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Batman and Robin (2011)
Batman and Robin, Vol. 6: The Hunt for Robin
After losing his son Damian-a.k.a. Robin-Batman has finally found peace with his death. Damian's grandfather Ra's al Ghul, however, has not. In order to resurrect Robin, he's stolen the body and now Batman will stop at nothing to reclaim him. Nearly two years of storylines-including threads from Grant Morrison's BATMAN INCORPORATED and Scott Snyder and Greg Capulo's BATMAN-conclude here in BATMAN AND ROBIN VOL. 6: THE HUNT FOR ROBIN. Collects BATMAN AND ROBIN #29-34
186 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 24, 2015
25 people are currently reading
859 people want to read
About the author
Peter J. Tomasi
1,387 books467 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
May 11, 2021
(B+) 76% | Good
Notes: Fillered-up and tired, it’s a scenic route on a road to repetition, steering clear of culmination, and spinning its wheels.
Notes: Fillered-up and tired, it’s a scenic route on a road to repetition, steering clear of culmination, and spinning its wheels.
November 28, 2015
Kind of a mediocre story, but since I want Damien back...shrugs
You can't say Tomasi didn't try to spice it up, though. I think almost every character in the DCU shows up in this thing. Ok, no. Not really.
But there were a lot of guest appearances. It seems that quite a few big names want to be seen helping chase Ra's al Ghul down.
Ra's steals Damien and Talia's bodies with the intent to dip those dead bodies in a Lazarus Pit, and resurrect a mind-wiped family that will blindly follow his orders.
Who shows up first?
Everyone's favorite, Aquaman!
Ready to take on Ra's and his evil whale killers! Oh, and help Batman save his dead son's body from being desecrated. Yes. That too, of course!
Ace the Bathound! Er, sorry...Titus.
Status: stowaway
The AmazonPrincess Queen, Wonder Woman!
Must save Bruce from getting his ass kicked by a roided-out redhead.
Frankenstein!
Who's still angry over Bruce for trying to dissect him a while back.
The Whole Justice Leagueminus Superman!
Who sorta show up at the wrong time and fuck everything up.
MostlyShazam Captain Marvel, though. He's an idiot.
Superman!
Who helps by not helping...
And, finally...the rest of the Batfamily.
It's time to hug it out, kids!
Yes...the entire Batfamily.
I see you in the rafters, Dick!
So how does any of this get us closer to a reunion with Damien?
Well, it looks like...
Whut?!
Eh. It'll make sense if you read the comic.
You can't say Tomasi didn't try to spice it up, though. I think almost every character in the DCU shows up in this thing. Ok, no. Not really.
But there were a lot of guest appearances. It seems that quite a few big names want to be seen helping chase Ra's al Ghul down.
Ra's steals Damien and Talia's bodies with the intent to dip those dead bodies in a Lazarus Pit, and resurrect a mind-wiped family that will blindly follow his orders.
Who shows up first?
Everyone's favorite, Aquaman!
Ready to take on Ra's and his evil whale killers! Oh, and help Batman save his dead son's body from being desecrated. Yes. That too, of course!
Ace the Bathound! Er, sorry...Titus.
Status: stowaway
The Amazon
Must save Bruce from getting his ass kicked by a roided-out redhead.
Frankenstein!
Who's still angry over Bruce for trying to dissect him a while back.
The Whole Justice League
Who sorta show up at the wrong time and fuck everything up.
Mostly
Superman!
Who helps by not helping...
And, finally...the rest of the Batfamily.
It's time to hug it out, kids!
Yes...the entire Batfamily.
I see you in the rafters, Dick!
So how does any of this get us closer to a reunion with Damien?
Well, it looks like...
Whut?!
Eh. It'll make sense if you read the comic.
July 15, 2018
It's all right there in the title, folks. "The master detective" pursues slippery nemesis Ra's al Ghul - who is in possession of the corpse of Damian Wayne - across the globe. The Batman / Frankenstein dialogue scenes were a highlight (such as their quipping about 'Yangsti'), although other allies make appearances during the extended chase - Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and a cringe-worthy Shazam.
January 8, 2022
THIS WAS SO GOOD!
Like after the last volume this was a step up like first we have Bruce team up with Arthur as they deal with dead shark and Ra's whose taken Talia and Damian's body and then the villain goes to Paradise island and well team up with Diana and its a good team up and finally the big war in Nanda parbat as he teams with Frankenstein and well the war there is awesome as it involves everyone when Godfrey comes in and takes Damian's body to Apokolips cuz Chaos Shard and well a big war awaits everyone and what Batman does next with the Hell-bat armor and his next mission is gonna change everything.
This was such an epic volume in terms of action and scale and bringing continuity and using every facet of Batman's lore in a way that makes it a great read and showing Bruce the father will do anything for his son and man Tomasi excels in it and he brings that conflict and rage and pain and the action all in this volume setting the stage for an excellent finale that will be epic in scale and story and emotions. One of my fav Batman volumes ever! This was insanely good!
Like after the last volume this was a step up like first we have Bruce team up with Arthur as they deal with dead shark and Ra's whose taken Talia and Damian's body and then the villain goes to Paradise island and well team up with Diana and its a good team up and finally the big war in Nanda parbat as he teams with Frankenstein and well the war there is awesome as it involves everyone when Godfrey comes in and takes Damian's body to Apokolips cuz Chaos Shard and well a big war awaits everyone and what Batman does next with the Hell-bat armor and his next mission is gonna change everything.
This was such an epic volume in terms of action and scale and bringing continuity and using every facet of Batman's lore in a way that makes it a great read and showing Bruce the father will do anything for his son and man Tomasi excels in it and he brings that conflict and rage and pain and the action all in this volume setting the stage for an excellent finale that will be epic in scale and story and emotions. One of my fav Batman volumes ever! This was insanely good!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2015
Batman’s given up his grief-driven quest to resurrect Damian and finally laid him and Damian’s mother, Talia, to rest. But crazy old Ra’s Al-Ghul has dug up their corpses and plans to bring them back to life himself! Ooo, Batman’s so mad! He’s gotta get Damian’s corpse back from the demented bastard before that happens – but wait, even wackier hi-jinks ensue once visitors from another world arrive! What’s a Dark Knight to do, eh?
