Batman says Goodbye to the boy wonder
In all of my years reading comic books I have never been so touched as I am now after reading Batman & Robin #18. For the first time in my life I can honestly say I was brought to tears reading a comic book. The entire issue is silent without a single word and only through panels do we see and feel Bruce’s pain.
Like they say pictures are worth a thousand words and every single panel is worth at least that. Bruce seemed so empty as he moved throughout the manor as if he was dead. Even when he went out to fight crime you could feel the loss of Damian weighing heavily on him. Throughout the issue Bruce/Batman reminisces about everything he did with Damian and I guess he came to the realization that anything and everything reminds him of Damian.
What has been done cannot be undone for now and Peter Tomasi, Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray did a phenomenal job conveying that. I have to say that Batman & Robin #18 is easily the most powerful Bat book to come out this year which makes me only sadder.
The Good
What made this issue so special was it was the embodiment of Batman mourning. No words were necessary for the audience to gauge his pain and the little words we did see came via a letter from Damian. The letter from Damian put my emotions completely over the top just like Batman because it’s so unfair for a kid so young to have his life snuffed out like that.
Obviously if there are no words the art has to be top notch and that is exactly what it was. The color contrast with the backgrounds really set the tone nicely for this issue. Another nice touch for the art was the range in emotions depicted in Bruce’s face when he went from sad to angry to mourning.
The Bad
My only issue is that the Boy Wonder is dead but if he was alive we wouldn’t even be talking about this issue now would we?
Verdict
Batman & Robin #18 is the best Batman title since the court of Owls and in my eyes that makes this 5 out of 5
