[[“value”:”Batman and Robin #17 cover, via DC Comics.
Batman and Robin #17 – Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Writer; Javi Fernandez, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Artists; Marcelo Maiolo, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The mysterious Memento continues to stalk Gotham in this Gothic run, as rifts grow between Bruce Wayne and Damian Wayne. Flashbacks continue to unwrap the history of Bruce Wayne’s encounters with this mysterious killer, taking him back to his time in France with LeClerc, as they both studied under a mysterious professor of criminology. But when Bruce begins to disobey orders, he discovers that this professor may know more about the killer than he initially let on. Carmine Di Giandomenico, who drew a younger Bruce for the better part of a year in Batman: The Knight, is a good choice to do these flashback segments, and it’s interesting to see how LeClerc gets under Bruce’s skin and reads him. But none of this explains how Memento is back now – and how his illusions of monsters seem to be so real that even Jonathan Crane is scared of him.
The one area of this book I’m still not sure about is how far things seem to be deteriorating between Bruce and Damian. I do like the idea of Damian finding another purpose in life besides crimefighting, and the relationship between Damian and Bashir is very interesting. This kindly doctor seems a little too good to be true – something Bruce starts to wonder himself, maybe out of paranoia, as he investigates him for ties to Ra’s Al Ghul. But as Damian takes more time off from patrolling, Bruce finds himself going solo and in serious danger as a result – something that leads to another confrontation between him and Damian. After all the progress Bruce and Damian made in the previous run, I’m not a big fan of seeing them at each other’s throats again, but the ending does seem to indicate that Bruce might be getting a team-up with another Robin in his place. Still a lot of questions, but the central mystery here is very strong.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
“]] Robin may be on a new path – and that has sent Batman’s suspicions rising as the hunt for Memento continues. Read More