What do you think?
Rate this book
Batman and Robin (2011)
Batman and Robin, Vol. 3: Death of the Family
A direct tie to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman, Volume 3: Death in the Family, comes the disturbingly creepy and psychological thriller of Batman and Robin by the all star team of Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason.
The Joker returns to test Batman and the extended Bat-family but when he squares off against Batman's son Damian aka Robin! With Batman's life hanging in the balance, The Clown Prince of Crime pushes Robin to his limits and beyond. And with the 300th anniversary of the founding of Gotham approaches, tragedy strikes the Bat-family.
Collecting: Batman and Robin 15-17, Annual 1; Batman 17
The Joker returns to test Batman and the extended Bat-family but when he squares off against Batman's son Damian aka Robin! With Batman's life hanging in the balance, The Clown Prince of Crime pushes Robin to his limits and beyond. And with the 300th anniversary of the founding of Gotham approaches, tragedy strikes the Bat-family.
Collecting: Batman and Robin 15-17, Annual 1; Batman 17
155 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 3, 2013
43 people are currently reading
1388 people want to read
About the author
Peter J. Tomasi
1,387 books468 followersPeter J. Tomasi is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, such as Batman And Robin; Superman; Super Sons; Batman: Detective Comics; Green Lantern Corps; and Superman/Wonder Woman; as well as Batman: Arkham Knight; Brightest Day; Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors; Nightwing; Black Adam, and many more.
In the course of his staff career at DC Comics, Tomasi served as a group editor and ushered in new eras for Batman, Green Lantern, and the JSA, along with a host of special projects like Kingdom Come.
He is also the author of the creator-owned titles House Of Penance with artist Ian Bertram; Light Brigade with artist Peter Snejbjerg; The Mighty with Keith Champagne and Chris Samnee; and the critically acclaimed epic graphic novel The Bridge: How The Roeblings Connected Brooklyn To New York, illustrated by Sara DuVall and published by Abrams ComicArts.
In 2018 New York Times best-selling author Tomasi received the Inkpot Award for achievement in comics.
In the course of his staff career at DC Comics, Tomasi served as a group editor and ushered in new eras for Batman, Green Lantern, and the JSA, along with a host of special projects like Kingdom Come.
He is also the author of the creator-owned titles House Of Penance with artist Ian Bertram; Light Brigade with artist Peter Snejbjerg; The Mighty with Keith Champagne and Chris Samnee; and the critically acclaimed epic graphic novel The Bridge: How The Roeblings Connected Brooklyn To New York, illustrated by Sara DuVall and published by Abrams ComicArts.
In 2018 New York Times best-selling author Tomasi received the Inkpot Award for achievement in comics.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews
May 4, 2021
(A-) 82% | Very Good
Notes: A meaty and tender lasagna of inner emotions: noodling in layers of gladness and grief, it’s sentiment served al dente.
Notes: A meaty and tender lasagna of inner emotions: noodling in layers of gladness and grief, it’s sentiment served al dente.
February 25, 2015
This volume is basically chopped into 4 parts.
Part One
Damien sends Batman on a heartwarming scavenger hunt, while taking out bad guys on his own in Gotham.
It's sweet, and I'll admit I got sucked into the sappy storyline.
Part Two
This is what happens when the Joker gets hold of Damien.
It's ok, but nothing awesome. I wasn't buying the Batman on Joker toxin, and I had a hard time believing Damien would either. I mean, he's a scary-smart little kid...
Part Three
The same friggin' story I've already read at least twice beforehand. It's the Batman vs. Joker at the dinner table story.
If you haven't seen it yet, you'll love it.
If you have, you'll probably do what I did...and skip it.
Part Four
In the aftermath of the whole Joker fiasco, Damien, Alfred, and Bruce all have nightmares. So...yeah. It's a dream sequence. Touching.
It's a decent story.
If you're trying to catch all the tie-ins to Death of the Family, then you'll wanna read this one.
Part One
Damien sends Batman on a heartwarming scavenger hunt, while taking out bad guys on his own in Gotham.
It's sweet, and I'll admit I got sucked into the sappy storyline.
Part Two
This is what happens when the Joker gets hold of Damien.
It's ok, but nothing awesome. I wasn't buying the Batman on Joker toxin, and I had a hard time believing Damien would either. I mean, he's a scary-smart little kid...
Part Three
The same friggin' story I've already read at least twice beforehand. It's the Batman vs. Joker at the dinner table story.
If you haven't seen it yet, you'll love it.
If you have, you'll probably do what I did...and skip it.
Part Four
In the aftermath of the whole Joker fiasco, Damien, Alfred, and Bruce all have nightmares. So...yeah. It's a dream sequence. Touching.
It's a decent story.
If you're trying to catch all the tie-ins to Death of the Family, then you'll wanna read this one.
August 24, 2015
This is the shortest collection in Peter J. Tomasi’s Batman and Robin run - two standalone issues bookend it with a three-issue Death of the Family arc in the middle (one of which is Batman #17 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo which I’m almost certain anyone picking up this volume will have read at least once already); essentially it’s four B&R issues long.
But it’s also surprisingly good and one of my favourites in the series so far! Ironically the Death of the Family arc is the weakest part so let’s get that out of the way first. Damian tracks Joker to the Gotham zoo where he has to fight a Joker toxin-infected Batman for Joker’s amusement. Tomasi’s been hitting the father/son relationship angle pretty hard in this series and that continues in this book with the way Damian defeats Jokerized Batman.
