SYNOPSIS: Batman, Robin, and Bane must escape Dinosaur Island. But they are not alone! A dangerous presence has taken over and won’t let anyone leave the island alive! Can the father and son dynamic duo return to Gotham or will this be their last adventure together?!
Grab a tissue. You’ll thank me later.
Writer Joshua Williamson ends his three-year run on Damian Wayne with this issue and he doesn’t leave a dry eye in the house.
When we last saw Damian, he was pumped full of a special derivative of Venom, as large as Bane, and full of rage. I was ready for a battle royale, a fight to end all fights, the opportunity for Damian to unleash all his pent-up anger over the death of Alfred, which of course would pit him against his father who would be imploring him not to kill. To find a better way. To be a true hero.
That’s not exactly what Williamson delivers here. Sure, there is some fighting, rendered to perfection by the breathtaking art of Juan Ferreyra, but this is really a story about heart, not action, and certainly not revenge.
The opening uses a similar visual language to the flashbacks in the last issue, Damian enters the school counselor’s office awash in shades of red and gray. As the story progresses and we realize this isn’t a flashback, but a flash-forward from what is transpiring on Dinosaur Island, something wonderful begins to happen with the art. It’s subtle, but worth going back to observe the effect.
I know I’ve been critical of this volume, what with the Shush/Man-Bat story failing to excite me, but this arc has been perfection, with Williamson in top form, delivering the kind of characterization I loved back when this title was simply called Robin. We really get to the core of Damian Wayne and his troubled history, reaching a resolution and a quantum of solace for the character.
I have to praise the visuals of Ferreyra once again. This book is stunning, with multiple two-page spreads that the story deserves. The colors are bold and exciting, a perfect complement to the spirited visuals. There is one moment in particular, where Bruce takes off his cowl, and the emotion that carries through is palpable.
While this might not have been the issue I expected, it was the one Damian deserved. From Morrison, to Tomasi/Gleason, to Williamson (with a brief pit stop by Mark Waid), the character of Damian Wayne has had quite an arc, one which leaves him ready to go all-in on the future under the guiding hand of incoming scribe Phillip Kennedy Johnson.
With a perfect final page, this issue felt like a wonderful season finale. To everyone involved, take a bow. This is comics. This is Batman and Robin. Don’t miss this issue! – Javier E. Trujillo
GRADE: A+