BATMAN AND ROBIN #16 Author: Robert Reineke
November 4, 2010
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: The climactic showdown between Batman and the Black Glove is finally here. It's payback time for The Dark Knight as Batman and Robin face the ultimate evil. Will Damian betray his father's legacy? Will Bruce Wayne return just in time to see Dick Grayson die? Plus, The Joker and Professor Pyg! This is only the beginning of a startling new status quo for The Batman...
Grant Morrison reaches the climax of his run on BATMAN AND ROBIN with issue #16 where Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne have to overcome the combined might of Dr. Hurt, the 99 Fiends, Professor Pyg, and The Joker. To the great benefit of the overall story, this also features the proper climax to BATMAN, R.I.P. often turning events of that storyline on their head. For the most part, it’s a triumph.
A gaggle of questions are answered this issue. Who is Dr. Hurt? Why did The Joker choose The Gravedigger as an alter-ego? What’s the meaning of the dominoes? What does “R.I.P.” stand for? Is The Joker a plain litterer or is there method to his littering? But, more than just answering plot points and action Morrison manages to fit a lot in. His recurring motifs and recursion have a clever payoff as we see a hole within a hole. We see a note of strong humor with Gordon’s arrival back at GCPD. And we see just how strong the bonds are between Bruce and Dick and Dick and Damian. We get to see Bruce’s surprise at how much Damian has changed while he’s away. And everybody gets a moment to shine, although Bruce Wayne clearly takes the spotlight again.
The issue is extra-sized to fit all the elements in. And that requires three artists to chip in, Cameron Stewart who provides the art for much of the action packed section for the origin of Dr. Hurt and Bruce, Dick, and Damian vs. Dr. Hurt and the 99 Fiends, Chris Burnham who channels Frank Quitely to depict Bruce relentlessly pursuing Dr. Hurt, and Frazier Irving who provides much of the art for the sections of madness provided by Professor Pyg and The Joker. They’re each used logically and provide strong art that fits the needs of the story, even though it’s perhaps a little jarring at first glance.
The review continues after the jump!
There are perhaps a couple of unanswered questions at the end of the day, like just how did Gordon shake Pyg’s addictive drug?, but overall it’s a very satisfying read as many a bad guy gets his comeuppance courtesy of Batman and Robin. The bonds that hold the extended Batman family together have perhaps never been stronger. Morrison has been consciously trying to bring vast portions of Batman’s history into the modern era, sometimes without the desired result, but his acid pop version of the Adam West TV series has been a remarkable bit of fresh air and its emphasis on the two-way relationship between Batman and Robin has been a welcome reminder of the strengths of another era and their potential today. While it’s easy to not being into the superheroic fantasy of what Morrison has been doing, he’s also brought a welcome humanizing touch as his characters aren’t one dimensional dour, but able to be serious, light, and even develop strong affections for those they fight alongside. “Grim and gritty” were the lessons pulled out of THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and WATCHMEN, when the lessons of sophistication of storytelling should have taken hold.
Hopefully the lessons of BATMAN AND ROBIN are “it’s OK to emphasize the humanity of these characters” instead of “let’s see how absurd we can go”.
The last pages of BATMAN AND ROBIN #16 promise a new chapter for Batman as Batsignals fill the sky. Hopefully it can fulfill its promises the way Morrison’s run on BATMAN AND ROBIN did.
GRADE: A-
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.