After Grant Morrison killed off Damian, Peter Tomasi’s Batman & Robin series basically became Batman Team-Up as the Caped Crusader was joined by a different character in each issue. So it continues in The Hunt for Robin as Batman’s joined by Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Frankenstein (what a good sport Frankenstein is too – Batman was literally dissecting him a couple books ago!). If you enjoy that format, you’ll like this book too but for me this volume felt like it kept repeating itself and took a long time to get anywhere worthwhile.
For example, in each team-up, Bats + 1 is chasing Ra’s who’s always one step ahead. They encounter some things to fight and beat them. The issue’s over. Do it again next issue. This is basically the entire book. It’s so formulaic and generic there’s nothing to hold the interest, particularly if you’ve read a fair amount of superhero comics and have seen these scenarios play out a thousand times before.
The dialogue is trite at best with Wonder Woman making the belated observation after yet another pointless fight “We rushed in without assessing the situation” – but that’s what they ALWAYS do and they never learn any different! And that’s what this book is far too full of: Big Dumb Fight Scenes, the most overused genre trope. Characters fight until they stop, then decide to go at it again. It’s so tedious especially as nothing is ever resolved this way.
The Hellbat suit is introduced in this volume and it essentially transforms Batman into Iron Man (and is maybe there to prepare audiences for the robot Batfleck headed our way next year). I’ve never liked that idiotic argument about how Batman’s lame because he doesn’t have any superpowers like the rest of the Justice League and this attempt to “correct” that seems like a misstep away from the true character. It also means Batman has to be less imaginative in his fights as he can just stand there, letting the armour take the hits, and then fire his tank-like arsenal instead. He’s supposed to be a ninja!!
Post-Forever Evil, the Justice League line-up here is different and the Watchtower is back up though the story behind all that is covered in Justice League, Volume 6: Injustice Heroes. You don’t have to read that to get what happens in this book, I just mention it in case there are some readers wondering when all that stuff happened. There’s a summary of the last decade or so of Batman comics in the Andy Kubert-drawn bumper issue which is boring if you already know it all, but I guess it’s useful to new readers who don’t.
Patrick Gleason, Andy Kubert and Doug Mahnke’s art is fine as always but nothing too special – the usual superhero art quality. No pages or panels stood out for me. I suppose that panel where Ra’s henchmen were overwhelmed by thousands of tiny crabs (not that kind) telepathically controlled by Aquaman was pretty funny!
Tomasi’s The Hunt for Robin is overly repetitive in structure with a much-too-heavy reliance on superheroes fighting to pad everything out. The storyline is far too thin for a full volume and I would’ve preferred a lot of it to be compressed to at least half its length. The ending looks very promising (particularly if you’re a Jack Kirby fan) and it’s a shame we’ve got to wait until Volume 7 to see what happens next when, if all the stupid fighting had been edited out, we’d have gotten to it in this one instead.
Oh well. Hopefully the next volume will be a new high point for this title when Robin… returns?
After Grant Morrison killed off Damian, Peter Tomasi’s Batman & Robin series basically became Batman Team-Up as the Caped Crusader was joined by a different character in each issue. So it continues in The Hunt for Robin as Batman’s joined by Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Frankenstein (what a good sport Frankenstein is too – Batman was literally dissecting him a couple books ago!). If you enjoy that format, you’ll like this book too but for me this volume felt like it kept repeating itself and took a long time to get anywhere worthwhile.
For example, in each team-up, Bats + 1 is chasing Ra’s who’s always one step ahead. They encounter some things to fight and beat them. The issue’s over. Do it again next issue. This is basically the entire book. It’s so formulaic and generic there’s nothing to hold the interest, particularly if you’ve read a fair amount of superhero comics and have seen these scenarios play out a thousand times before.
The dialogue is trite at best with Wonder Woman making the belated observation after yet another pointless fight “We rushed in without assessing the situation” – but that’s what they ALWAYS do and they never learn any different! And that’s what this book is far too full of: Big Dumb Fight Scenes, the most overused genre trope. Characters fight until they stop, then decide to go at it again. It’s so tedious especially as nothing is ever resolved this way.
The Hellbat suit is introduced in this volume and it essentially transforms Batman into Iron Man (and is maybe there to prepare audiences for the robot Batfleck headed our way next year). I’ve never liked that idiotic argument about how Batman’s lame because he doesn’t have any superpowers like the rest of the Justice League and this attempt to “correct” that seems like a misstep away from the true character. It also means Batman has to be less imaginative in his fights as he can just stand there, letting the armour take the hits, and then fire his tank-like arsenal instead. He’s supposed to be a ninja!!
Post-Forever Evil, the Justice League line-up here is different and the Watchtower is back up though the story behind all that is covered in Justice League, Volume 6: Injustice Heroes. You don’t have to read that to get what happens in this book, I just mention it in case there are some readers wondering when all that stuff happened. There’s a summary of the last decade or so of Batman comics in the Andy Kubert-drawn bumper issue which is boring if you already know it all, but I guess it’s useful to new readers who don’t.
Patrick Gleason, Andy Kubert and Doug Mahnke’s art is fine as always but nothing too special – the usual superhero art quality. No pages or panels stood out for me. I suppose that panel where Ra’s henchmen were overwhelmed by thousands of tiny crabs (not that kind) telepathically controlled by Aquaman was pretty funny!
Tomasi’s The Hunt for Robin is overly repetitive in structure with a much-too-heavy reliance on superheroes fighting to pad everything out. The storyline is far too thin for a full volume and I would’ve preferred a lot of it to be compressed to at least half its length. The ending looks very promising (particularly if you’re a Jack Kirby fan) and it’s a shame we’ve got to wait until Volume 7 to see what happens next when, if all the stupid fighting had been edited out, we’d have gotten to it in this one instead.
Oh well. Hopefully the next volume will be a new high point for this title when Robin… returns?
June 22, 2019
The Batman titles are about the only thing DC has going for it anymore. This volume revolves around Batman chasing down Ra's al Ghul before he can resurrect Damian and Talia. Great art by Patrick Gleason.
