SYNOPSIS: SHUSH RISES! Man-Bat’s plans have been unleashed on Gotham. The only person who can help Batman and Robin save the city is…SHUSH?! Can she set aside her hate for the dynamic duo and help, or will she let her quest for revenge overcome her?
High above Gotham, Batman wrestles with Man-Bat, surrounded by swirling, infected bats in a two-page spread that showcases the scope of the city they are fighting for. Di Meo handles the visuals for the majority of the first half of the book, bringing the neon hues and dizzying visuals you would expect from him. You’ll love him here if you’ve liked what he’s been doing. Sometimes, though, I feel the panels get a little too small for me to easily follow the shadowed action.
This means that Cizmesija draws the back half of the story, bringing his trademark manga-style energy. I think he’s a good fit for the Robin character, but I am not enjoying his take on Bruce Wayne in this issue. He just feels a little goofy at times.
Williamson delivers a lot of excitement, with some summer blockbuster-style set pieces. I’ve got to say, it was entertaining from that perspective, and in addition to that, he added a wrinkle to the backstory of this current iteration of Man-Bat, one I’m curious if another title will pick up.
Most of the villains’ stories get tied up in nice neat bows. I never really took to Shush throughout all this. I failed to get excited by pretty much everything about her and wouldn’t mind if she went away for a bit.
Having said that, I do give Williamson an “A+” for remembering past continuity for several characters and plots across various titles and building on it. The tease for the next arc did get me excited for what is coming next. You can’t keep a good villain (or villains?) down.
Batman and Robin has failed to reach the heights for me that the solo Robin book did. Despite the ups and downs, I’m not ready to give up on it yet. The conclusion was bombastic and fun, with a touching scene for Bruce and Damian (more of that, please). I hope that we return soon to just one artist handling the visuals, or at least if it’s two it’s a pair that mesh together well. In the meantime, the pluses outweigh the minuses in this issue. – Javier E. Trujillo
GRADE: B+