Robin #12 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; Roger Cruz, Penciller; Norm Rapmund, Inker; Luis Guerrero, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: After eleven issues of tournament action and time travel, Damian finally gets the chance to breathe—and naturally, that means a whole lot more trauma in this coming-of-age tale. After catching up with Hawke before they both depart, Damian heads back to Gotham with a mission in mind—resurrecting Alfred using the Lazarus Resin that he stole. He also steals a much bigger prize—his mother’s airship, in a hilarious segment. One of the most underrated parts of this story has been the way Talia and Ra’s have both been made much more nuanced characters. Williamson has unwrapped a fascinating and complex family history here and given both of them some sympathetic traits—the damage didn’t start with them and it’s not ending with them. This is the first time that a run has treated both sides of Damian’s family as equally important and not used the Al Ghuls simply as a cautionary tale.
This book can be hilarious at points, but it can also deliver some massive gut punches. The “enemy” that confronts Damian at Alfred’s grave is something that’s a long time in coming, and the resolution to this plotline isn’t surprising—if Alfred comes back, it won’t be in an epilogue in a side book, as good as it is. But what comes after that may be the most important part of the series so far, and it sets up a completely new dynamic as Williamson gets ready to kick off Shadow War next week. And then there are the two epilogues, which both deliver some shocking twists to what we know so far. First, Flatline appears in a scene that just may break some hearts, and next we learn exactly what Mother Soul has been hinting at about the Lazarus Pits for several issues—and it sets the stakes for Shadow War even higher than they already were. Consistently one of DC’s best books.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