January 23, 2022
Good lord the art in this is terrible.
February 6, 2017
The dialogue and plotting is off at times.
OVERALL GRADE: C plus.
OVERALL GRADE: C plus.
October 11, 2020
Great art, good stories high on action. Sometimes the art did not keep up with the plot -- major occurrences got obscured when the art didn't quite make it clear what was going on.
Excellent portrayal of the intersection of Batman (& Lex Luthor) with their super-powered fellows in the Justice League. Whether you consider Batman's "super-power" to be his determination, his intellect or his skills, he capabilities are still bounded by the limits of a human heart, body, and brain.
So, of course, the joy in reading this is watching Batman out think, out-plan, and outwit anyone in his way.
One aspect of the single-issue comics that did not get translated to the collections, is that apparently each issue following Damien's burial was titled "Batman and...____", to allow the guest stars - Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Frankenstein('s Monster), Ras al-Ghul -- some headline billing. Not captured in the collection.
Excellent portrayal of the intersection of Batman (& Lex Luthor) with their super-powered fellows in the Justice League. Whether you consider Batman's "super-power" to be his determination, his intellect or his skills, he capabilities are still bounded by the limits of a human heart, body, and brain.
So, of course, the joy in reading this is watching Batman out think, out-plan, and outwit anyone in his way.
One aspect of the single-issue comics that did not get translated to the collections, is that apparently each issue following Damien's burial was titled "Batman and...____", to allow the guest stars - Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Frankenstein('s Monster), Ras al-Ghul -- some headline billing. Not captured in the collection.
November 2, 2015
Peter Tomasi continues his surprisingly consistent run on Batman and Robin...except it's consistently a touch disappointing.
I'd give more stars because some of the artwork is great (Patrick Gleason) but storywise, the stuff with Ra's is just tedious. They should be better matched as adversaries, but here, it just feels like nothing but chase the Ghul around the world.
(Sam is right on in that regard in his review, which isn't as generous as mine)
The last volume had Bruce losing the plot, and going to any extreme, even necromancy, to try and being Damian back.
Here, he's back on track, and enlisting the help of some of his fellow JLers, including Anne's favourite: Arthur Curry! They make a good team, but Batman seems borderline irked by his appearance. Tension still exists from the Atlantis event when Aquaman was put against the JL, even if it was resolved. Bats is wary of everyone, and his paranoia has paid off time and again, so it makes sense. Plus he's still pissed and in mourning.
Oh and his father in law has stolen his son and baby-mama's corpses from Wayne Manor graveyard.
Batman's baba-mama...I'd put that shit on my resume.
The chase then leads to Paradise Island, which means Amazons, and Wonder Woman.
Aleka, one of the most aggressive Amazons, looks like a female bodybuilder crossed with a man in drag. As in, NOT attractive. Gleason's work here is bothersome.
Aleka keeps playing feminist bully, and Diana tries to defend Bruce, who eventually pulls the most pimp move ever.
He just pulls down his cowl and tells her to bring it, if killing a mortal man makes her feel like a big woman, go ahead.
Aleka of course, is a pussy, and instead tells him he has 24hrs to be off the island after doing his business.
Even Amazons don't want to tangle with the Bat. Word.
Bruce then tells Diana how ridiculous it is that her mother is a stone statue, who slept with Zeus. The only person who regards mythological people as insanely stupid. (I imagine how he'd deal with Thor).
Then another fight with Ra's that he escapes, then off goes Bruce to another location...
This time teaming up with Frankenstein, who he tried to use to bring Damian back to life just a few issues ago...shockingly, Frank is NOT pleased to see him again, remarking that it took Red Robin 27 hours to stitch him back together. So Batman mea culpas and Frank's like, not good enough. I want an apology.
A joke! My God! I think I've discovered, only Batman books are allowed to have jokes, and only because they're so dark they need some relief or the anti-depression league would outlaw them.
So in the Himilayas, Batman asks Frankenstein where Nanda Parbat is...then we get the flashback to the Justice League Dark/Constantine storyline (awful see my review)and the aftermath moved the city to another dimension, and Frank left JLD...or the series was cancelled more likely!
Frank asks why Bats is there, he gives a one page summary (for those of us who kept reading, yet somehow forgot what was going on with all the guests, fights, and stupidity).
This runs into a second issue...ugh...but the art is the salvation, as it's all darkness, with greens to light the Lazarus Pit/Frank/Ra's and the steam of underground...
Frank looks like Jason (Friday the 13th) and Bats cracks another pseudo "joke"
Bats and Ra's finally throw down, with neither letting their "help" help them, it's one-on-one, and looks pretty close to Bruce about to kill Ra's...
and I can't find the page, but it's awesome art.
They're interrupted by a BOOM TUBE arrival from Apokolips...the only thing that saves Ra's.
Then we have the cover art for #32...which is gorgeous (and the cover for this volume) Andy Kubert here, not Gleason.
The first few pages are the rundown of the last number of years from Ra's and Bruce dueling in the desert, to Talia and Bruce, to Damian, and forward to this moment in time.
Yet another summary? Really?
So of course, Ra's and Bats team up to fight off the Apokolipsians? from Darkseid's minions, who want to steal Damian's sarcophagus because of the crystal shard in it? Whatever.
Ra's is defeated saving Talia's sarcophagus, and Bats gets the shard of crystal from Damian's when it cracks open...and sees an alternate future, where Damian saves the world...and all of a sudden, a guy who thought Zeus was ridiculous believes that alternate reality shit is going to happen...but it did, in a stupid JL 3000 book...or something like it...ugh.
Darkseid's minions are about to take the shard, and defeat Bats, when the JL arrives.
(WW, Lex, Capt. Cold, Cyborg, Aquaman, and Shazam)
The fight is going the JL's way, when the baddies try to get back to the other dimension, and the JL stupidly helps them go....Bats tries to follow, in order to save Damian, only to be stopped by Shazam, who thinks he's "saved" Bats for a second time in 15 minutes, and acts like a douche about it...and Batman beats the shit out of him for it, explaining how he fucked it up for him.
