One of the elements that impressed me the most with the last issue of Batman and Robin was how well Phillip Kennedy Johnson wrote the relationship between Bruce and Damian. While the newest Robin has been around for over a decade at this point (oof, typing that sentence made my knees pop), there’s still plenty of juicy family dynamics to unpack with the Dark Knight and his Boy Wonder son, and Johnson realizes that in a very human way. Despite the long real world time that Damian has been around, the two are still working out the “father/son” balancing act of family time and crimefighting. After taking some much deserved R&R at the end of last issue, Batman and Robin #26 finds the duo dealing with the ramifications of taking in a movie, as the mysterious “Quiet Man” begins to make his moves against the criminal underworld.
The Iceberg Lounge is in tatters, and the Penguin is rightfully angry about it. Despite Batman and Robin arriving on the scene, he doesn’t want to let on that he knows the assailant behind the attack, and even with Batman’s glowering threats against him, he refuses to give it up. Batman being Batman, he left a microphone behind to listen in on anything at the Lounge and learns of Penguin’s plan to meet up with Two-Face to discuss the attack and how they are connected. As Robin stakes out the meet, he’s distracted by some of the local kids and misses the initial arrival of “The Quiet Man”, our mysterious new adversary who’s on a warpath to avenge the death of his son that occurred during a heist years ago. Once Batman arrives, he recognizes the man from a cold case years ago, and realizes that his target isn’t The Penguin or Two-Face, but another famous Batman rogue with a particular gimmick involving….
Nah, I’m not gonna spoil that, but I will say that the reveal did lead me to mutter a “oh wow” reaction. Even more so than the previous issue, Batman and Robin #26 fleshes out the current status quo of Batman in new and exciting ways that also feel like “classic” Batman. Phillip Kennedy Johnson makes both Bruce and Damian into relatable characters by honing on the juxtaposition between being the “Dynamic Duo” that Gotham almost cannot function without with the sheer fact that as skilled as Batman and Robin are, they are still human. They get tired, they deserve breaks, but in this issue, they wonder if they truly deserve those breaks because of the potential chaos that can arise from them. It’s a regrettably very personal connection that I felt in those moments as someone who struggles to make PTO requests because I don’t want to get caught up from being out of work for a day. But that component in this issue really hit home for me. The sequence of Batman and Robin discussing it in their own curt ways as they leave the Iceberg Lounge was a fantastic character moment for both characters, and a humanizing moment for Bruce because of the tinge of “oh god my son is just like me” that comes across in the script.
DC
Another great aspect of Batman and Robin #26? It’s damn funny! Johnson is having a blast playing with the world of Gotham City, where a man dressed up like a bat can be more of nuisance than a help at times. Case in point is the scene early in the issue where Penguin berates Batman for not being there to stop the attack on his club. His tirade about feeling like a “second class” citizen of Gotham simply because of the business he runs was not only funny, but a great look into Cobblepot’s views on society and the frustration the attack brings on him (and there’s another great moment for Oswald right after Batman leaves as well). Moments like these, where Gotham truly feels like a playground for a creative team, are what makes Batman & Robin stand out in a packed line of Batbooks.
Fico Ossio already impressed me with his art in the previous issue, but he floored me with this one. Like Johnson’s script, Ossio is clearly having a blast playing in the world of Gotham and the different aspects of the city. As with last month’s issue, there’s a cool “grindhouse” style whenever we cut to Quiet Man’s ramshackle hideout, but this issue also allows Ossio to show us his take on the Iceberg Lounge and the Bat-bunker that currently serves as the Dynamic Duo’s base of operations. His sense of scale and scope in these issues is great, as we see a full run of Batman doing all of the things we know Batman to do, and it looks fantastic. Pages of Batman and Robin gracefully swinging through the Gotham skyline are impressive, but the next sequence where Bruce investigates the clues from the lounge attack while Damian trains behind him are just as good. If anything, playing with the panel layouts could be something Ossio could decide to do to mix things up, but to be honest, nothing he’s doing is broken so there’s no need to fix it.
At just two issues into this story, I’m kinda shocked how much I’m enjoying Batman and Robin so far. While it may feel like the third stringer behind Batman and Detective Comics, it can easily stand alongside those books as an extremely strong Batman title. In all honesty it’s hard for me to think back on a time when all three of the main Batman books have been this strong, and Batman & Robin is the one that will appeal to fans of the character the most if they try it out. It’s the secret weapon of the line and hopefully can keep this level of quality going throughout. If it does, it could be the best of the three.
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