The Boy Wonder #1 – Juni Ba, Writer/Artist; Chris O’Halloran, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: If there’s one character who doesn’t seem suited to a Black Label series, it’s Robin—the bright and sunny counterpart to Batman’s darkness. Of course, not all Robins are created equal, and Damian Wayne came to Batman as a dark assassin, raised in a cult, and his journey since has been unlike any other sidekick’s. That’s what makes indie cartoonist Juni Ba’s take on the character so fascinating—this series is dark, violent, and intense, but also told unmistakably from the perspective of a child. When we open, Damian is being held captive by a random hood (who is no doubt in for a very bad night) and Damian distracts him with a story that recasts the Bat-family in fantasy terms—a powerful king, his three adopted sons, and the upstart heir who comes in with a very different perspective and upends the family. Many of these events are familiar, but we’ve never seen them like this before.
When Damian’s lust for blood early in his career as Robin leads Bruce to bench him, Damian seeks out his own mission and finds it in the mysterious disappearances of Gotham’s poorest citizens. But to get there, he’ll have to work with his three brothers—starting with Dick, the one who he usually gets along the best with. The look at how the two see each other is very interesting, but there was a bit that seemed oddly out of continuity—referencing Dick and Barbara having a child together, something that didn’t seem to play any other role in the series so far. Next issue will team Damian with the worst influence of the three, Jason Todd, which should be fascinating. The story is good, but the highlight, as one might expect, is Ba’s lush fantasy-inspired art. The demons Damian encounters, both literally and figuratively, are some of the best visuals to come out of DC in quite some time.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
