Batman & Robin #0 Peter J. Tomasi: writer
Patrick Gleason: penciller
Mick Gray: inker
The Solicitation
• Damian’s complicated relationship with his mother, Talia al Ghul, takes center stage.
• Bred to kill and not to care, this is the birth of an assassin!
Preview
Why I Bought It
This will be Damian in a Zero issue, so let's hope something about the Bat-timeline is made apparently clear.
What I Liked
Take this book on its own, and man does it do some justice. You get to see the kind of insane lifestyle grew up in, and you get the idea behind why he is the way he is. I am thankful that this was his back-story issue and not some look at the first time Batman and Robin teamed up. It was better to focus on the eventual meeting of the current Batman and Robin.
And that line at the end of the book says it all. It is the same one that Morrison used oh so long ago but it gives a definitely different impact. There is more build up to it and has more of an understanding with why he said it. Sure, it was meant to be snarky as can be, but it seems to be played on a different level when it is used here.
The art continues to be consistent from issue to issue. And the two page spread of Damian's birthdays through the years was great little slices of action. And the one that stole the show was when Damian put on the Bat-mask and said he was a bat. At first glance that panel was just great. I enjoyed it on a couple of different levels and it just worked on a couple of them.
What I Didn't Like
Ouch, the continuity.
The first thing I want to point out is that this works great as a Zero issue in getting you to know Damian. But, just like in Batgirl, it ends on a cliffhanger for a new reader that they will not get a conclusion to in the next issue. In fact, how many new readers would understand the relationship between Damian and Batman on the cover and the relationship on the last panel? They would need to go elsewhere, or into Pre-New 52 territory to get an answer, so this comics works better for those in the know about the characters.
But oh my, the continuity. This comic does give any evidence of a genetically altered Damian whose growth rate was accelerated, and that presents the biggest problem of them all. Over in Batman, which being the lead title should be the yardstick that we measure all other Bat-titles to, Bruce only got the idea for Batman about 6 years ago. Damian is 10 at the end of this comic. So how did Talia get the cowl from Bruce 10 years ago?
This is the point when my brain hurts trying to fit everything into the same timeline with the New 52 and Batman. This book would hit better for me if it was firmly planted in the old DC. Or, I could just ignore anything involving math and continuity. I did that before pretty well with the titles before the New 52, and I thought I wouldn't have to do that for a while with the new relaunch. One Year Later, and I'm forced back into the same headaches as before.
Seriously, some of the biggest shackles for the New 52 to shake off involve getting continuity straight. Kinda hard to do when not every title gets an equal reboot, and you try to cram too much bat-history into too little a space.
I mean really, if you are going to get rid of Wally West because he would make Barry seem to old, what would be wrong with forgetting a Robin or two in the timeline?
Panel to Remember
I'm going with the Damian in the Bat-mask. It was just fun and I'm sure it was just meant to give a laugh.
Quotable
"Father. I imagined you taller." - I just appreciate the fact that the same line is set up and delivered entirely different then when it originally appeared. Good job to Tomasi for doing that.
Grades
Words: 9/10 - and that is strictly thinking this book is outside the New 52.
Pictures: 9/10
Buy Next Issue: I'll be down for the next arc from this great, consistent creative team.
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