The JL tries to tell Bats he cannot go after them, to which he replies:
If only the dialogue matched the badass artwork...yes we get it, he's pissed and he's going to extremes to get Damian back. Tomasi needs to find the right balance between unhinged and rage mixed with non-cliched dialogue.
Next issue, Bats takes off with a transporter, leaving the JL there discussing what to do, Lex seems the most impressed with Batman, even remarking to Capt. Cold how invigorating it is. Shazam tries to go off half cocked like a moron, and in the span of like 4 panels in the last 2 books, Tomasi has managed to make Shazam into a joke even worse than before. No way I take him seriously any more. Even Aquaman tells him if he doesn't simmer down, Bats will wipe the floor with him.
The best response to this? Frankenstein:
By this point, many readers are thinking the same thing...
The only way to change tactics, is to show off something shiny and try to let the art save the book...
The HELLBAT!!!! OOOH! It's soo cool:
Yup. Batman has yet another suit...Iron Man he ain't, nor should he be.
He argues with the JL at the Watchtower who try to tell him what to do and he walks off.
He smashes the gravestones of Talia and Damian, and Clark shows up to apologize and offer help, which he knows Bruce will never take, but it's a nice moment, and I don't know why Superman wasn't there for the JL stuff (probably cause he's not on the team anymore b/c of Lex?) but it was still showing some good respect for the connection between the 2 alphas.
Of course Bruce doesn't take Clark's help...but...
Bruce then more or less apologizes for what happened with the Joker and the whole Death of the Family storyline, and they accept. He then tells them what's going on, as he's promised them honesty, which was their one condition of accepting. He explains how Damian's body is in Darkseid's dimension, and Babs, Jason and Tim all agree to go, but then Bruce tells them he's going alone, and he only wanted to say goodbye, tell them how much he respects and cares for them and ask them to watch over Gotham if he doesn't return, because other than Jim Gordon, they are the only ones he trusts...
This part got me a little awww THE FEELS!!!! But I liked it.
I could only think it was missing something...
DICK! Thank God someone has a sense of humour in the Bat Family.
(For those who don't know, the rest of the world thinks Dick died during the Crime Syndicate's attack on Earth, but he's secretly working for Spyral, and Bruce is of course, the only one who knows he's not dead.)
Dick of course offers to go with him, and if he'd take anyone, you know it would be Dick, but instead, Bruce shows who he respects the most, and asks him to promise and take the cowl as Batman again if he doesn't come back.
This issue (#34) with the interactions with the family is worth the rest of the tedium of the first 4-5 issues alone, in my opinion. This is the humanity Batman has that few see, and in his mind, few deserve. I found it pretty moving to see how Bruce almost looks at Dick as his equal, and the unspoken closeness between the two. Also, of everyone, other than Bruce as father, and Alfred as grandfather, Dick was like Damian's older brother, and the only one other than Bruce who could have kept him in line(ish) as Robin when Bruce was "dead".
This is good stuff here from Tomasi, taking Batman mythos from other sources, and putting it to work for him here, to elevate the story quality and the emotional power.
The final pages have the JL members distracted across the globe by Dick's Spyral resources, leaving Lex the only one at the Watchtower, when Bats returns to get the Hellbat Suit and travel to Apokolips.
Bruce prepares to take out Lex, but Lex tells him he's going to help him instead, and reveals although he thinks him crazy, he's figured out that Damian was Bruce's son, and that they both would do whatever it takes to bring back someone they love to life. And one BOOM TUBE later...the rest of the JL is too late, and Batman is in Apokolips, alone.
So we're back where we were in some ways 2 volumes ago, with Bruce trying to resurrect Damian...but this time, it's not as unhinged or crazy...or so we should think...anyhow...
I enjoyed the last book more than enough to make up for the rest of the book, and there's enough great colour work and art to have kept me going. The best was the growth of relationships between Bruce and others, especially the unexpected respect (?) between Bruce and Lex. I do look forward to the next volume, and the Robin Rises event...
I'd give more stars because some of the artwork is great (Patrick Gleason) but storywise, the stuff with Ra's is just tedious. They should be better matched as adversaries, but here, it just feels like nothing but chase the Ghul around the world.
(Sam is right on in that regard in his review, which isn't as generous as mine)
The last volume had Bruce losing the plot, and going to any extreme, even necromancy, to try and being Damian back.
Here, he's back on track, and enlisting the help of some of his fellow JLers, including Anne's favourite: Arthur Curry! They make a good team, but Batman seems borderline irked by his appearance. Tension still exists from the Atlantis event when Aquaman was put against the JL, even if it was resolved. Bats is wary of everyone, and his paranoia has paid off time and again, so it makes sense. Plus he's still pissed and in mourning.
Oh and his father in law has stolen his son and baby-mama's corpses from Wayne Manor graveyard.
Batman's baba-mama...I'd put that shit on my resume.
The chase then leads to Paradise Island, which means Amazons, and Wonder Woman.
Aleka, one of the most aggressive Amazons, looks like a female bodybuilder crossed with a man in drag. As in, NOT attractive. Gleason's work here is bothersome.
Aleka keeps playing feminist bully, and Diana tries to defend Bruce, who eventually pulls the most pimp move ever.
He just pulls down his cowl and tells her to bring it, if killing a mortal man makes her feel like a big woman, go ahead.
Aleka of course, is a pussy, and instead tells him he has 24hrs to be off the island after doing his business.
Even Amazons don't want to tangle with the Bat. Word.
Bruce then tells Diana how ridiculous it is that her mother is a stone statue, who slept with Zeus. The only person who regards mythological people as insanely stupid. (I imagine how he'd deal with Thor).
Then another fight with Ra's that he escapes, then off goes Bruce to another location...
This time teaming up with Frankenstein, who he tried to use to bring Damian back to life just a few issues ago...shockingly, Frank is NOT pleased to see him again, remarking that it took Red Robin 27 hours to stitch him back together. So Batman mea culpas and Frank's like, not good enough. I want an apology.
A joke! My God! I think I've discovered, only Batman books are allowed to have jokes, and only because they're so dark they need some relief or the anti-depression league would outlaw them.