It’s an average story that, like the other Death of the Family tie-ins, didn’t really need to be told but I didn’t hate it. By far the best part was Patrick Gleason’s rendering of Joker who, remember, cut his face off and is wearing it as a mask. I’ve seen a number of artists draw this and not one has come close (even Capullo) to showing the true horror something like that would look like - until I saw Gleason’s depiction which was utterly chilling. Page after page of real Hannibal Lector shit - hats off to you, Mr Gleason!
The other two stories are inconsequential but quite pleasant. If you like Damian Wayne, you’ll like them, and I love Damian. Damian sends Bruce and Alfred on a wild goose chase around the world with Bruce discovering previously unknown moments from his parents’ lives while Damian puts on the 666 outfit and becomes the Batman of Gotham for the first time (I call it the 666 outfit as future Damian/Batman debuted in Grant Morrison’s Batman #666 and was AWESOME!).
Tomasi revealing a softer side to Bruce while giving Alfred more of a story presence was great, like reuniting Alf with the English stage and his ex-fiance - you want to make me a happy Batman reader, write Alfred well, and Tomasi does. But the callback to Morrison’s nightmarish devil future of Gotham with Damian as Batman? Aw, man. So good! DC NEED to make a future Damian/Batman series happen (I’m ignoring Andy Kubert’s fucked up Damian: Son of Batman miniseries).
The final story, Life is But a Dream, is especially poignant if you know what’s around the corner for poor Damian. After a hard day’s night, Bruce, Damian and Alfred go to sleep, perchance to dream. Alfred’s dream was the best but his face after he wakes up, realising it’s a dream, right before he drifts off again, was so good. Alfred, man, he’s such an overlooked character but he’s brilliant.
Given the poor quality of the other Death of the Family tie-ins, I wasn’t expecting much from this one but I was pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable it turned out to be. If you like Damian Wayne, his story with Bruce, and lots of nice little things that you rarely see in Batman, you’ll be charmed like I was with this short volume.
But it’s also surprisingly good and one of my favourites in the series so far! Ironically the Death of the Family arc is the weakest part so let’s get that out of the way first. Damian tracks Joker to the Gotham zoo where he has to fight a Joker toxin-infected Batman for Joker’s amusement. Tomasi’s been hitting the father/son relationship angle pretty hard in this series and that continues in this book with the way Damian defeats Jokerized Batman.
It’s an average story that, like the other Death of the Family tie-ins, didn’t really need to be told but I didn’t hate it. By far the best part was Patrick Gleason’s rendering of Joker who, remember, cut his face off and is wearing it as a mask. I’ve seen a number of artists draw this and not one has come close (even Capullo) to showing the true horror something like that would look like - until I saw Gleason’s depiction which was utterly chilling. Page after page of real Hannibal Lector shit - hats off to you, Mr Gleason!
The other two stories are inconsequential but quite pleasant. If you like Damian Wayne, you’ll like them, and I love Damian. Damian sends Bruce and Alfred on a wild goose chase around the world with Bruce discovering previously unknown moments from his parents’ lives while Damian puts on the 666 outfit and becomes the Batman of Gotham for the first time (I call it the 666 outfit as future Damian/Batman debuted in Grant Morrison’s Batman #666 and was AWESOME!).
Tomasi revealing a softer side to Bruce while giving Alfred more of a story presence was great, like reuniting Alf with the English stage and his ex-fiance - you want to make me a happy Batman reader, write Alfred well, and Tomasi does. But the callback to Morrison’s nightmarish devil future of Gotham with Damian as Batman? Aw, man. So good! DC NEED to make a future Damian/Batman series happen (I’m ignoring Andy Kubert’s fucked up Damian: Son of Batman miniseries).
The final story, Life is But a Dream, is especially poignant if you know what’s around the corner for poor Damian. After a hard day’s night, Bruce, Damian and Alfred go to sleep, perchance to dream. Alfred’s dream was the best but his face after he wakes up, realising it’s a dream, right before he drifts off again, was so good. Alfred, man, he’s such an overlooked character but he’s brilliant.
Given the poor quality of the other Death of the Family tie-ins, I wasn’t expecting much from this one but I was pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable it turned out to be. If you like Damian Wayne, his story with Bruce, and lots of nice little things that you rarely see in Batman, you’ll be charmed like I was with this short volume.
November 12, 2025
2025 Review: Funny enough, I liked this volume bit less than I did last read. I still enjoyed it tho, some excellent moments, especially the final issue with Damien and Bruce hurting from the Death of the Family event. Overall a 3.5 out of 5.
2017 Review: Man this series remains one of the best New52 comics that I completely missed years ago. So this volume ties in with Death of the Family, which is one of my favorite Batman arcs ever. So I was excited to get Damien's story on it. We also get a two part arc at the start of Damien setting up little reminders for his father so his dad has to go on a hunt. It's cute, adorable, and real father and son loving. The last issue deals with the fallout of death of the family and you get to see Bruce/Damien/Alfred deal with their nightmares.
What I liked: The start of this volume is great. Really gets you to like Damien. I then love when Joker meets Damien and they go head to head. They've done this before in Batman and Robin in Morrison run and it was great but here it's even better. Damien has to face his fear and fight his father jokerized. I really like the Death of the Family issue in here. If you haven't read death of the family arc in Main batman line I'd recommend reading that first.
What I didn't like: The last issue felt little weak in comparison. The nightmares seemed to be a little forced, not very compelling, not huge insight into the character that I expected.
