#Batman vs robin series#

The scenes between the Dark Knight and his son in this book are brilliantly written, exquisitely drawn, and completely heartbreaking. What I didn’t count on was the fact that Batman has clearly grown as a character, and learned from the mistakes he made with Dick, Jason, Tim, and Stephanie. I watched Bruce Wayne’s relationship with Dick Grayson collapse, then get built back up, slowly but surely over the decades, and expected a similar journey for the caped crusader and his son. Again, I don’t like seeing father and son in this light, but I don’t see how else things could’ve gone down. His arrogance has been part of his personality since day one, so, even though I dislike his life’s direction in most of this collection, it all rings true.īatman’s reaction and behavior in the story, however, is the real revelation. I hate what’s happened to Robin, but I can’t argue with any of it. Action fans needn’t be concerned, though, as things get physical very quickly, with Batman and the team being forced to try and apprehend, and subdue, the Teen Wonder. Yes, there is a fair bit of talking on these pages, but every line of dialogue is perfect, precise, and necessary. It’s clear that Robin blames himself for Alfred’s death at the hands of Bane, and the brilliantly written and drawn flashback scenes spread throughout the third chapter of this collection make this abundantly clear.

Did watching Alfred die before his very eyes finally break his heart, enough to turn him away from the light? In that time the character’s gone from being the spawn of assassins to a spoiled brat, then all the way through to repentant son… and hero. I’d wanted to believe in Damian for so long, ever since his debut, 15 years ago, in Batman #655. Robbie Thompson wrote some truly heartbreaking scenes featuring the Dark Knight’s butler, and surrogate father/grandfather to Batman, and all his “sons”. I could actually see Robin taking down his teammates, but the Dark Knight is a whole different story.Īfter the tragic death of Alfred ( Batman #77), Robin went down a path of self-destruction.

The Titans get the lion’s share of the action and are perfectly realized, characterized, and illustrated.Īs soon as I saw Robin’s behavior, knowing that he had brainwashed and tortured the criminals he kept there, I knew that Batman’s wrath would be a sight to behold. I always knew that the Boy Wonder’s actions would catch up with him eventually, and his attack on KGBeast is, sadly, very true to character, however, if you thought the Titans’ reactions were strong, just wait ’til daddy dearest catches up with the boy!īatman tends to take over any story he appears in, but Robbie Thompson weaves the Dark Knight’s appearance in, building atmosphere and tension beautifully. I love it when Jon Kent – Superboy – interacts with his best friend and former partner, but sometimes there’s just no talking to Robin… just ask the rest of the team! This not only had the team chasing after the Teen Wonder, but his best friend Jon Kent was also on the hunt, as was a certain Dark Knight Detective. We find out very early on that Robin, after incarcerating some of the Titans’ deadliest enemies, had actually taken the life of the cult leader, Brother Blood.

Readers really get the impression that Damian could cross the line to enact brutal revenge on the Russian villain unless his teammates can temper Damian’s rage. The book begins with Robin on a hunt that leads him to the KGBeast, the assassin who shot Dick Grayson (Nightwing) in the head, wiping his memory in the process. Some of the finest Teen Titans stories I’ve ever read… and I’ve been enjoying their adventures for over forty years.

#Batman vs robin series#

As I said in my review of that year’s annual, the tales from the final arc of the series were: This collection’s first set of stories comes from the excellent run of Teen Titans, which ended in November 2020. The fact that one of my reviews is quoted on the back cover has made my year! I was fortunate enough to read and review most of the stories collected in this volume when they were first released and seeing them collected in this lovely book made me very happy. Batman Vs Robin: Road To War leads into the brand new, eagerly anticipated mini-series, written by comics legend, Mark Waid.