Batman & Red Robin #19 Review by Randy Young
Batman and Red Robin #19 Review
Most people will love the return of a classic Frank Miller character. I loved this book for a totally different reason.
I’ve said over and over again that Peter Tomasi is proving every month that he just might be DC’s best writer. His stories are engaging, unexpected, and manage to pull at your emotions in all the right ways. This issue is another example of just that.
It looks like the next few issues of Batman & …. will deal with Batman going through the stages of grieving. They will also feature another member of the Bat family in some way since Robin’s demise has robbed this book and title of one of its characters.
The secret life of Damian Wayne is definitely an interesting one. It is Tomasi’s ability to create more depth to his character. Damian was apparently studying acting. No reason is given (which I’m glad) and it helps to show that Damian was quietly creating a life for himself outside of being Robin. Bruce’s reaction to this news and the person teaching Damian was touching.
The real gem found in this story is the way Tomasi shows Batman dealing with the stage of denial. I have said since Damian’s death that the one to resurrect him would be his mother (a natural choice) but Bruce Wayne would never allow that to happen. Tomasi proves me wrong right out of the gates. Bruce kidnaps Frankenstein in hopes of discovering how the scientist of the same name was able to bring this monstrosity to life. Frankenstein warns Bruce but ultimately, and somewhat out of his control, allows Bruce to conduct his research.
Enter Red Robin. Red Robin tries to talk reason into Bruce and when that doesn’t happen, makes a difficult decision. This decision could have future ramifications on the relationship between these two vigilantes. Things don’t look good for Batman at this point. How far will he go to before he accepts his loss?
Pat Gleason’s art compliments Tomasi’s writing every step of the way. These two show that when they are left to tell the story they want to, it becomes a must read.
