Review: Batman and Robin #12

I'm really struggling to find my voice with these reviews. I follow so many comics blog and they all review the same issues that come out every week and a lot of them have very insightful things to say. By the time I get around to writing my review, I kinda feel like I have nothing to add. I also realize that very few people ever read this blog. To be honest, I don't think the internet needs another comics blog right now. But that's not really why I'm doing this, is it? I'm just trying to record my personal reactions to the things I read. If I come up with some interesting observations along the way, it's like an added bonus. I just don't want to get too hung up on trying to say something insightful, and instead focus on trying to be sincere.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #12
Written by Grant Morrison; pencils by Andy Clarke; inks/finishes by Scott Hanna; layouts by Dustin Nguyen

(Possible spoilers.)

I think I'm starting to understand what is so different about the way Grant Morrison writes comics, and it's got nothing to do with the meta-textual elements or his penchant for the weird and trippy. It's more about the pacing and how much story he packs into every issue. I've read a lot of comments about how comic books are "decompressed" these days, but Morrison seems to go against that trend. He comes up with crazy complicated stories and then doesn't waste any time getting from one plot point to the next. It takes a bit of getting used to, and I think that's why every issue of Batman and Robin that I read initially leaves me feeling a bit disoriented and confused. It's only after a second or third reading that I start to fully grasp everything that's happened, and only then can I appreciate how the subtle character moments and scenes that brought us from point A to B to C were carefully chosen by Morrison in order to tell that story.

A lot happens in this issue, and on my first read, I felt like the transitions were too abrupt and the overall structure a bit awkward. They go from the fight in the graveyard, to a brief stop in the cave, to a visit to Talia's HQ halfway across the globe, back to the Batcave, and finally to Oberon's hotel room, where his identity is finally revealed. It's a lot of jumping around, and it's presented as one continuous sequence of event, when it seems you would need several days to cram all that into a schedule. But who cares? The structure is less built around a realistic sense of time than it is designed to hit all the right story beats and character moments. Examined in that light, it works.

The confrontation between Damian and his mother is the emotional climax of the issue, and it's full of great lines and shocking revelations. One of my favourites is when Talia tells Damian: "Take off that ridiculous costume. It's not normal." Considering the insane childhood that Damian has had so far, it's hilarious that she's now all of a sudden concerned with normality. Damian tells her that being Robin is the best thing he's ever done. It's the life he chose, whether or not his father returns. Talia shows him the creepy foetus she's growing in a laboratory and tells him that he's made from the same augmented DNA combination as Damian. This is essentially her backup copy. Her experiment with Damian failed, and now she rejects him and is preparing to start over with Damian #2. Damian asks: "Can't you just love me for who I am? Not what you want me to be?" To which she says no, then expels him from the Al Ghul family. Damian replies that he hopes he can be a worthy enemy.

Over the course of Batman and Robin, we've seen Damian's character evolve and mature. We've seen how seriously he takes the job of being Robin, and how sincere he is in his decision to honour his father and fight crime. With this scene, Morrison firmly cements Damian's place in the Bat family, and proves that he does in fact deserve our sympathy. Whether this will actually help to silence all the annoying Damian haters who still can't see past the annoying little brat, I doubt it. But for the rest of us, this simply confirms what we already knew – that Damian is a great character full of potential.

The major revelation at the end of this issue is of course Oberon's true identity. I saw it coming, because it was one of two popular theories that were being thrown around on message boards a lot, although it wasn't one that I personally subscribed to. I still don't know how I feel about it. Since it ends on a cliffhanger, we don't know exactly how that fits into the bigger picture or how it's going to affect what happens next, including of course the return of Bruce Wayne. I'm going to hold off on commenting further until we know more.

Reviews: Batman and Robin #11, Flash: Secret Files and Origins 2010

(These reviews contain spoilers.)

BATMAN AND ROBIN #11
Written by Grant Morrison; pencils by Andy Clarke; inks by Scott Hanna

I have a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin, because I haven't read any of his Batman stories leading up to it, nor have I read a lot of stories (from other writers) featuring some of the key players, like Talia and Hurt. So I was a bit lost when I first read the opening scene of this new issue, which is the big reveal that the villain known as "El Penitente" is in fact Hurt, but after doing a bit of research online, the pieces are starting to fall into place. And things are getting really interesting. I'm looking forward to finding out where this is all headed.

I've enjoyed the series so far for the most part, although it can be a bit hit-and-miss at times. The first story arc was great, due in no small part to Frank Quitely's fantastic interior art, but the second and third arcs weren't quite as exciting, although they each had enough good moments to keep me reading. What I've been enjoying the most is the characterization of Damian. I'm a pretty big fan of all the Robins, and I think Damian is a remarkably well written and original addition to the lineage. His relationship with Dick and how it is evolving from a kind of insubordinate rivalry to growing respect and affection is great. And it wasn't really until issue #10 that this really started to pay off – with probably my favourite scene in the series so far, where Damian worries about whether he'll be able to continue as Robin once Bruce Wayne has returned. It was really sweet to see just how much this means to him, and it made the "betrayal" that followed all the more powerful.

In some ways, issue #11 is just the logical continuation of what was set into motion earlier, so there weren't any big revelations or moments that had the same kind of impact those last few pages of #10 did. Dick follows the clues in Wayne Manor a little further, discovering more hidden rooms, a statue of a bat demon, and a railway that leads back to the cemetery, where Damian and Sexton are fighting against the 99 fiends. The revelation that Talia's "executioner" is Deathstroke just kinda made me go, "M'eh." I don't really see what the big deal is whether it's him or Talia herself remote-controlling Damian to get at Batman. I think the best scenes were the ones where Damian questioned Sexton about his identity – although no answers are given, they hint at the big revelation coming next month when Sexton will finally remove his mask (as shown in the preview at the end of this book).

I'm willing to bet that this big reveal is going to coincide with the first issue of The Return of Bruce Wayne miniseries is no accident. Very exciting!

This arc also features the best art (care of Andy Clarke) in the series since Quitely's arc.

*

THE FLASH: SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS 2010
Written by Geoff Johns; art by Scott Kolins and Francis Manapul


I also picked up The Flash: Secret Files and Origins today. I've decided to take my chance with the new Flash series, which starts next week, so I figured this would be a good way to ease into it, since I haven't read Flash Rebirth. The preview on the DC blog made it seem like it would focus on Barry Allen's childhood, which I thought would be interesting.

For a $4 book, I have to say this was a huge disappointment. The story itself is only 17 pages and, aside from a few brief flashbacks to Barry's childhood, basically consist of him getting up in the middle of the night, making his way to the house he grew up in (where his mother was murdered when he was 11), meeting up with all the other speedsters in the DC universe who also felt drawn to that place due to their connection to the Speed Force – and the going back to bed. Nothing really happens. Then there's a brief epilogue that shows the rogues about to do something but the story ends before they do it.

The other 19 pages of the book (not counting advertisement) consist of a bunch of fact sheets with information on the different characters and concepts that will play a role in the series. Most of it is information I was either already familiar with or could have easily looked up on Wikipedia.

Seriously, if this book wasn't meant to be more than an advertisement for the upcoming series, it should have been much cheaper. The art was also pretty unremarkable (it's better in the character bios than in the story itself) and the writing seemed uninspired. I really hope Geoff Johns has something better planned for the ongoing series, or I'm going to be dropping it really fast.