So in the Himilayas, Batman asks Frankenstein where Nanda Parbat is...then we get the flashback to the Justice League Dark/Constantine storyline (awful see my review)and the aftermath moved the city to another dimension, and Frank left JLD...or the series was cancelled more likely!
Frank asks why Bats is there, he gives a one page summary (for those of us who kept reading, yet somehow forgot what was going on with all the guests, fights, and stupidity).
This runs into a second issue...ugh...but the art is the salvation, as it's all darkness, with greens to light the Lazarus Pit/Frank/Ra's and the steam of underground...
Frank looks like Jason (Friday the 13th) and Bats cracks another pseudo "joke"
Bats and Ra's finally throw down, with neither letting their "help" help them, it's one-on-one, and looks pretty close to Bruce about to kill Ra's...
and I can't find the page, but it's awesome art.
They're interrupted by a BOOM TUBE arrival from Apokolips...the only thing that saves Ra's.
Then we have the cover art for #32...which is gorgeous (and the cover for this volume) Andy Kubert here, not Gleason.
The first few pages are the rundown of the last number of years from Ra's and Bruce dueling in the desert, to Talia and Bruce, to Damian, and forward to this moment in time.
Yet another summary? Really?
So of course, Ra's and Bats team up to fight off the Apokolipsians? from Darkseid's minions, who want to steal Damian's sarcophagus because of the crystal shard in it? Whatever.
Ra's is defeated saving Talia's sarcophagus, and Bats gets the shard of crystal from Damian's when it cracks open...and sees an alternate future, where Damian saves the world...and all of a sudden, a guy who thought Zeus was ridiculous believes that alternate reality shit is going to happen...but it did, in a stupid JL 3000 book...or something like it...ugh.
Darkseid's minions are about to take the shard, and defeat Bats, when the JL arrives.
(WW, Lex, Capt. Cold, Cyborg, Aquaman, and Shazam)
The fight is going the JL's way, when the baddies try to get back to the other dimension, and the JL stupidly helps them go....Bats tries to follow, in order to save Damian, only to be stopped by Shazam, who thinks he's "saved" Bats for a second time in 15 minutes, and acts like a douche about it...and Batman beats the shit out of him for it, explaining how he fucked it up for him.
The JL tries to tell Bats he cannot go after them, to which he replies:
If only the dialogue matched the badass artwork...yes we get it, he's pissed and he's going to extremes to get Damian back. Tomasi needs to find the right balance between unhinged and rage mixed with non-cliched dialogue.
Next issue, Bats takes off with a transporter, leaving the JL there discussing what to do, Lex seems the most impressed with Batman, even remarking to Capt. Cold how invigorating it is. Shazam tries to go off half cocked like a moron, and in the span of like 4 panels in the last 2 books, Tomasi has managed to make Shazam into a joke even worse than before. No way I take him seriously any more. Even Aquaman tells him if he doesn't simmer down, Bats will wipe the floor with him.
The best response to this? Frankenstein:
By this point, many readers are thinking the same thing...
The only way to change tactics, is to show off something shiny and try to let the art save the book...
The HELLBAT!!!! OOOH! It's soo cool:
Yup. Batman has yet another suit...Iron Man he ain't, nor should he be.
He argues with the JL at the Watchtower who try to tell him what to do and he walks off.
He smashes the gravestones of Talia and Damian, and Clark shows up to apologize and offer help, which he knows Bruce will never take, but it's a nice moment, and I don't know why Superman wasn't there for the JL stuff (probably cause he's not on the team anymore b/c of Lex?) but it was still showing some good respect for the connection between the 2 alphas.
Of course Bruce doesn't take Clark's help...but...
Bruce then more or less apologizes for what happened with the Joker and the whole Death of the Family storyline, and they accept. He then tells them what's going on, as he's promised them honesty, which was their one condition of accepting. He explains how Damian's body is in Darkseid's dimension, and Babs, Jason and Tim all agree to go, but then Bruce tells them he's going alone, and he only wanted to say goodbye, tell them how much he respects and cares for them and ask them to watch over Gotham if he doesn't return, because other than Jim Gordon, they are the only ones he trusts...
This part got me a little awww THE FEELS!!!! But I liked it.
I could only think it was missing something...
DICK! Thank God someone has a sense of humour in the Bat Family.
(For those who don't know, the rest of the world thinks Dick died during the Crime Syndicate's attack on Earth, but he's secretly working for Spyral, and Bruce is of course, the only one who knows he's not dead.)
Dick of course offers to go with him, and if he'd take anyone, you know it would be Dick, but instead, Bruce shows who he respects the most, and asks him to promise and take the cowl as Batman again if he doesn't come back.
This issue (#34) with the interactions with the family is worth the rest of the tedium of the first 4-5 issues alone, in my opinion. This is the humanity Batman has that few see, and in his mind, few deserve. I found it pretty moving to see how Bruce almost looks at Dick as his equal, and the unspoken closeness between the two. Also, of everyone, other than Bruce as father, and Alfred as grandfather, Dick was like Damian's older brother, and the only one other than Bruce who could have kept him in line(ish) as Robin when Bruce was "dead".
This is good stuff here from Tomasi, taking Batman mythos from other sources, and putting it to work for him here, to elevate the story quality and the emotional power.
The final pages have the JL members distracted across the globe by Dick's Spyral resources, leaving Lex the only one at the Watchtower, when Bats returns to get the Hellbat Suit and travel to Apokolips.
Bruce prepares to take out Lex, but Lex tells him he's going to help him instead, and reveals although he thinks him crazy, he's figured out that Damian was Bruce's son, and that they both would do whatever it takes to bring back someone they love to life. And one BOOM TUBE later...the rest of the JL is too late, and Batman is in Apokolips, alone.
So we're back where we were in some ways 2 volumes ago, with Bruce trying to resurrect Damian...but this time, it's not as unhinged or crazy...or so we should think...anyhow...
I enjoyed the last book more than enough to make up for the rest of the book, and there's enough great colour work and art to have kept me going. The best was the growth of relationships between Bruce and others, especially the unexpected respect (?) between Bruce and Lex. I do look forward to the next volume, and the Robin Rises event...
