The Boy Wonder #3 – Juni Ba, Writer/Arist; Chris O’Halloran, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Juni Ba’s deep character study of Damian Wayne has focused on his relationship with his fellow Robins so far, with his team-up with Dick going very smoothly and his partnership with Red Hood being a fraught situation that they both barely survived. But that’s nothing compared to what awaits him with Tim – sibling rivalry. The two have never gotten along, with Tim viewing Damian as a dangerous loose cannon and Damian seeing Tim as a rival and usurper. But now, with Bruce out of town, the two find themselves as unlikely allies as they attend a summit for the wealthy in Bruce’s stead. That summit? Hosted by Mayor Oswald Cobblepot, and starring the boldfaced names of the scumbag billionaire community including Max Lord, Lex Luthor, and Veronica Cale. This is another interesting divergence from continuity, and also results in a lighter issue with much caustic humor aimed at the sinister billionaires.
But Ba is doing an amazing job of capturing Damian’s psyche, as he grapples with guilt over the man he killed and with his struggles to get rid of the programming he still carries from his grandfather. That leads to him delving deep into a mystery at the Cobblepot tower, and discovering ties to the main villain of the series. He and Tim are separated for much of the issue, but once they’re back in contact this issue does a great job of capturing the unique dynamic between them. Tim is naturally a schemer and a bit of a manipulator, something Damian can’t fully understand. Damian is so intense that many of Tim’s attempts to relate to him fall flat. But despite that, they feel like bickering brothers here, not enemies. The story is about to shift dramatically from Damian’s present to his past at the end of this issue, and with two issues to go I’m fascinated by where Ba plans to take it.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
