Batman and Robin #14 – Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Writer; Javier Fernandez, Artist; Marcelo Maiolo, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: All In is a fresh start – but that doesn’t necessarily mean a brighter one for everyone. Several of the relaunches and new creative teams have found our characters in darker spots, and that’s definitely the case for this new run by Phillip Kennedy Johnson. We last saw Bruce and Damian’s relationship on good footing, but some new fractures are emerging in this run – as well as an intriguing and terrifying new villain. The issue kicks off with a great action segment as father and son foil a terror attack by the new Order of the Green Knight, the cultists following Poison Ivy. But then they have a much bigger challenge ahead of them – a charity gala. Bruce is investing in rehabbing an old hospital with a dark past, and he’s brought in a student of his father’s, Dr. Malik Bashir from Khandaq, to head it. Bashir seems like an intriguing new character, and there are a lot of great little details in this issue – including one that hints at the return of a major new villain.
Once we get to the gala, there are a few hiccups in the issue for me. Characterization seems to be set back a little – Damian is more sullen and resentful, Bruce is more stern and unsympathetic. Damian also seems to be drawn younger again, with bits about him being seated at the kids’ table and being pestered by an enthusiastic little girl. Doesn’t quite feel like the same sharp high-schooler we saw last issue. But all that is a minor quibble that pales in comparison to the brilliantly tense last act of the issue, as a mysterious masked villain who may be over a century old or tied to a mystery there sets up an elaborate deathtrap in the hospital, trapping father and son on opposite sides of a fast-escalating nightmare. Johnson hasn’t really worked extensively in Gotham before, and it’s too early to say how this run will turn out, but there is a ton of promise here.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
