Batman and Robin #15 – Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Writer; Javi Fernandez, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Artists; Marcelo Maiolo, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The first issue of this run had a few minor hiccups in Bruce and Damian’s relationship, but rebounded quickly near the end with a tense story that saw a mysterious masked villain attack the gala that father and son were attending – with Bruce trapped alone with the madman, and Damian caught in a blaze with dozens of potential victims. Bruce is able to get away, but so is the killer, and the escape segment is perfectly tense. However, I thought the Damian segment that kicked this issue off was much stronger, seeing the boy struggle to keep it together amid the horror of the situation and finding an ally in Dr. Bashir, who helps him treat a little girl who was injured in the attack. This shows Damian can find his momentum in the field alone when he needs to – but it also reminds us that he’s young and can become overwhelmed by the horrors that he encounters on a daily basis.
This allows Bruce and Damian to move past the tension that they had last issue, with Damian expressing doubts about why he does what he does if he can’t save everyone, and Bruce pulling back the curtain on another lost chapter of his history. The Memento Killer, a villain he pursued in his youth when he was studying detective skills with a legendary detective, has died in prison long ago – but then who’s wearing the mask and conducting strikes around Gotham with the flair of Jack the Ripper? This mystery from Batman’s past reminds me a lot of the work Zdarsky did on Batman: The Knight – which might be why Di Giandomenico guest-starred on this issue on art briefly. A good Gotham mystery is always welcome, and this new villain has a compelling and creepy style that goes a long way to selling this story, especially in the closing pages as he strikes again.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
