This month Batman and Robin continues to spin its wheels with a story that probably should have been told in one six-issue arc. Batman does indeed team up with Shush and Robin continues his adventures with Flatline, but nothing is really moving forward. So, the question is whether it was entertaining. Well, let’s get into it.
The short answer is “somewhat.” Despite solicitations to the contrary Nikola Čižmešija is back on art this month and that’s always a big help. His art does feel a little rushed at times here (likely because of his apparent last-minute substitution for Simone Di Meo) but, despite that, it retains the energy and consistent stylization that makes it so fun. The writing has the same fast pace as always so at the very least it’s a quick read. As usual, things aren’t all positive though. As Batman and Shush are teaming up, we finally get an explanation for her name and appearance. Guess what? (Spoilers, I guess.) It has nothing to do with anything. In her words: “I’m nobody.”
She may as well have picked this identity out of a hat. (Assuming she’s not lying, of course. Even if she is though, what could the true reveal be? She’s Hush’s daughter? As if that wouldn’t be just as bad.)
Damian and Flatline’s plot is the stronger of the two although it’s far from perfect. It comes to an end rather suddenly and there’s some truly uninspired dialogue and plot twists floating around.
Still, Flatline is a great character and her relationship with Damian is very fun to read. This issue also sets up next month to be a lot of fun. Hopefully, it comes through.
Outside of entertainment factor, there is one moment in this issue that I was left very annoyed by on an intertextual level. In these panels, Man-Bat gives an excuse regarding his reasons for not killing Batman.
So, Man-Bat wants to alter people’s perception of Batman and thus symbolically destroy him. This is the same thing that is happening in Ram V’s Detective Comics and Chip Zdarsky’s Batman. The Orghams are trying to erase Batman’s legacy and power in Gotham and Zur-En-Arrh is co-opting his identity to create a new Batman that supersedes and destroys the old one. While the specifics vary and the quality between these three books is not equal, I find it ridiculous that all three ongoing Batman titles currently being published are interested in the same symbolic destruction of this character. I’m not saying villains should all be focused on physically besting Batman. That would be just as bad. I want to know, why must every Batman story be about villains whose sole purpose is defeating Batman in general. What happened to Batman as a detective who stops crimes that have nothing to do with him? When every villain in Gotham exists to fight Batman, it lends a lot of credence to the idea that Batman is the bad guy. If he just went away, so would super crime. Of course, Zdarsky is over there taking things even further by pitting Batman against a villain that he himself created, but I digress. It’s not that Batman should never be in stories like this, after all it’s nothing new, but we need balance. Let’s get back to Batman stopping crime rather than fighting personal enemies!
Recommended if…
- You like Flatline
- The reveals in this issue aren’t a dealbreaker
- You’re into the art
Overall
I did enjoy this issue more than usual but it still isn’t selling me on the book, especially as it proves that this title slots right into the same mold as every other “in-continuity” Batman series on the stands. Still, there is potential here and I hope that, at some point, it will be realized.
Score: 6/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.