Overall I loved the HELL out of this volume as I did the previous ones. I really hope this series continuing being as good as it is. I expect it will be due to Peter being the writer. He never lets me down.
2017 Review: Man this series remains one of the best New52 comics that I completely missed years ago. So this volume ties in with Death of the Family, which is one of my favorite Batman arcs ever. So I was excited to get Damien's story on it. We also get a two part arc at the start of Damien setting up little reminders for his father so his dad has to go on a hunt. It's cute, adorable, and real father and son loving. The last issue deals with the fallout of death of the family and you get to see Bruce/Damien/Alfred deal with their nightmares.
What I liked: The start of this volume is great. Really gets you to like Damien. I then love when Joker meets Damien and they go head to head. They've done this before in Batman and Robin in Morrison run and it was great but here it's even better. Damien has to face his fear and fight his father jokerized. I really like the Death of the Family issue in here. If you haven't read death of the family arc in Main batman line I'd recommend reading that first.
What I didn't like: The last issue felt little weak in comparison. The nightmares seemed to be a little forced, not very compelling, not huge insight into the character that I expected.
Overall I loved the HELL out of this volume as I did the previous ones. I really hope this series continuing being as good as it is. I expect it will be due to Peter being the writer. He never lets me down.
July 12, 2018
This was really short. Ties in with the batman series. Told in a few parts. Im not sure why this didnt grab me. Maybe because Im jetlagged and a little tired. Still a good series. Ill give another volume a go. This was mainly Robins story again
May 31, 2019
I enjoyed the Damian & Bruce bits of this a bit more than in the last one but, the Death of the Family arc was never one that I loved.
We get it: the Joker’s soooo scary and obsessed with Batsy. There was way too much monologue-Ing in this book. We didn’t need it. He’s doing evil things for evil reasons. Got it. We didn’t need like 20 pages when his entire plan could have been condensed into like 3. It made for boring reading and it was also in a font that wasn’t great to read as an ebook.
Anyway, Damian is sweet and he did something really nice for his father and for Alfred. There’s a lot of Damian with Titus in this volume and that’s always adorable to see.
Damian’s relationship with Alfred is one that I don’t talk about enough. He clearly loves Alfred and I never got the sense that Damian felt that he needed to prove himself to Alfred the way he felt with his father and the other robins. Made more interesting when you consider that Damian used to place way too much focus on blood family. Alfred isn’t blood related to him in any way, shape or form and yet Damian adores him. He has nightmares about losing him.
Damian’s little Batman costume was adorable and the scenes at the end where he compares his shoe to Bruce’s and dreams about fighting alongside him- all Damian has ever wanted to do was make his father proud. He wanted to uphold the family legacy and I love him for that.
We get it: the Joker’s soooo scary and obsessed with Batsy. There was way too much monologue-Ing in this book. We didn’t need it. He’s doing evil things for evil reasons. Got it. We didn’t need like 20 pages when his entire plan could have been condensed into like 3. It made for boring reading and it was also in a font that wasn’t great to read as an ebook.
Anyway, Damian is sweet and he did something really nice for his father and for Alfred. There’s a lot of Damian with Titus in this volume and that’s always adorable to see.
Damian’s relationship with Alfred is one that I don’t talk about enough. He clearly loves Alfred and I never got the sense that Damian felt that he needed to prove himself to Alfred the way he felt with his father and the other robins. Made more interesting when you consider that Damian used to place way too much focus on blood family. Alfred isn’t blood related to him in any way, shape or form and yet Damian adores him. He has nightmares about losing him.
Damian’s little Batman costume was adorable and the scenes at the end where he compares his shoe to Bruce’s and dreams about fighting alongside him- all Damian has ever wanted to do was make his father proud. He wanted to uphold the family legacy and I love him for that.
February 17, 2016
The treasure hunting early on was nice but the Joker stuff felt off in plotting. Great artwork, though, and I do like to see the Joker in Batman tales.
OVERALL GRADE: B
OVERALL GRADE: B
January 8, 2022
This was quite fun!
Damian sets up clues for Bruce to travel around the world and find and it connects to his parents like his others painting or his parents "ask me out" thing and pics and other memorablia but the other thing is him patrolling the streets and keeping a curb on crime but what happens when Joker targets him in "death of the family" event as he thinks that bat-family is making Bruce weaker and well the targets starts there and the battle is insanely good and then him fighting and torturing Damian and then the part where Robin has to fight Batman is awesome and the whole storyline is outright scary and makes you emotional for Damian also.
Its a very cool and cold volume and starts off with happiness and ends with dread and fear of the Joker and maybe they reconcile and it does a good job of showing this relationship between Father and Son and what it means for Damian and his character growth is awesome and the art is just so good and makes you love the whole thing all over again! A must read volume.
Damian sets up clues for Bruce to travel around the world and find and it connects to his parents like his others painting or his parents "ask me out" thing and pics and other memorablia but the other thing is him patrolling the streets and keeping a curb on crime but what happens when Joker targets him in "death of the family" event as he thinks that bat-family is making Bruce weaker and well the targets starts there and the battle is insanely good and then him fighting and torturing Damian and then the part where Robin has to fight Batman is awesome and the whole storyline is outright scary and makes you emotional for Damian also.
Its a very cool and cold volume and starts off with happiness and ends with dread and fear of the Joker and maybe they reconcile and it does a good job of showing this relationship between Father and Son and what it means for Damian and his character growth is awesome and the art is just so good and makes you love the whole thing all over again! A must read volume.