November 17, 2025
2025 Review: Pretty much agree with my 2017 self. It's not bad, it's fun at times, but feels overdrawn out. I want Batman and ROBIN back already. Still, it has some great moments, mostly in the final two issues.
2017 Review: Almost there. ROBIN COME BACK TO US!
It's not that I don't enjoy Batman (and friends) but the best part of Batman and Robin has always been Robin's relationship with his father. It's not simple, it's complicated, and makes for some amazing scenes between the two characters. Now that Robin is dead (for now) it's hard to really get into solo Batman for this run. However, this volume isn't completely lost on me. We have Batman chasing Ra to get his son's body back after good old grandpa takes it. Then the Justice League comes into play and Batman has to make a huge decision that will alter the future of all our heroes (but mostly Batman).
Good: The parts with the Justice League and Batman is actually pretty effective. Love watching them Banter but more so trying to help a friend. A particularly good scene with Superman and Batman is well done. The best scene is the end with the group of the Batfamily around. Dick's scene with Bruce is even better than expected and hits home.
Bad: The art can be wonky sometimes. Mostly because of people's hair. Also the first two issues weren't all that interesting. I get they were going for Batman chasing his teacher but it wasn't all that gripping and Aquaman and Wonder Woman weren't all that interesting here either.
It gets better as I go and ends really strong but it's still not GREAT like volume 1-4 were. However, Robin is on the cover of the next volume, and I am fucking ready! Let's gooooo!
2017 Review: Almost there. ROBIN COME BACK TO US!
It's not that I don't enjoy Batman (and friends) but the best part of Batman and Robin has always been Robin's relationship with his father. It's not simple, it's complicated, and makes for some amazing scenes between the two characters. Now that Robin is dead (for now) it's hard to really get into solo Batman for this run. However, this volume isn't completely lost on me. We have Batman chasing Ra to get his son's body back after good old grandpa takes it. Then the Justice League comes into play and Batman has to make a huge decision that will alter the future of all our heroes (but mostly Batman).
Good: The parts with the Justice League and Batman is actually pretty effective. Love watching them Banter but more so trying to help a friend. A particularly good scene with Superman and Batman is well done. The best scene is the end with the group of the Batfamily around. Dick's scene with Bruce is even better than expected and hits home.
Bad: The art can be wonky sometimes. Mostly because of people's hair. Also the first two issues weren't all that interesting. I get they were going for Batman chasing his teacher but it wasn't all that gripping and Aquaman and Wonder Woman weren't all that interesting here either.
It gets better as I go and ends really strong but it's still not GREAT like volume 1-4 were. However, Robin is on the cover of the next volume, and I am fucking ready! Let's gooooo!
September 7, 2022
Good volume. Batman teams up with various characters such as Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Frankenstein as he chases Ra's Al Ghul across the globe. Ra's has Talia and Damian's bodies and he is attempting to use Lazarus Pits to raise them from the dead, which Batman wants to prevent at all costs. Then, in a strange twist of fate, Robin's body is whisked to Apocalypse, which sends Batman there to retrieve it. This leads into the next volume of the series.
Overall a strong series with good art and a good story. Batman fans should enjoy this one.
Overall a strong series with good art and a good story. Batman fans should enjoy this one.
August 9, 2015
3.75 stars for me, all I kept thinking was "it's better than the last volume" so I guess that means we're getting back on track thank god. the thing that made this entire issue great for me was all the team ups and cameos I love that stuff, I really like the bat family part. the overall story wasn't bad and the art was good so I would recommend this one especially for Batman or JL fans
May 29, 2023
Really excited to get my hands on the final volume in this series. It’s been great.
September 24, 2015
I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars
Wow, this is intense! There is real emotional depth throughout the entire story, making this a worthy effort.
After Damien Wayne (Robin) was killed, Bruce Wayne struggles to come to terms with his death, including an attempt to resurrect him using Frankenstein. When that failed, he began to move on. Bruce then discovers that the bodies of both Talia al Ghul and Damien have been stolen by Ra's al Ghul. What follows is Batman's attempt to recover Damien's body before Ra's can resurrect them to lead the League of Assassins. With assists from Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Frankenstein, and eventually from the entire Justice League, Batman chases Ra's around the globe. Batman also reconciles with Red Robin, Red Hood, and Batgirl, making a decision that could result in long-term ramifications. This volume ended on a cliffhanger, of course, but it provides a strong foundation for a long story arc.
The artwork was okay, not the best, but it didn’t detract from the storyline. It just didn’t appeal to me this time.
This volume is highly recommended for Batman fans. It isn't the best place for new readers to begin, but the background needed to understand what is happening is provided throughout the book.
4.5 stars
Wow, this is intense! There is real emotional depth throughout the entire story, making this a worthy effort.
After Damien Wayne (Robin) was killed, Bruce Wayne struggles to come to terms with his death, including an attempt to resurrect him using Frankenstein. When that failed, he began to move on. Bruce then discovers that the bodies of both Talia al Ghul and Damien have been stolen by Ra's al Ghul. What follows is Batman's attempt to recover Damien's body before Ra's can resurrect them to lead the League of Assassins. With assists from Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Frankenstein, and eventually from the entire Justice League, Batman chases Ra's around the globe. Batman also reconciles with Red Robin, Red Hood, and Batgirl, making a decision that could result in long-term ramifications. This volume ended on a cliffhanger, of course, but it provides a strong foundation for a long story arc.
The artwork was okay, not the best, but it didn’t detract from the storyline. It just didn’t appeal to me this time.
This volume is highly recommended for Batman fans. It isn't the best place for new readers to begin, but the background needed to understand what is happening is provided throughout the book.
September 20, 2015
Started off well (especially after Volume 5) but fell off towards the end. Didn't love the art.
May 19, 2025
3 stars
Oh, I did not enjoy this one. The journey to bring back Damian starts here. Batman chases Ra's al Ghul through different mythical places with the help of a couple of the Justice League members, trying to stop Ra's plan to revive Damian and Talia.
