Silent but Powerful
In the aftermath of the death of Robin in Batman Incorporated issue 8, writer Peter J. Tomasi decides to take the silent approach to respect Robin's passing. If you are a Batman fan, this is a must have issue that will make you feel for Batman's loss.
Batman is an interesting and complex character. With multiple types of BATMAN books out there, rarely are there issues that standout as great as this one. With the death of Damian Wayne, or Robin, in Batman Incorporated issue 8 this has given writers time to write their aftermath, or reactions, to that particular issue. Granted not all Requiem issues are great reads, but writer Peter J. Tomasi has found the perfect way to tell a story and respect the passing of Robin.
Peter J. Tomasi uses "a moment of silence..." to create a sense of awe and respect for the way Batman acts in this issue. Though Batman has loss countless allies in the war on crime, he has never had a loss this big since the death of Jason Todd. The emotions of anger and sadness that Batman and Bruce Wayne acts upon on this issue really fits his character well. Tomasi finds the perfect formula in having Bruce Wayne act out the emotion of sadness and Batman act out in anger. It really reflects how many people want to act, but don't, when a family member or friend dies.
Without even needing words to convey, Peter J. Tomasi is conveying to readers that Batman wished that it was him who died instead of his son. Again, this is demonstrated perfectly with Batman going out at night capturing many criminals in Gotham City, however more violently than usual. It might be cliché to see Batman just venture out pummeling criminals senseless. However, having lost his parents at such a young age and devoting his life to fighting crime, Bruce does not know how to properly deal with the loss of his son; solely because the persona of Batman was born from Bruce's pain and anger.
The greatest moment in this entire issue is the letter left by Damian. To summarize, Damian writes a letter to his father explaining that he's going to fight by his father's side against the leviathan. At the end of the letter, Damian writes, "...Mother may have given me life, but you taught me how to live." That last sentence really shows how Damian has grown as a character. Having been formally introduced in 2006, Damian Wayne was a real jerk from his early days as Robin. However, from the time of 2006-2013, Damian Wayne has grown to become everyone's favorite Robin. That one sentence is the most important line of comic book dialogue that I've ever read. Proving that the seven years that Damian was around, he's grown as a character more than any of the earlier Robins that have been around longer. Without Peter J. Tomasi's writing that letter, this issue would've had less weight and power, however thanks to his writing he made this one of the greatest Batman issues that has ever been written.
Peter J. Tomasi may have written the story, but art team Patrick Gleason [penciller], Mick Gray [inker], and John Kalisz [colorist] brought this comic book to life. Through their joint efforts, they made every panel more unique than the earlier. Demonstrating through artwork the story of Batman's grievance for his son. Words do not do the art team justice on how amazing of a job they did on this issue. Capturing every tearful and angry moment in this comic which helped convey Tomasi's story perfectly.
If you are a Batman fan of any kind, buy this issue. Out of all the issues in the Requiem story arc, this one is by far the best out of all of them. It captures the emotion we wish to see more of from Batman in the future and it focuses on how he is dealing with the pain and loss of Damian. The little guy shall be remembered forever as one of the greatest Robin's with some of the best character development ever conceived on paper. Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, and John Kalisz did an outstanding job with the artwork and bringing Peter J. Tomasi's ideal to life. Overall 5 out of 5.
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