November 7, 2014
I would probably lean towards 3.5 stars on this, but not quite 4.
Of course, with "Death of the Family" you know it's going to include BATMAN #17, which I've now read...5+ different times in different TPBs? It's a damn good book, one of the best individual Batman/Joker issues of all time...BUT, I've read it a ton in the last year.
I really enjoyed the first story arc, where Damian sends Bruce on a round the world wild-goose chase after some family memories, which seems very sweet, and it actually is. Of course, Damian uses this opportunity to patrol Gotham as pint-sized Batman, which is fun on it's own. Eventually Bruce catches on to it, or maybe he knew all along and Alfred just pushed him to let the boy do it. It's an even more bittersweet story arc when you know what is coming for the Waynes.
Leading up to #17, we've got Damian and the Joker tete-a-tete, which is interesting, and I'm pretty impressed that he nearly holds his own against the Clown Prince.
In the aftermath of it all, Damian, Bruce and Alfred all suffer nightmares, which are fairly vivid.
I really enjoyed the artwork by Patrick Gleason here; great use of colours, especially Yellow/Orange/Red and Black.
A solid collection, gives us a good chunk of Damian and Bruce.
Get this review and more at:
Of course, with "Death of the Family" you know it's going to include BATMAN #17, which I've now read...5+ different times in different TPBs? It's a damn good book, one of the best individual Batman/Joker issues of all time...BUT, I've read it a ton in the last year.
I really enjoyed the first story arc, where Damian sends Bruce on a round the world wild-goose chase after some family memories, which seems very sweet, and it actually is. Of course, Damian uses this opportunity to patrol Gotham as pint-sized Batman, which is fun on it's own. Eventually Bruce catches on to it, or maybe he knew all along and Alfred just pushed him to let the boy do it. It's an even more bittersweet story arc when you know what is coming for the Waynes.
Leading up to #17, we've got Damian and the Joker tete-a-tete, which is interesting, and I'm pretty impressed that he nearly holds his own against the Clown Prince.
In the aftermath of it all, Damian, Bruce and Alfred all suffer nightmares, which are fairly vivid.
I really enjoyed the artwork by Patrick Gleason here; great use of colours, especially Yellow/Orange/Red and Black.
A solid collection, gives us a good chunk of Damian and Bruce.
Get this review and more at:
March 13, 2015
This week with the Shallow Comic Readers Buddy read: Batman!
Seriously, I'm kinda tired of the New 52 Joker. Blah-blah-blah, blah blah-blah-blah.
Has there ever been a more chatty villain? Seriously, Joker, STFU. Like NOW.
The first story in this collection was cute and gave me what I was wanting: some more father/son dialog between Bruce and Damian. It made me smile, all was well, then that dastardly tie-in to the Death of the Family story from Batman.
Joker was such a chatty Cathy that I ended up skimming that issue because of the mind-numbing dialog. Then, yet another reprint of the Batman denouement issue that ended with all of the Bat family pissed off at Batman. Ok, I'm thinking, we'll get something out of this, some growth in the relationship between Batman and Robin, but nope. Nothing happens and things are back to normal in the next issue. I am so annoyed, I don't even know what happened after the Joker stuff. Just lost interest, didn't care.
Gleason's art is great as always, and that sells the book. But that's about all it has going for it.
Seriously, I'm kinda tired of the New 52 Joker. Blah-blah-blah, blah blah-blah-blah.
Has there ever been a more chatty villain? Seriously, Joker, STFU. Like NOW.
The first story in this collection was cute and gave me what I was wanting: some more father/son dialog between Bruce and Damian. It made me smile, all was well, then that dastardly tie-in to the Death of the Family story from Batman.
Joker was such a chatty Cathy that I ended up skimming that issue because of the mind-numbing dialog. Then, yet another reprint of the Batman denouement issue that ended with all of the Bat family pissed off at Batman. Ok, I'm thinking, we'll get something out of this, some growth in the relationship between Batman and Robin, but nope. Nothing happens and things are back to normal in the next issue. I am so annoyed, I don't even know what happened after the Joker stuff. Just lost interest, didn't care.
Gleason's art is great as always, and that sells the book. But that's about all it has going for it.
April 8, 2018
I think this should've been called Volume 3: Nightmare!!!. While the opening 'Batman Impossible' is a pleasant scavenger hunt-themed short story courtesy of Damian, the three remaining sections are kind of brutishly dark. The two-part 'Death of a Family' alternated between too talky - Joker sure likes to hear himself pontificate to his captives - and too familiar (as many of us have already read 'The Punchline' more than once in other collections). The coda 'Life is But a Dream' examines the after-hours mental pictures floating in the various heads at rest in stately Wayne Manor.
February 17, 2017
Hmm, well, too bad this awkward volume exists...
Very strange volume picking up on too many different angles:
Okay, since it's called "Death of the family", I knew this was coming, the same story from Batman, Volume 3: Death of the Family.. Good story of course, but it felt like a repeat..
Secondly we had the dream issue.... Nope, sorry, that didn't cut it for me (except for Alfred's dream, and definitely the last frame ;))
And to save the best for last, we had a very special treat: Batman Damian! :D While he's playing around with his dad, sending him off to where ever, his "The night is mine"speech sure will give you a sense of what he's up to... Liked this part the most!
So, to conclude: a lot is happening in this volume, and it's definitely worth checking out!