Apokolips gets involved, Batman goes against the Justice League and there's a pretty good moment between the Batfam with Bruce trying to make amends, however, it was too little too late to save this volume.
I liked the first two issues. I liked Batman's tenacity trying to save Damian's body so he could finally rest. But then it all gets messy, with action scenes that are wonky and confusing, and dialog that's all too shallow. I miss the time where this title was emotionally heavy and the writing was focused on the troubling relationship of a son and a father trying to get close to each other. This felt way too fantastical, way too mainstream superheroe shenanigans.
Just one more volume to go till we get Damian (I'm assuming), I hope it saves the run because the last two volumes have been very underwhelming.
Oh, I did not enjoy this one. The journey to bring back Damian starts here. Batman chases Ra's al Ghul through different mythical places with the help of a couple of the Justice League members, trying to stop Ra's plan to revive Damian and Talia.
Apokolips gets involved, Batman goes against the Justice League and there's a pretty good moment between the Batfam with Bruce trying to make amends, however, it was too little too late to save this volume.
I liked the first two issues. I liked Batman's tenacity trying to save Damian's body so he could finally rest. But then it all gets messy, with action scenes that are wonky and confusing, and dialog that's all too shallow. I miss the time where this title was emotionally heavy and the writing was focused on the troubling relationship of a son and a father trying to get close to each other. This felt way too fantastical, way too mainstream superheroe shenanigans.
Just one more volume to go till we get Damian (I'm assuming), I hope it saves the run because the last two volumes have been very underwhelming.
June 10, 2019
Not as solid tonally as the last volume, but I think there was no real hope of that with this one. It continues the trend of each issue being a teammate with different people. Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Frankenstein, then an issue against Ra's and finally the start up for the Robin Rises arc. While I greatly enjoyed the team up with Arthur Curry, the rest of this volume wasn't all that fun for me.
I really liked the Batfam coming together and everyone being so ready to go to Apokolips to bring Damian back. That was lovely to see. I enjoyed Dick dropping into the cave for a moment and also pledging his help to go bring Damian back. These moments are why I read these books, to be honest. Really, this just made me want to jump to the actual trip to Apokolips which left me happy I'm reading these on DC Universe and I didn't buy them as single issues.
I really liked the Batfam coming together and everyone being so ready to go to Apokolips to bring Damian back. That was lovely to see. I enjoyed Dick dropping into the cave for a moment and also pledging his help to go bring Damian back. These moments are why I read these books, to be honest. Really, this just made me want to jump to the actual trip to Apokolips which left me happy I'm reading these on DC Universe and I didn't buy them as single issues.
August 7, 2016
Better than I expected, in the sense that it's mostly a one man show for Batman, but it gets a little too Justice Leaguey in the end for my taste. But if you're a sucker for Ra's Al Ghul stories like I am, you'll probably like this. So 3.5 stars.
Ra's Al Ghul has stolen the bodies of Damian and Talia from their graves. And Batman, with help from Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Frankenstein, scours the world for his deceased son, going to Paradise Island, the Arctic Circle, the Himalayas, and finally another world. While chasing and trying to stop Ra's isn't a new plot, Tomasi builds upon this existing idea with new mythology and characters to make it fresh and exciting.
Where I started to get bored was in the Himalayas. Bats and Ra's are fighting over the bodies when Glorious Godfrey of Apokolips shows up and switches the story into Justice League mode, which I just don't care for outside of a crisis. JL this, JL that, Batman has a meeting with the Bat family to level with and inform them of his crazy-father-willing-to-do-anything-to-reanimate-his-dead-son's-body plan. Now that rekindled my interest.
I'm mildly excited for Volume 7, because when Bats has an other-world story, it's generally pretty cool. But I don't give two shits about Darkseid anymore. I really don't. So it's a mixed bag for me. I'm also hoping we get some closure on Damian. Dead for good or alive, let's hope we finally get some resolution.
October 8, 2015
4.5 Stars.
A cracking Batman adventure with a whole slew of cameos from the Justice League, Bat Family, and even Frankenstein. Gleason's art is very solid, though I found his penchant for oversized eyes and lips can sometimes be a bit distracting.
Only downside is that it's really the first of a two-parter -- a lead-in to the Robin Rises arc, which I assume from the name means that Damien Wayne will shortly be resurrected. It's hard not to assume it, given DC have been telegraphing the character's return for months. I say: bring it on.
A cracking Batman adventure with a whole slew of cameos from the Justice League, Bat Family, and even Frankenstein. Gleason's art is very solid, though I found his penchant for oversized eyes and lips can sometimes be a bit distracting.
Only downside is that it's really the first of a two-parter -- a lead-in to the Robin Rises arc, which I assume from the name means that Damien Wayne will shortly be resurrected. It's hard not to assume it, given DC have been telegraphing the character's return for months. I say: bring it on.
June 3, 2025
a bit inconsistent compared to other volumes, but had some pretty high highs.
February 24, 2016
Yeah, not a fan of event book and this arc proves it to me once again.
I just don't like event books all that much because they are usually paced too long, and they have a revolving door of characters to make the story epic and generally takes the main characters of the story out of what makes their kind of stories good in the first place, and this is the case with 'The Hunt for Robin.'
World: Gleason's art is on full display once again, every time there is a chance for torn limbs and bodily fluids Gleason will go there. It's good but I'm starting to get a bit queasy reading his books, a little goes a long way and a lot just makes me uncomfortable. The stuff outside of that is great, I'm really enjoying his colors and shadows and framing it's really good, he really puts the 'Dark' in Dark Knight. The world building this time around is also there to serve the story's purpose. Yes we knew Robin was going to come back eventually and all the world building pieces here are there to serve this story which is the main focus of this arc. It's alright, nothing spectacular, the stage has been set.
