The second issue of the re-launched
BATMAN AND ROBIN title adds a lot of interesting layers to the story that was set up in the first issue. Instead of a mysterious behemoth that seems to be ripping through the ranks of Batman Incorporated to draw the attention of the man himself, this issue has given us a little more insight into who this antagonist is, and also clues us into a few details about a convergent past between he and Bruce Wayne. On the front of characterization, though, the greatest contribution that Peter Tomasi gives is to the troubled son of The Dark Knight, Damian Wayne.
One of the best parts about this issue is that we’re starting to see bit by bit how a partnership between these two very similar individuals works. If you’ll remember back in 2009 when the first volume of this title was about to begin, writer Grant Morrison would say in interviews that the interesting thing about the Dick Grayson/Damian partnership is that it’s a reverse of the normal Batman and Robin dynamic: instead, Batman is a little more lighthearted and carefree while Robin is the scowling bad ass in the corner that could show you his ability with crippling accuracy. That portion of the dynamic is gone with both Bruce and Damian, because now you’re dealing with two scowling bad asses with no lighthearted counterweight.
What Tomasi is doing, though, is showing us how differently Bruce himself views this from any other partnership. The defining aspect of this for him is that Damian is his son, and Bruce feels that he has a greater responsibility to Damian than he perhaps has ever had to any other protégé. Some of the best moments in this issue deal with Bruce and Alfred talking about fatherhood, and Alfred teaches his son about the importance of parental validation in a child’s life. From here, Tomasi also goes to show us that even though he portrays an image of constant self-assurance, Damian may have some deeper-seeded emotional and social troubles that Bruce, as his father, will have to help him through. The theme of family is strong and central to this narrative, and I absolutely adore that.
Patrick Gleason’s artwork is still awesome, to put it bluntly. The guy has an awesome grasp on emotion and shadow, which are two of the most essential parts of being able to render a good Batman story. In one of the creepiest scenes involving Damian near the end of the issue, Gleason’s rendering of Damian’s face had such a lack of emotion where there should at least be a flash of it that you get the sense that there may not be all cylinders firing in terms of the area of Damian’s brain that governs compassion. Solid work all around from Gleason, and I’m continuing to have a lot of reverence for any book that teams Tomasi and he together.
This book is solidly my second favorite of all of the Bat-titles (right behind Snyder’s BATMAN) and is one that I will continue to look forward to for the foreseeable future. The partnership between Bruce and Damian will be one that I will be very happy to see developed further, and I think Gleason and Tomasi are the perfect guys to show it to us.