Very strange volume picking up on too many different angles:
Okay, since it's called "Death of the family", I knew this was coming, the same story from Batman, Volume 3: Death of the Family.. Good story of course, but it felt like a repeat..
Secondly we had the dream issue.... Nope, sorry, that didn't cut it for me (except for Alfred's dream, and definitely the last frame ;))
And to save the best for last, we had a very special treat: Batman Damian! :D While he's playing around with his dad, sending him off to where ever, his "The night is mine"speech sure will give you a sense of what he's up to... Liked this part the most!
So, to conclude: a lot is happening in this volume, and it's definitely worth checking out!
July 30, 2016
I was hoping with this Death in the Family volume to figure out how Damien died, but that was not to be. I did get a very good Joker story though. I am a big fan of the Joker, and if he is done well- there are few characters who can match his dark, diabolical and utterly insane ways of mayhem.
Batman goes on a trip and Robin takes the time to wear an outfit that makes him look like Bat-mite. But all is not well, the Joker somehow (it never says HOW exactly) manages to capture anyone and everyone associated with Batman- from Red Robin to Nightwing to Red Hood... trust me the whole damn Bat family is captured. Kinda makes you wonder how these imbeciles survived all this time. But anyways, lets not interrupt an otherwise decent story. Actually what makes this story decent is the Joker. His ramblings go the measure of brilliant to batty, pun intended. I appreciated the nod to the Killing Joke when Joker laments the ONE time he did get Batman to laugh at one of his jokes in the rain. Well done. I also enjoyed his fascinating back and forth with Batman where he questions why Batman never just kills him and it reminds me of the darker vision of the symbiosis between Joker and the Dark Knight.
The artwork is well done. But don't get this story because of the large-and-ever growing Bat family- because that part of the story is poorly written with no explanations of how these supposedly smart heroes ALL got taken by the Joker; don't read this story because of Batman- he spends most of it wandering around the world weeping over his dead parents and then shows up captured; No- read it because of the Joker! There is brilliance in his ramblings. He makes many points that ought to make Batman uncomfortable. So if you are a Joker fan this is a good comic for you. If you like Batman or Robin (Damien) and want to see how cool and smart they are- avoid this one since they all end up as dullards completely taken in by the Joker and LUCKY that the madman chooses not to kill them to be alive (and have faces). If that's your thing- go read the far,far,far better Batman and Robin Vol 3 by GRANT MORRISON.
Batman goes on a trip and Robin takes the time to wear an outfit that makes him look like Bat-mite. But all is not well, the Joker somehow (it never says HOW exactly) manages to capture anyone and everyone associated with Batman- from Red Robin to Nightwing to Red Hood... trust me the whole damn Bat family is captured. Kinda makes you wonder how these imbeciles survived all this time. But anyways, lets not interrupt an otherwise decent story. Actually what makes this story decent is the Joker. His ramblings go the measure of brilliant to batty, pun intended. I appreciated the nod to the Killing Joke when Joker laments the ONE time he did get Batman to laugh at one of his jokes in the rain. Well done. I also enjoyed his fascinating back and forth with Batman where he questions why Batman never just kills him and it reminds me of the darker vision of the symbiosis between Joker and the Dark Knight.
The artwork is well done. But don't get this story because of the large-and-ever growing Bat family- because that part of the story is poorly written with no explanations of how these supposedly smart heroes ALL got taken by the Joker; don't read this story because of Batman- he spends most of it wandering around the world weeping over his dead parents and then shows up captured; No- read it because of the Joker! There is brilliance in his ramblings. He makes many points that ought to make Batman uncomfortable. So if you are a Joker fan this is a good comic for you. If you like Batman or Robin (Damien) and want to see how cool and smart they are- avoid this one since they all end up as dullards completely taken in by the Joker and LUCKY that the madman chooses not to kill them to be alive (and have faces). If that's your thing- go read the far,far,far better Batman and Robin Vol 3 by GRANT MORRISON.
July 9, 2016
Well, that was a bit disjointed. While I enjoyed DOTF more in the Batman series, it felt really off kilter here. The first story is tender, then there's DOTF that crushes like a bulldozer of overwriting, and the third story is just a series of interesting but pointless dreams.
The first story features Damian sending Bruce on a scavenger hunt across Europe while he goes out on patrol by himself and wearing, interestingly, a crude version of his future costume. It's a short tale, but it's cute and warmhearted of Damian in his choice of clues and rewards, dealing with nice memories or mementos from Bruce's childhood and past. See, Damian isn't an asshole anymore.
Jeezus, though. Death of the Family goes on and on here and is far less interesting than in its full version by Snyder and Capullo. So much dialog it's dizzying.
Gleason and Gray absolutely destroy it with the artwork. And the first and last stories are pretty good. Maybe skip over DOTF if you've already read it elsewhere.
March 22, 2016
Another nice, solid entry into this series.
The first couple issues feature a story where Damian wants to play Batman while Bruce is away, yet gave some heartfelt reasons to lure Bruce away. It really helps to win you over to Damian, a son trying to win his father's (the reader's) approval.
There's a crossover issue with the Death of the Family story, followed by the final issue of that crossover. It serves to show you just how Damian does in a one-on-one with the Joker and further cements the relationship with his dad.
Lastly, there's a "dream" issue which I really enjoyed for a couple of reasons. They always serve to give you a peek into some of the character's fears and in this case, it also shows you that with all of the crazy, evil things they see (Bruce, Damian and Alfred) they are still human and have nightmares and that there is a cost to what they do. An elegant touch of humanism to the trio.
