because even after showing a little bit of progress the last time we saw him, Damian does seem to carry a grudge against his father, and even says some very mean-spirited things that Batman merely shrugs off or doesn’t acknowledge.
A new villain makes his first appearance here, apparently named Nobody. From what I can gather with the opening and closing of this issue, he doesn’t like Batman Incorporated, and is aware of some potentially damaging secrets about Batman and his associates. I like that Tomasi and Gleason are creating a new villain for this relaunched book, as it has a higher probability of sticking to new readers and gives old readers something interesting to look forward to. The villain seems like a formidable choice for Batman and Robin to tangle with, so I’ll be very curious to see how that character’s arc progresses going forward.
Patrick Gleason’s artwork, for me, is fantastic. I’ve been following Gleason since he took over penciling AQUAMAN in the early 2000’s and became an even bigger fan when he started on GREEN LANTERN CORPS, first with writer Dave Gibbons, then with Mr. Tomasi. There’s a certain exaggeration coupled with an odd grittiness that really seem to make him a great fit for a Batman title, and I’m glad that he’s paired with Tomasi again for this title.
All in all, BATMAN AND ROBIN #1 is a pretty solid start for this new version of the title. While it’s not gushingly incredible, it’s interesting enough for me to stick around, as long as Bruce unloads a little on his son. Having an actual father/son dynamic to drive this series forward will only emphasize the formerly residual theme of family of most of the other Bat-titles, and it’ll be a fun ride to see if Batman and Robin soar above the clouds before they end up wanting to tear each other apart.
