Comic Info
Comic Name: Batman and Robin (Volume 2)
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artist: Patrick Gleason/Lee Garbett/Andy Clarke/Tomas Giorello
# of Issues: 7
Release Date: 2013
Batman and Robin (2) #0
Reprints Batman and Robin (2) #0 and #9-14 (July 2012-January 2013). Damian is still trying to find his place with Batman and facing jealousy over Bruce’s relationships with Jason, Tim, and Dick. After surviving the Night of the Owls, Gotham is threatened by a menaced named Terminus, and Robin finds himself teaming with his rivals Nightwing, Red Robin, and Red Hood to aid Batman in the battle. As Batman tries to stop a sudden and mysterious zombie plague in Gotham, Robin has a personal quest of his own to bond with his father.
Written by Peter J. Tomasi and illustrated by Patrick Gleason, Lee Garbett, Andy Clarke, and Tomas Giorello, Batman and Robin 2: Pearl is the second volume in the New 52 relaunch of the series. Following Batman and Robin 1: Born to Kill, Batman and Robin 2: Pearl collects the flashback month issue along with the Night of the Owls tie-in and two storylines from the series.
I have to say, I enjoyed the Grant Morrison Batman and Robin title, but I also enjoy this title. The series is part of some bigger tie-in storylines like Night of the Owls, but it still seems to flow. Batman really is a secondary character in this series and the title should more aptly be titled Damian.
Batman and Robin (2) #10
The storylines themselves aren’t very interesting. I liked the two stand-alone issues (Batman and Robin (2) #0 and Batman and Robin (2) #9), but the two short storylines with Terminus and the cult didn’t do much for me. The villains and story were rather uninspiring…despite this, it was still a fun read due to the characterization of Damian.
Damian is what makes the title work. His odd sense of nearly lethal justice combined with his young age makes him an interesting character to explore. Much like something like X-23 at Marvel, he’s been raised to be a killer, but now he’s being talked back down into being a kid…while being forced into a life of crimefighting. His rivalry with his “brothers” also is a fun area to explore and this volume makes some effort to do this.
The art also has highs and “oks”. None of the art was bad, but I much preferred Patrick Gleason’s art to the other artists. Gleason seems to be pursing the original Batman and Robin series’ art with some resemblance to Frank Quitely style of characters. It is fun and “cartoon-y” while still being realistic.
Batman and Robin 2: Pearl is a fun entry and a comic worth reading in the large number of Batman books being published. The series might not be Batman centric, but it does have enough Batman for the Batman fan. Batman and Robin 2: Pearl was followed by Batman and Robin 3: Death of the Family which contained issues also published in collection The Joker: Death of the Family.
Related Links:
Batman and Robin 1: Born to Kill
Batman and Robin 3: Death of the Family
Batman and Robin 4: Requiem for Damian
Batman and Robin 1: Batman Reborn
Batman and Robin 2: Batman vs. Robin