The first couple issues feature a story where Damian wants to play Batman while Bruce is away, yet gave some heartfelt reasons to lure Bruce away. It really helps to win you over to Damian, a son trying to win his father's (the reader's) approval.
There's a crossover issue with the Death of the Family story, followed by the final issue of that crossover. It serves to show you just how Damian does in a one-on-one with the Joker and further cements the relationship with his dad.
Lastly, there's a "dream" issue which I really enjoyed for a couple of reasons. They always serve to give you a peek into some of the character's fears and in this case, it also shows you that with all of the crazy, evil things they see (Bruce, Damian and Alfred) they are still human and have nightmares and that there is a cost to what they do. An elegant touch of humanism to the trio.
September 14, 2015
Man, this title is awesome! I hate to admit it being a Superman guy but this title and Snyder's main Batman title are the 2 best in all of the New 52. I do have to say however this 'Death in the family' stuff is some twisted stuff. Good, twisted stuff.
March 28, 2025
3.5 stars
It's been more than a decade and I'm still mad about the Batfamily titles having to interrupt their own solo stories to force in the tie-ins to the Talons and then Death of the Family. It just cuts the flow of wonderful storytelling. So far, volume one is the best one. This one? My least favorite. A cute issue of Damian sending Bruce and Alfred to three different cities in Europe for a quest searching for meaningful places in the history of Thomas and Martha while he manages to stay in Gotham fighting crime alone. Then, the tie-ins with Damian trying to look for Alfred who has been kidnapped by the Joker. He follows some clues that leads him to the Gotham Zoo but Damian is quickly caught in the Joker's trap and he's drugged out and forced to fight "Batman". While he tries to wake up Bruce and confront the idea of either kill Batman or let himself die, the Joker monologues about the Batfamily being a weight on Batman's shoulders. They make him weak, they make him inferior. So the Joker plans to cut them off so his Batman can come back stronger.
Last issue focuses on Bruce, Damian and Alfred and their nightmares following the events of Snyder's event.
This was a solid delivery. Good writing, creepy art, Damian is wonderfully written actually, but I also feel like the identity of this run is slowly losing itself and I also did not like Damian's villain in the first issue. And I also felt the last issue very lacking.
Because of the event, there weren't many father and son scenes that I'm so enjoying from Bruce and Damian, however there was a lot on Damian and Alfred and I was pleasantly surprise by how much Damian cares for Pennyworth. He'd never say it, but his desperation was nice to read.
It was a good volume with some very weak elements. Still, I am enjoying it I just hope future volumes can come back to the basics of the father and son relationship.
It's been more than a decade and I'm still mad about the Batfamily titles having to interrupt their own solo stories to force in the tie-ins to the Talons and then Death of the Family. It just cuts the flow of wonderful storytelling. So far, volume one is the best one. This one? My least favorite. A cute issue of Damian sending Bruce and Alfred to three different cities in Europe for a quest searching for meaningful places in the history of Thomas and Martha while he manages to stay in Gotham fighting crime alone. Then, the tie-ins with Damian trying to look for Alfred who has been kidnapped by the Joker. He follows some clues that leads him to the Gotham Zoo but Damian is quickly caught in the Joker's trap and he's drugged out and forced to fight "Batman". While he tries to wake up Bruce and confront the idea of either kill Batman or let himself die, the Joker monologues about the Batfamily being a weight on Batman's shoulders. They make him weak, they make him inferior. So the Joker plans to cut them off so his Batman can come back stronger.
Last issue focuses on Bruce, Damian and Alfred and their nightmares following the events of Snyder's event.
This was a solid delivery. Good writing, creepy art, Damian is wonderfully written actually, but I also feel like the identity of this run is slowly losing itself and I also did not like Damian's villain in the first issue. And I also felt the last issue very lacking.
Because of the event, there weren't many father and son scenes that I'm so enjoying from Bruce and Damian, however there was a lot on Damian and Alfred and I was pleasantly surprise by how much Damian cares for Pennyworth. He'd never say it, but his desperation was nice to read.
It was a good volume with some very weak elements. Still, I am enjoying it I just hope future volumes can come back to the basics of the father and son relationship.
October 16, 2021
- Malditos crossovers
- O tie-in do Robin com 48 páginas de diálogo com o Coringa é insuportável
- Lembro de ter lido essa saga (Death of the Family) na revista principal do Batman e foi a gota d'água pra parar de ler o run do Snyder
- Encadernado salvo pela história final dos sonhos do Bruce, Damian e Alfred e pelas artes do Patrick Gleason e Greg Cappullo
- O tie-in do Robin com 48 páginas de diálogo com o Coringa é insuportável
- Lembro de ter lido essa saga (Death of the Family) na revista principal do Batman e foi a gota d'água pra parar de ler o run do Snyder
- Encadernado salvo pela história final dos sonhos do Bruce, Damian e Alfred e pelas artes do Patrick Gleason e Greg Cappullo
May 31, 2014
Oh man!!! I promised I wouldn't let myself get suckered into loving Damian Wayne as Robin.... but after a collection like this one, it is seriously difficult not to love that kid!! Dang!
The scavenger hunt that Damian sends Bruce on is killing my frozen heart! Such sweetness! Such adorability! And the father/son relationship is really showing playboy Bruce Wayne in a different, more likeable light (I was getting so tired of that playboy schtick).
