Glunders Reads Comics

Problem Child: The Ups and Downs of Peter Tomasi’s ‘Batman and Robin’

I’ll admit it: moments after cracking open this week’s Batman and Robin #6, which immediately confronts the reader with an image of the young Damian Wayne poised to put a bullet through someone’s head, I was tempted to put the issue down and call the whole thing off altogether.

The moment pays off later, but it’s problematic no matter how you look at it. In the issues leading up to #6, Robin has seemingly deserted Batman to team up with the villainous Nobody, a new adversary that reboots the Ducard idea. As Robin pulls the trigger, only to reveal that the weapon isn’t loaded, the reader is left with two possible conclusions: Robin’s eitherout of character and willing to betray the father he’s always idolized, or he, through some contrivance, knows that the gun wouldn’t fire and he’s been trying to fool Nobody all along. There’s just really no way that lil 10-year-old Robin is going to paint the pavement with some thug’s squishy bits, right? Not without the comic being terrible.

It’s a predictable moment that we’ve seen in one form or another many times in Batman comics. More specifically, it echoes the opening arc of Grant Morrison’s first Batman and Robin series from nearly three years ago, wherein Robin gets fed up with Batman, goes after the maniacal Professor Pyg on his own, and resorts to over-the-top violence that isn’t exactly appreciated by his mentor.

All of this is to say, basically, that this book, which features perhaps the most iconic American superheroes outside of Superman, really doesn’t nail the superhero stuff at all. Much of the action is cliched, motivations are stale, and attempts at suspense largely fall flat.

Lame caped antics aside, though, writer Peter Tomasi’s Batman and Robin is nonetheless one of the best books DC Comics is putting out with the New 52 relaunch — at least, depending on the issue you’re reading.

The shining spots of this arc, with its motif of fathers and sons (the Waynes, the Ducards), are certainly those that deal with family matters. Bruce and Damian have a difficult, fascinating relationship that’s been delicately examined in some of Morrison’s comics but not in much detail. As I’ve written before, Tomasi has fleshed out the dynamic and really nailed the inherent tension between the two when he’s put their relationship in the spotlight. That their story is interwoven with a parallel arc examining the relationship between two similar if notably unhinged relatives—Henri and Morgan Ducard, a father-son team of assassins with plenty of cold blood on their hands—brings a rare, if soapy, depth to this tale. Bloodlines are scrutinized, as is the idea of nature versus nurture.

The problem is that, six issues in, these elements have only comprised about half of the overall narrative. Bland superheroics and oh-so-predictable ultimatums make up the rest, which has made components of this story a bit of a slog.

Of course, that’s always been Tomasi’s way. His run on Nightwing was acclaimed for its rich characterizations, not for its laughably forgettable villains. (I’m remembering some sort of zombie bird creature?) The same is true of his Green Lantern Corps, which eschews fantastical sci-fi in favor of intergalactic bromance.

Still, each of these titles have the requisite action sequences and posturing villains — they’re just boring for the most part. We couldn’t be rid of them entirely—without Nobody, there would be no conflict to spark drama between Bruce and Damian, after all—but I wonder if we’ll ever reach a point with these large properties where at least one of the books could be a much quieter “talky” alternative to the big blockbuster stuff. There are 11 Batman books on the market, if you count Birds of Prey, Red Hood and the Outlaws, and Catwoman; why can’t Tomasi be allowed to really settle into his groove with this one?

I’m excited to see how this arc wraps up. The highs have been very high, and the lows closer to sea level than Hades—it’s a success overall. I just hope that it can become more focused moving forward.

Otherwise, Tomasi should learn to inject some excitement into the fisticuffs.

Just saying.

Herein, recommendations for those interested in Peter Tomasi’s New 52 “Batman and Robin.”

For the original origin: Batman and Son (2006). It’s a little weird to think of it this way, given how recent, in the grand scheme of things, Grant Morrison’s “Batman and Son” is, but the opening arc to the New 52 “Batman and Robin” is essentially a new take on elements of this story. In Morrison’s foundational old-DCU Bat tale, we see why Bruce and Damian will likely never work as Batman and Robin. In Tomasi’s New 52 story, we see that they’re trying anyway.
For the original rebellion: Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn (2009). A huge plot point in Tomasi’s New 52 “Batman and Robin” involves a frustrated Damian Wayne trying to handle things on his own, only to require a save by Batman. Six issues in, we’re not yet at the story’s conclusion. Morrison tells a similar story in three.
For the supposed nail in the coffin: Batman: The Return (2010). In this lead-in to Batman Incorporated, Bruce temporarily teams up with Damian and resolves never to do so again after Robin goes AWOL. Looks like any hard feelings were erased during last summer’s universe-resetting Flashpoint series!