Batman’s past is literally coming back to haunt him in Batman and Robin #17, which continues his battle with Memento. A serial killer from London comes to Gotham, and he seems to have his eyes set on Batman thanks to Bruce helping catch him when he was much younger and learning the ropes. The problem is that Memento seems supernatural and powerful, yet Batman refuses to believe he’s nothing more than a man. Meanwhile, Damian is dealing with a rising fear within himself, which he can’t show signs of to his father for fear of showing weakness.
Batman and Robin #17 opens in a flashback as a younger Bruce is doing a stakeout to find the Memento killer with Katherine. She quickly punches holes in his lies about his family but in a smirking sort of way. She likes him, but like always, Bruce is too invested in finding bad guys over connecting with others.
From there, the issue cuts back to the present, where Batman is fighting something that goes beyond Scarecrow’s fear of toxin. Instead, he sees visions of those who died where he stands. Memento has done something to him, and Bruce refuses to believe what he sees is anything but manipulation from a human, not some kind of superpower.
Javi Fernandez and colorist Marcelo Maiolo do a great job with the visuals of what they see. Yellows and reds make the world around Batman look to be on fire, and the hulking look of Memento is unreal. In a jaw-dropping double-page layout, Fernandez layers panels over a monstrous multi-headed Memento with Batman chucking the giant beast with all his might. Batman goes through utter Hell, and the artistry makes you believe it’s like nothing we, and Batman, have ever seen.
The layouts really push it in this issue.
Credit: DC Comics
Underlying the action scene is Damian’s growing sense of self. He connects with Dr. Bashar, who knew Damian’s grandfather and seemed to take a liking to him. You get the sense Bashar is connecting with Damian as Bruce should, but of course, Bruce is too obsessed with the current case to care for Damian like a son.
In a key scene between Damian and Bruce, Damian pushes back on the stubborn Bruce, who only cares to head back out to fight Memento even though he’s in no shape. Damian has typically been quite childlike, but here you can see he’s becoming more of a man. Writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson draws out Damian’s confidence here, and it’s cool to see him answer the bat signal alone.
On the reverse side, Batman is coming off as cold and lacking in humanity. In previous issues, the two connected as father and son, but Batman is seemingly too obsessed and uncaring here. Maybe it’s the toxin he went under, but his lack of humanity with his son is a bit jarring. A moment of doubt or regret could have gone a long way to humanize him when interacting with Damian.
Batman and Robin #17 excels in its gripping visuals and Damian’s well-crafted character arc, presenting a tense and thrilling chapter in the series. While Bruce’s detachment toward his son feels overly stark, the issue effectively balances intense action with emotional stakes, leaving readers eager for more revelations about Memento. Fans of dark psychological storytelling and family dynamics in superhero narratives will find much to appreciate.
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