Robin vs. Joker (the bulk of this short collection) is also very sweet because it shows how faithful and committed Damian is to his father and the Batman cause.
And finally, the "nightmares" story is a neat way to show the residual fears that Bruce, Damian, and Alfred have after defeating the joker. Not great, a little sentimental, but still a good read.
Sigh. Because I know what is going to eventually happen to Robin, right? And I don't want to have to be emotionally invested in it.... I guess there is no turning back now. Stupid little ten year old, working his way into my heart... Harrumph!
4/5
The scavenger hunt that Damian sends Bruce on is killing my frozen heart! Such sweetness! Such adorability! And the father/son relationship is really showing playboy Bruce Wayne in a different, more likeable light (I was getting so tired of that playboy schtick).
Robin vs. Joker (the bulk of this short collection) is also very sweet because it shows how faithful and committed Damian is to his father and the Batman cause.
And finally, the "nightmares" story is a neat way to show the residual fears that Bruce, Damian, and Alfred have after defeating the joker. Not great, a little sentimental, but still a good read.
Sigh. Because I know what is going to eventually happen to Robin, right? And I don't want to have to be emotionally invested in it.... I guess there is no turning back now. Stupid little ten year old, working his way into my heart... Harrumph!
4/5
June 16, 2024
Martha and Baby Bruce’s painting 🥹
June 1, 2024
such a dynamic volume. the first story felt very self-indulgent and i got sick of it fast. the second story and onwards was genuinely jaw dropping and was the reason why it's shelved in the adult's comic section. the story itself was horrifying, gross, and awful but it was so cleverly written and paired with great art.
March 18, 2016
Tomasi and company just keep getting it right. In volume three, we pick up where volume two left off by further exploring Damian's growing relationship with his father. At the beginning of this series, Bruce was concerned that Damian was too violent, too uncut, but really the heart of their problems wasn't Damian's violence, it was a failure for the two of them to communicate, and especially a failure of understanding and trust. Damian doesn't want to change who is to meet Bruce's standards, and as the series has progressed we see them coming to understand one another and meet in the middle. What I appreciate the most about this series is Tomasi's ability to bring that emotional touch to the story--so often in comics, I see everything get completely wrapped up in the next ridiculous plot, the next villain of the month, etc, and the development of the characters often suffers for it. But Tomasi understands that in order for anyone to come to enjoy Damian as a character, he needs to grow in an emotional story.
The first story is a thing of beauty. What I probably love the most about how Tomasi writes Damian is how he manages to perfectly balance the fact that he is a supremely dangerous person who is fully capable of maiming and murdering people, but he's also still a ten year old boy. We get such delightful scenes as Damian having the run of the manor while Bruce and Alfred are away:
(While the cat's away the mouse will play, etc. etc...and let's be honest, who hasn't done something as equally fun and ridiculous as this when they get the house to themselves? I also just love all the little details, like Damian wearing Bruce's giant bathrobe, the milk in the wineglass, etc.) Tomasi really understands how to get us all to fall in love with this tiny assassin, and it's brilliantly done here.
The final issue in the volume is another beautiful one. Exploring the different dreams and nightmares of Alfred, Bruce, and Damian, it's a journey that's all at once action-packed, psychological, and emotive. A+ work again.
In a somewhat unfortunate turn of events, the book is interrupted mid-way through by the Death of the Family arc, which in my opinion is much better read outside of the individual trades. Presented within the larger stories being told in each of the trades, it really comes out of nowhere and disturbs the narrative flow. The crossover issues are passable, but are clearly distracting from the larger theme of the book and the series.
Overall, excellent work on the annual and issue #17. The Death of the Family arc drags it down a little, but as the team was beholden to a cross-over event, I can easily forgive it.
The first story is a thing of beauty. What I probably love the most about how Tomasi writes Damian is how he manages to perfectly balance the fact that he is a supremely dangerous person who is fully capable of maiming and murdering people, but he's also still a ten year old boy. We get such delightful scenes as Damian having the run of the manor while Bruce and Alfred are away:
(While the cat's away the mouse will play, etc. etc...and let's be honest, who hasn't done something as equally fun and ridiculous as this when they get the house to themselves? I also just love all the little details, like Damian wearing Bruce's giant bathrobe, the milk in the wineglass, etc.) Tomasi really understands how to get us all to fall in love with this tiny assassin, and it's brilliantly done here.
The final issue in the volume is another beautiful one. Exploring the different dreams and nightmares of Alfred, Bruce, and Damian, it's a journey that's all at once action-packed, psychological, and emotive. A+ work again.
In a somewhat unfortunate turn of events, the book is interrupted mid-way through by the Death of the Family arc, which in my opinion is much better read outside of the individual trades. Presented within the larger stories being told in each of the trades, it really comes out of nowhere and disturbs the narrative flow. The crossover issues are passable, but are clearly distracting from the larger theme of the book and the series.
Overall, excellent work on the annual and issue #17. The Death of the Family arc drags it down a little, but as the team was beholden to a cross-over event, I can easily forgive it.
July 19, 2017
I love the New 52 run on the Batman title so far, including the iconic "Death of the Family" run, but the accompanying Batman & Robin title does not quite scale the same heights for me. Damian Wayne is an interesting juvenile Robin with an edge, but ultimately his time playing "Home Alone" in the Batcave while Bruce and Alfred are jetting around Europe (this really happens) and even his disturbing confrontation with the Joker left me feeling that this was good, but not great, stuff.
