Batman and Robin #4 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; Simone Di Meo, Mikel Janin, Artists; Jeromy Cox, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: After three issues, it’s time to finally unmask the mastermind of the animal plague that’s hit Gotham—and it’s no surprise that it’s one of the very first animal-based villains Batman ever fought. Man-Bat has been a lot of things—a wild animal, a reluctant ally, a tragic antihero, and even a magic-based hapless hero—but he’s never been a true main villain until now. He seems to have developed a version of his serum that lets him maintain his intelligence but none of his humanity, and now he holds Robin along with his henchwoman Shush. The idea of Kirk Langstrom as a true supervillain isn’t one that fully clicks with me, and we don’t see quite enough of him this issue to say how it’ll play out, but it’s an interesting change of pace—and it adds a higher stake to the Bat attacks Batman endured. Got to say, I love how Batman resolves that threat as well—with sheer guts and intimidation.
But even more interesting is the flashback story in the background, drawn by Mikel Janin, as we’re introduced to a new villain from Damian’s past—Mistress Harsh, an assassin and trainer who tested Damian’s strength and knowledge. But she was also cruel and abusive, changing her expectations to ensure he would always fail. She thought Damian would live in fear of her—until he flexed his power and managed to get her removed. As soon as she was introduced, I had a feeling where she would show up again—but I only predicted about half of the story Williamson has planned for us. Gotta say, the high school story introduced in the first episode didn’t really make sense to me, since Damian had tried and failed this before, but the cliffhanger at the end makes for a great hook to keep Damian in school and give him something to do in his civilian life—whether he likes it or not.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
