Batman and Robin #12 is a packed issue. Not only is it full of action, but also intense emotion. The first page is a flashback, set right before Damian unwittingly condemns Alfred to death. Colored in entirely black, white, and red, not only does it reflect the colors of Damian’s current costume, but also the tragic doom that our heroes in the past have yet to understand. A fate that echoes in the next double-page spread, with Robin ragefully riding a dinosaur in the present, charging toward his caretaker’s killer: Bane.
DC Comics
At heart, this whole issue is an extended fight scene between Robin and Bane intercut with flashbacks of Alfred and his words of wisdom. The pages’ structure conveys both Robin’s physical and mental state. While externally fighting Bane, he is remembering Alfred in his head, his memories fueling every blow he deals. The flashbacks serve as a reminder to both Robin and the reader, of how important Alfred was to the development of not just Batman, but also his son. This brings to light a contradiction, the grief of losing such an important person in his life to a murderer pushes Robin into anger and revenge, but Alfred’s kindness and lessons linger in his heart, halting him from a killing blow. For Damian, the battle against Bane is a tug-of-war between the love that lasts and the grief that remains.
Alfred has always been a father figure not only to Batman, but the entire Bat-Family, the anchor that grounds each and every one of them. With war after war, new villain after villain, there hasn’t been ample time to explore the depth of losing him. This issue finally takes that risk and examines it, a love letter to Alfred’s relationship with Damian, but also our Boy Wonder himself, from his inception in Morrison and Kubert’s Batman and Son to how different he grows up to be in Rebirth.
Played in reverse chronological order, the flashbacks continue from the moment of Alfred’s death way back to the first time he encountered Damian. These vignettes show Damian’s evolution in reverse, in contrast to Alfred’s love remaining consistent, even as Damian regresses to coldness, coinciding with his current attempt to kill Bane. As this is happening, Batman is in the background with Maya and Vengeance having their own separate scuffle.
As Bane’s clone offspring, Vengeance acts as another twisted analog to Batman’s life, this time a dark mirror to Damian. In Bane’s broken family, she echoes Damian’s role, the anger and violence that he too could have wrought would it not for Alfred’s patience and trust. Character-wise, Bane has had a hard time finding solid ground separate from his Knightfall background. This time, Dinosaurs and a daughter help him find his way. The inclusion of Vengeance gives Bane an unusual foil to deal with, she represents Bane as he was originally, without all the life experiences outside the prison. Ironic how the sometimes anti-hero sometimes megalomaniacal villain’s biggest challenge is someone to raise, and the only thing he needs to break is the cycle of violence that molded him.
Batman and Robin #12 is the culmination of Robin and Bane’s conflict, him finally having closure through their duel. The action here is spectacular, the confrontation against Bane that many may have wanted after half a decade. Juan Ferreyra delivers panels that are both clear and colorful. Combined with the storytelling efforts of Joshua Williamson, this issue effectively makes the readers feel the full force of Damian’s grief, both visually and narratively.
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