Batman and Robin‘s current run with the Quiet Man’s war on Gotham’s underworld has been pretty thrilling, but the prior issue didn’t devote much time to the other aspect of the book that has been just as compelling: the often fraught relationship between Bruce Wayne and his son, Damian. Despite being Batman and Robin for over a decade now, the relationship between the two could not be more tenuous, as the two work to repair their fractured relationship under writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson and artist Fico Ossio. It’s a tough balancing act to pull off, but the creative team pulls off the tightrope act with Batman & Robin #27, creating another effective installment in the Quiet Man story while also allowing us some more surprising heartfelt moments thanks to guest stars Superman and Jonathan Kent.
As the Quiet Man wages war against the Penguin and Two-Face’s forces, Batman and Robin are stuck in the middle, literally. Working in tandem to stay alive and learn what Quiet Man is after, the two are able to diffuse the situation, but not before they lose sight of the two villains after Quiet Man assists Robin in the fight. As the dust settles, Batman deduces that the Quiet Man is the same man who was connected to a cold case long ago. During the height of the Gotham Mob Wars, a retired army veteran was found amongst the wreckage of a warehouse battle barely alive, but saying one thing: “the ventriloquist murdered my boy”. Flash forward to today, Albert Wesker is now free and fully healed of his Scarface persona, and living a quiet life with a private investigator on Batman’s payroll. But now that the word is out that Wesker is still alive, it’s a race to get to him before Penguin and Two-Face do so they can save their skins.
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While the Quiet Man story is still a very entertaining one, the real compelling moments of this issue are the internal ones, as Bruce Wayne summons one his closet friends for advice. Under the guise of a charity fundraiser being covered by the Daily Planet, Clark and Jonathan Kent’s arrival is a great blast of warm storytelling that shows us that Phillip Kennedy Johnson knows when to lighten things up at the appropriate time. Bruce and Clark having a talk about fatherhood and how to best be an example to their sons was truly wonderful, and while a lot of fans may balk at the idea of Batman not being prepared for fatherhood, it’s done in a really human and sweet way. The person in his life that Bruce Wayne would turn to for advice is gone now, yet Alfred would also say something just as tender and supportive as Clark does. For as much as Alfred was Bruce’s father, the fact that he lost out on so many years with Thomas Wayne weighs on Bruce, and he worries that he’s not prepared for role he plays in Damian’s life. It’s a great humanizing moment for one of our great characters that makes him even stronger because of it. Plus, we get a Super Sons reunion to boot, which is always a plus as well.
Fico Ossio’s art is a little looser this issue, but no less effective. The action that opens the issue is very kinetic and intense, and Ossio draws the weight of the rubble on Batman in such a way that you can feel the strain he’s under to hold it up. At times the panel layouts in this sequence were a little hard to follow, but overall Ossio matches the tense plotting that Johnson lays out for us in the beginning really well. Even the quieter moments as Bruce and Damian get changed out of their outfits and prepare for the charity event are well crafted, showing the scale of the batcave they call home in grand fashion. What really surprised me though was how, like Johnson, Ossio is able to show the confusion, worry, and care that Bruce Wayne is going through in this issue as he talks with Clark. For an artist that has been showing off a great sense of action and scale throughout this storyline, the fact that they were this good at the quieter emotional beats was a great surprise.
I mentioned it in my previous review, but it’s really incredible how great and diverse all of the different Batman titles are right now, while also feeling like they are in the same universe. Sure, it’s hard to buy that this one character is having THIS many adventures at one time, but the fact that we are getting so many quality mainline Batman titles is pretty stunning, and I love the corner of the Batman universe that Batman and Robin has created for itself. The new era of the Dynamic Duo is in a fantastic place right now, and serves as a great reminder that even the best of us need a pep talk at times.
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