Batman and Robin #3 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; Simone Di Meo, Artist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This exciting series is kicking things off with an interesting first arc, because it’s one of the fastest-paced series at DC in terms of action—but it also takes place over a very small timeframe. It’s largely all focused on Bruce and Damian’s first few days living together as father and son again, as they get pulled into a bizarre mystery involving the animal-based villains of Gotham. When we last left off, Bruce had been attacked by a band of trained feral bats, a new villain named Shush seemed to be leading the rogues, and White Rabbit was forced to side with the heroes to stay alive. And amid all that… there’s enough time for Bruce and Damian to argue over Damian cutting school. This subplot is particularly funny, as Damian seems to have absolutely no hesitation about quitting school after one day. Very in character, and given his first day it’s hard to argue with the boy’s cynicism.
But three isn’t much time to dwell on that, as Shush makes her move and targets the duo and White Rabbit in a tense attack on a prison involving a planted bomb. Simone Di Meo’s art keeps things nice and dark, adding some real tension to Batman’s race against time, while White Rabbit keeps snarking in a way that reminds me of Harley Quinn. I’m not sure where this character really came from, but she’s an amusing little addition to the dynamic between the two grim heroes. I’m not really sure what to make of Shush yet either, but there’s a twist about her character near the end that throws what I was expecting for a loop. The ending doesn’t seem to be what it appears to be, just based on where characters are supposed to be, but it’s a great visual. I think this entire series takes place over only about two days so far, so that’s an intriguing story structure that adds a sense of intimacy to the whole event.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
