BATMAN AND ROBIN #15 Author: Robert Reineke
October 24, 2010
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: In the final chapter of "Batman Must Die," all is lost and everything has gone to pieces! Is Dick Grayson alive? Will Damian make a pact with the devil? And what will happen after the final confrontation with Dr. Hurt?
BATMAN AND ROBIN #15 is the conclusion of Grant Morrison’s “Batman and Robin Must Die” arc and it plays like a variation of BATMAN R.I.P. There’s a hero entombed in a coffin. A confrontation between Dr. Hurt and Alfred. And a threat to Dick Grayson’s brain, courtesy of Dr. Hurt. And it all being up to the heroes to turn the tables on the villains.
Unlike the previous arcs in BATMAN AND ROBIN, Grant Morrison leaves the plot hanging. This isn’t a complete arc in terms of plot, a large portion will have to be tied up in #16. But, it is a complete plot thematically. Dick Grayson and Damien Wayne are tested and we see how strong this new team is. At the beginning of the run, Damien Wayne could barely stomach Dick Grayson. Now, we see just how hard he’s willing to fight for his partner. “Batman and Robin can never die!” was the opening declaration of BATMAN R.I.P. and we see the newest iteration show how true it is. If there’s anything that’s been a complete success under Morrison, it’s the Dick and Damien partnership.
We also see that people are catching on to Dr. Hurt’s act. He bargains for the soul of Gotham in this issue, but in the end can’t capture the soul of Damien Wayne. Bruce Wayne’s legacy and Dick Grayson have given Damien all the humanity he needs to resist. And we see resistance cropping up elsewhere. Alfred has prepared Wayne Manor. Commissioner Gordon overcomes Pyg’s addictive drug. And there’s a promise on the last page, with the lunar eclipse in the background, that “It’s all over.”
Unfortunately, it’s not all over which is perhaps the major knock on the issue. As such, the storyline doesn’t fit neatly into the structure and it will be interesting how the change in artists will affect the overall feel of this climax.
That caveat aside, it is a satisfying issue. Morrison layers it with plenty of symbolism beyond what has gone before. Heck, I’ve gone most of the review without mentioning The Joker who Morrison does some terrific things with from a literal “Danse Macabre” with the dead, to a fine pun, to the setup for what promises to be a slapstick banana peel gag, without forgetting for a minute that The Joker is a major threat.
And Frazier Irving matches Morrison’s packed script beat for beat. Perhaps there’s a bit of uncertainty at the end at the exact nature of how Batman and Robin are keeping the 99 Fiends at bay, but otherwise Irving matches the subtext rich script, the psychedelic mood, and the exciting action sequences. All the while Frazier colors the book in a very distinct style that matches the mood he wants to create.
One issue to go to wrap up the latest chapter of Morrison’s epic saga. Dr. Hurt and The Joker still need their comeuppance, but it looks like the cavalry has arrived
GRADE: B+
Robert Reineke is a Civil and Environmental Engineer residing in Wisconsin.
He’s earned a BS and MS degrees from the University of Wisconsin and has been reading Batman comics since the 1970s.
He’s of the firm belief that there are plenty of Batman comics written before Frank Miller that are worthy of discussion.