December 1, 2015
Death of the family tie ins. Some repeat material from the Snyder run to make the story make sense, which means if you bought the Snyder volume with Death of the Family you have some of this material already.
The only really original work was the opening story where Damian sends Bruce and Alfred on a scavenger hunt into their past.
The only really original work was the opening story where Damian sends Bruce and Alfred on a scavenger hunt into their past.
May 5, 2016
Didn't think it was quite as good as the two previous volumes, but still a great read.
January 1, 2018
This review MAY contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.
This volume was middle of the road for me. The scene with Damian and the Joker was okay. Not terrible by any means, but nothing to really wow me. The scene with Damian tricking Bruce by sending him on a scavenger hunt around the world while he stays home and patrols as Batman was kind of cute. I honestly didn't care for the dream sequence. I have never been a huge fan of those if I'm being truthful. They definitely show the state of mind that the characters are in, but overall it felt like a waste of time reading it.
The dinner table scene with the Joker in the Batman issue was the best thing about this volume. I really loved the Death of the Family on the Batman side. If that Batman issue was not included in this volume I likely would have rated lower than four stars. If you are more of a Batman fan than a Robin fan then I would skip this volume and stick to the Batman Death of the Family trade paperback. If you are a Robin fan then you may find this one enjoyable.
More reviews on my blog: Novel Nerd Faction
This volume was middle of the road for me. The scene with Damian and the Joker was okay. Not terrible by any means, but nothing to really wow me. The scene with Damian tricking Bruce by sending him on a scavenger hunt around the world while he stays home and patrols as Batman was kind of cute. I honestly didn't care for the dream sequence. I have never been a huge fan of those if I'm being truthful. They definitely show the state of mind that the characters are in, but overall it felt like a waste of time reading it.
The dinner table scene with the Joker in the Batman issue was the best thing about this volume. I really loved the Death of the Family on the Batman side. If that Batman issue was not included in this volume I likely would have rated lower than four stars. If you are more of a Batman fan than a Robin fan then I would skip this volume and stick to the Batman Death of the Family trade paperback. If you are a Robin fan then you may find this one enjoyable.
More reviews on my blog: Novel Nerd Faction
February 12, 2019
Třetí book a kvalita letí nahoru, jen je tu podivnej kontrast...
Startuje to annual - milej a hezkej příběh, kde chce Damian dokázat tatíkovi, že má na netopýření a detektivování. Na Batmana docela sluníčkový, hledání stop po Evropě není žádná výzva, ale někam to postavy posouvá a tahle rovina se mi líbí.
Pak to přechází na tie-iny k Death of the Family (což je vždycky zlo). Příběh, kde Joker zajme Robina ve finále ne úplně funguje (nechci spoilovat, ale to to sakra nepoznal?), ale ta kresba. Ta kresba! Takhle blbě mi z Jokera nikdy nebylo, kam se hrabe Capullo. Nicméně strašně blbej kontrast k předchozímu příběhu, úplně jinej tón a styl.
A končíme snovou sekvencí, která je fajn.
3,5*
Startuje to annual - milej a hezkej příběh, kde chce Damian dokázat tatíkovi, že má na netopýření a detektivování. Na Batmana docela sluníčkový, hledání stop po Evropě není žádná výzva, ale někam to postavy posouvá a tahle rovina se mi líbí.
Pak to přechází na tie-iny k Death of the Family (což je vždycky zlo). Příběh, kde Joker zajme Robina ve finále ne úplně funguje (nechci spoilovat, ale to to sakra nepoznal?), ale ta kresba. Ta kresba! Takhle blbě mi z Jokera nikdy nebylo, kam se hrabe Capullo. Nicméně strašně blbej kontrast k předchozímu příběhu, úplně jinej tón a styl.
A končíme snovou sekvencí, která je fajn.
3,5*
January 13, 2019
Damian fans were a little disappointed with this confrontation with the Joker. Mainly because Damian almost killed Joker last time, and there was no reason to expect him not to go all the way this time.
Having just finished the Death of the Family collection, sixty or seventy pages of which are also in this volume, my advice is, get this collection, and skip the big crossover.
This is like the old days of buying different greatest hits albums, just for the collected b-sides, or whatever. A LOT of overlap.
Having just finished the Death of the Family collection, sixty or seventy pages of which are also in this volume, my advice is, get this collection, and skip the big crossover.
This is like the old days of buying different greatest hits albums, just for the collected b-sides, or whatever. A LOT of overlap.
January 12, 2018
Batman and Robin: Death of the Family really delves into the connections of Bruce Wayne. It opens with Damian tricking Bruce into touring Europe where he finds little pieces of his parents' lives together before (and shortly after) Bruce is born. I expected Bruce to punish Damian in some way for patrolling alone while he was gone, but instead he says he trusts him. That was a sweet father/son moment. Then of course, the "Death of the Family" section highlights the question the general public has been asking for decades: why is the Joker still around? No one really wins.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2017
5 stars
Nice to see that Bruce and Damian are bonding. Damian's scavenger hunt was very thoughtful. Hope they will be able to reconcile. Death of the Family was very creepy and sad. Wonder what the Joker's real identity is.
Can't wait to read Batman and Robin, volume 4: Requiem for Damian!!!
Nice to see that Bruce and Damian are bonding. Damian's scavenger hunt was very thoughtful. Hope they will be able to reconcile. Death of the Family was very creepy and sad. Wonder what the Joker's real identity is.
Can't wait to read Batman and Robin, volume 4: Requiem for Damian!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews