Batman and Robin #8 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; Nikola Cizmesija, Artist; Rex Lokus, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Since the start of this series, Batman and Robin have been more in sync than they usually are – but this issue, they’re split up, and the culprit is a pair of women who might have ulterior motives. Batman has chosen to seek out Shush, believed to be Damian’s former abusive teacher Mistress Harsh – who is also posing as the headmistress at Damian’s high school. It’s a tangled web, made only more so by the fact that Shush is working for a deranged version of Man-Bat who is continuing to transform people around Gotham in an attempt to turn the city over to the animals. Where this works is some great, chaotic action scenes, although the sheer number of double-crosses and triple-crosses in this story is a bit much. I’m enjoying this half of the story, although I’m still a little confused by where this sadistic, megalomaniac version of Man-Bat even came from.
However, I’m a much bigger fan of the other subplot here – involving Damian and his girlfriend Flatline, who have tracked down Mika’s sister who was presumed kidnapped by gangsters in Gotham. Except not so much – she’s a willing accomplice and looking to kick off a career in crime. This forces Flatline to make an impossible choice between two people she loves – and sends Damian after her. Much like the other plot, this one has quite a few twists and turns, but it has a fun, chaotic energy to it that makes it work much better. This is mostly because Williamson has been writing this pairing since the Robin solo series, and they’re just a blast together. I’m hoping that these two get to have many more high-speed chases with each other, and that we get to see them in whatever big book Williamson does next. Time for a Teen Titans relaunch in the coming months, maybe?
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
