Batman and Robin #29 – Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Writer; Fico Ossio, Artist; Marcelo Maiolo, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The penultimate chapter of Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s run – and this series as a whole – finds the bad guys in control. The mysterious Quiet Man has been locked up, putting an end to his brutal revenge spree. Penguin is arranging his death as we speak. And unbeknownst to many, the Ventriloquist is not cured and living peacefully with his therapist, he’s under the control of Scarface and being used to reignite a massive gang war. Scarface launches an assault on one of Penguin’s compounds, killing many of his henchmen and recruiting several others. All the while, the Quiet Man is waiting in his cell when the guards – who have been paid off – make their move, removing all witnesses and planning to beat him to death. They get close before Batman interferes, allowing him to finally interrogate the mysterious hitman – one whose rage over the death of a loved one is something Bruce understands a little too well.
We’ve known from the start that this character lost his son years ago, seemingly in a heist. But what could turn a kind, normal man into a killing machine? The flashback here is devastating, and will actually put some people on his side – but it also leaves a bunch of unanswered questions. This leads to a very interesting conversation between Bruce and Damian in which Robin starts to question some of Batman’s most closely held beliefs and really shows just how much he’s grown over the course of this series. But the final showdown still lies ahead. We’ve got a brewing war between two of Gotham’s most ruthless criminals, and an implacable killing machine who only has one thing left in his life that can give him peace. With PKJ leaving for the competition after the conclusion of his current runs, he’s certainly delivering a final act for DC fans to remember.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
