Batman and Robin #12 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Andy Clarke, Scott Hanna, Dustin Nguyen (artists), Alex Sinclair (colorist)

The Story: The Mexican Train, Part 3: Robin is still being controlled by his mother (read whatever Freudian angle you want into that) and therefore trying to kill Batman. They duke it out, but Batman pulls out some tech and some theory and gives his attackers a taste of their own medicine. Then, Dick is left with two things to do: solve the mystery of Bruce Wayne and deal with Talia.

What’s Good: Morrison has got a really strong ear for dialogue. It comes out natural and real and without being filled with information characters wouldn’t say. He keeps his words to a minimum, in fact, so that this story is told more from the art side (at least the action sequences). Morrison also draws out, until the end of the book, the mystery of Sexton (I didn’t see that one coming), while the larger mystery, of whether Bruce is alive or not, sometime in the past, is teased out, clue by clue. My two favorite moments in this comic were the shredded Batman cowl hanging on the antlers in the deepest caves under the Wayne Manor and the back splash page.

What’s Not So Good: Alright. I know that last time I dinged this book some grades for Clarke’s art, it got people going (I wasn’t in the majority). But I cannot lie. I still don’t like it. To me, Clarke’s art lacks dynamism. Check out bottom of page two, Damian breaking a shovel over Dick’s arm. Damian just kind of looks straight, hanging in the air. No arms or legs splayed for balance, no arching of the back to give greater force to the blow, and even though he is yelling “Slaaaaade!” his facial expression is stiff, like he’s ordering a latte. The splash page is a little better, but then check out the top panel of page four, where Dick is close to breaking Damian’s ribs with that kick. The cape is fluttering behind him while obviously he’s being driven back by the blow, yet his body is not curling with it. This may sound like a lot of nitpicking, but what I’m talking about is the dynamism described most clearly in “How To Draw Comics the Marvel Way.” It doesn’t matter that it’s Marvel or DC. The rules of perspective, form, dynamism, posture, etc, apply to the superhero genre as a whole. Other action postures throughout the book don’t work for me either.

Batman and Robin #11 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Andy Clarke (penciller), Scott Hanna (inker)

The Story: Batman versus Robin Part Two: Batman explores the cave network beneath the Wayne Manor, surer than ever that Red Robin is right– Bruce Wayne is alive. In the meantime, Robin and Sexton, exploring the graves behind Wayne Manor, are suddenly accosted by four killers. Something more sinister than the obvious is up, because some kind of Wayne relative is being brought into the picture, as is the daughter of Batman’s greatest enemy.

What’s Good: As always, Morrison feeds out his story in morsels, never satisfying your hunger, but never blowing the pacing either. There is a big, old mystery afoot and it looks like everything is at stake again for the new Batman. The subtle levers being used by Talia to move her puzzle pieces around are intriguing, as is the climactic moment at the end when she springs her trap. Morrison’s command of voice, different voices for different characters, is also well done and brings an authenticity to the interactions, even when some of the characters are doing pretty weird stuff– check out the running monologue around Mister Whips-Himself – creepy… And, as one final point on the writing, Damian steals the show. This is really his issue and it’s a lot of fun to watch him figure things out and squirm over mother issues.

On art, I’ve always liked Clarke, although in other reviews (R.E.B.E.L.S.), I’ve noted that I think he’s better suited for moody, character books rather than action-packed titles. Clarke’s art style (especially the stippled shading and fine lines to show texture) does great work on faces and expressions. The sad, frightened priest on the first page doesn’t need the dialogue to show us how he feels. Same with the expression of the one he blesses– dialogue isn’t needed for this guy to creep us out.

Batman and Robin #4 – Review

By Grant Morrison (writer), Philip Tan (artist), Jonathan Glapion (inker)

The Story: A dark knight and a mysterious sidekick turn Lightning Bug into burnt leftovers. The vigilante talks about being scarred. Batman (Dick Grayson) and Robin (Damian Wayne) are too late to stop him. Dick and Damian attend a Wayne Enterprises cocktail party and meet Sexton, a mysterious figure who is masked because his face was scarred by his wife’s killer. Then Dick and Damian decide to go on the hunt in nocturnal Gotham for the vigilante killer.

What’s Good: This is either the start of a new arc after Professor Pyg’s capture, or the continuation of a much larger tableau, where Pyg was just the feeder fish. It’s a good launch. The writing is lively and dynamic. The criminals were written in the lunatic tones that Morrison used for his villains in the first three issues, but they are more serious, closer to us, despite their obvious insanities. It was a lot of fun to watch Red Hood gush over the self-absorbed, psychologically unhinged Scarlet like an artist over a muse.

I also like the pair of dynamic duos Morrison is offering (Batman and Robin vs. Red Hood and Scarlet). Both pairs are driven by their particular obsessions and mental issues, while each has their own internal conflicts. Both pairs choose to fight crime, and they differ in their ethical lines and methods (in essence, how they choose to serve justice). In creating the alternates, Morrison invites us to pick between the moral choices. However, I think Morrison is being honest with us and himself in that Red Hood and Scarlet are not straw men arguments set up just to be knocked down. A whole lot of heroes nowadays use lethal force, and seeing all those villains around the table, talking about how they were going to make addicts out of school children, housewives and judges, I can’t say I was upset when Red Hood came in and gave them a talking to in his own language. Morrison made me think about something outside the book, after I finished reading, and I think that’s the best compliment I can give him in this review.

Art wise, this was also the first issue sans Quitely. Although I love Quitely, Philip Tan’s style worked well with Morrison. The villains were menacing. The layouts were impressive (especially the building to building leap Lightning Bug makes in the first scene). The level of detail was as high as Quitely’s and the realism sharp. And, both Dick and Damian cut the iconic figures they have for Batman and Robin to work. Hats off to Tan. Tan had big shoes to fill, and he didn’t disappoint.

What’s Not So Good: Despite the great writing and art, I didn’t get a sense of urgency or tension in this issue as I had with the first three, partly because the victims of the crimes were just other awful people. But that was part of the calculus Morrison had to do to make his issue work as “The Fight Against Crime Grows Up.”

Conclusion: Very solid storytelling opens up bigger and more dangerous things for the new dynamic duo. Get on board.

Grade: A-

-DS Arsenault