The Boy Wonder #2 – Juni Ba, Writer/Artist; Chris O’Halloran, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Juni Ba’s Black Label reinvention of the story of Damian Wayne seems to have an interesting structure—with each issue pairing Damian with one of his older brothers. The first issue, as Damian investigated a series of disappearances, paired him with “the good son”—Dick Grayson, who was always Damian’s mentor as much as Bruce was. But this issue shifts the focus to Jason Todd, the estranged member of the family who has committed to the very habits Damian is slowly trying to break. Jason here is portrayed as living in a shady apartment, eschewing any connections to the Batfam, and is more scarred—both physically and emotionally—than he’s usually portrayed. When Damian shows up, the two of them waste no time trading barbs and Jason has no interest in helping—but that doesn’t last, of course, and teamwork may just turn out to be their biggest challenge.
We get our first look at what might be one of the main villains of the series this issue, and this masked rogue has gas at his disposal that quickly plunges our two heroes into their worst nightmares. This turns out to be far more dangerous for Damian than Jason, as the rogue Red Hood nearly kills his junior partner. After saving Damian’s life, the two are finally able to bond, with Jason’s speech about what makes him so angry being one of the best moments the character’s had in a long time. This is a much more melancholy issue with the first, and show’s Ba’s art and dialogue at its darkest and best. Next up is Tim Drake, with whom Damian might have the thorniest relationship yet—after all, Damian tried to kill him days after meeting him. Damian’s story has stymied quite a few writers over the years, but there’s a personal edge to the way Ba writes him that works really well.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