Story: This is the heart of the tale and being an event book can only mean one thing for sure, it's going to drag, and boy does it ever. The hunt for Robin pretty much ends up being a point by point fetch quest for Bats to visit the DCU and it's not fun. Sure seeing these characters show up in books is a fun experience, but when you have 3 to 4 events annually and also the fact that these characters can easily show up anyways during the normal run of the book, I'm not feeling the special tingly feeling I had when I was a kid and this happened and it was a big deal. So, without that tingly feeling this just became a chore of going through all the cameos until the meat of the story happens which we all know is Ra's. There are little bits and pieces of good character moments inside this super long chase sequence between Bats and Arthur, Bats and Diana, Bats and Frankenstein, Bats and Ra's, Bats and Bat family, but it's also followed by the expected 'let's fight before we are tired then we can talk and find out that the fight was pointless to begin with' sequences. As I said, there are some nice little pieces here and there, especially the last issue with the Bat Family dealing with 'Death of the Family' but yeah, I could have done without a lot of the globetrotting. Additionally, I don't like it when Batman book or other books for that matter step out of their element to make the story grand. I'm not a big fan of going to Apokolips just because we need to make it grand and big, I'm just not a big fan of space Batman.
Characters: This is the best part of this arc. Hidden inside all the fighting are the quiet scenes that actually mean something and actually gave us some good character development and insight. I especially liked the conversation that Arthur and Bats, Luthor and Bats, Frankenstein and Bats and the Bat Family and Bats had with well...Bats. These made the read worthwhile instead of being tedious. Yes we knew Robin was coming back, this was a given, plus given how he was yanked from the Bat Universe by Morrison we knew it was going to happen very soon. Sometimes, I wish the universe had more consequence, but oh well I can't fault that on superhero comic books.
It was an ok, read that was full of event tedium but also had little bits of golden nuggets of character development found throughout. After the last arc with Two-Face which I enjoyed I was hoping for something just as intimate and grounded, but man was I wrong about my expectations.
Let's go and get Robin back and get back to telling good character stories!
Onward to the next book!
I just don't like event books all that much because they are usually paced too long, and they have a revolving door of characters to make the story epic and generally takes the main characters of the story out of what makes their kind of stories good in the first place, and this is the case with 'The Hunt for Robin.'
World: Gleason's art is on full display once again, every time there is a chance for torn limbs and bodily fluids Gleason will go there. It's good but I'm starting to get a bit queasy reading his books, a little goes a long way and a lot just makes me uncomfortable. The stuff outside of that is great, I'm really enjoying his colors and shadows and framing it's really good, he really puts the 'Dark' in Dark Knight. The world building this time around is also there to serve the story's purpose. Yes we knew Robin was going to come back eventually and all the world building pieces here are there to serve this story which is the main focus of this arc. It's alright, nothing spectacular, the stage has been set.
Story: This is the heart of the tale and being an event book can only mean one thing for sure, it's going to drag, and boy does it ever. The hunt for Robin pretty much ends up being a point by point fetch quest for Bats to visit the DCU and it's not fun. Sure seeing these characters show up in books is a fun experience, but when you have 3 to 4 events annually and also the fact that these characters can easily show up anyways during the normal run of the book, I'm not feeling the special tingly feeling I had when I was a kid and this happened and it was a big deal. So, without that tingly feeling this just became a chore of going through all the cameos until the meat of the story happens which we all know is Ra's. There are little bits and pieces of good character moments inside this super long chase sequence between Bats and Arthur, Bats and Diana, Bats and Frankenstein, Bats and Ra's, Bats and Bat family, but it's also followed by the expected 'let's fight before we are tired then we can talk and find out that the fight was pointless to begin with' sequences. As I said, there are some nice little pieces here and there, especially the last issue with the Bat Family dealing with 'Death of the Family' but yeah, I could have done without a lot of the globetrotting. Additionally, I don't like it when Batman book or other books for that matter step out of their element to make the story grand. I'm not a big fan of going to Apokolips just because we need to make it grand and big, I'm just not a big fan of space Batman.
Characters: This is the best part of this arc. Hidden inside all the fighting are the quiet scenes that actually mean something and actually gave us some good character development and insight. I especially liked the conversation that Arthur and Bats, Luthor and Bats, Frankenstein and Bats and the Bat Family and Bats had with well...Bats. These made the read worthwhile instead of being tedious. Yes we knew Robin was coming back, this was a given, plus given how he was yanked from the Bat Universe by Morrison we knew it was going to happen very soon. Sometimes, I wish the universe had more consequence, but oh well I can't fault that on superhero comic books.
It was an ok, read that was full of event tedium but also had little bits of golden nuggets of character development found throughout. After the last arc with Two-Face which I enjoyed I was hoping for something just as intimate and grounded, but man was I wrong about my expectations.
Let's go and get Robin back and get back to telling good character stories!
Onward to the next book!
January 28, 2016
Batman is trying to return the corpse of his dead son back to its final resting place. Ra's al Ghul, the boy's grandfather, has other ideas involving the Lazarus Pit. With the help of Frankenstein, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, Batman finally figures out the master plan, but then Glorious Godfrey of Apokolips shows up because Ra's has something that belongs to Darkseid. Eventually, the coffin bearing Damian Wayne ends up going back to Apokolips with Godfrey, and Batman has to battle the Justice League to get access to a suit that will enable him to do battle there.
Lots of good stuff in this volume. Tomasi has a different take on Batman than Scott Snyder's over in Batman. Here, Batman is more Bruce Wayne than the mask, and personable and human. He even apologizes to Frankenstein. Wow. The New 52 Batman and Robin title has been a great read so far, a nice change of pace from the rest of the Batman books.
There are nice appearances by the rest of the Bat family as Batman patches things up with them over the fallout of the recent attack by the Joker. That story was kinda meh for me, and to be honest, I can't remember what the hell it was Batman did that pissed off the rest of the Batfamily. Seriously, Snyder's work is just overrated at times.
I guess the next volume is Batman on Apokolips against Darkseid. Who would want to miss that?
Lots of good stuff in this volume. Tomasi has a different take on Batman than Scott Snyder's over in Batman. Here, Batman is more Bruce Wayne than the mask, and personable and human. He even apologizes to Frankenstein. Wow. The New 52 Batman and Robin title has been a great read so far, a nice change of pace from the rest of the Batman books.
There are nice appearances by the rest of the Bat family as Batman patches things up with them over the fallout of the recent attack by the Joker. That story was kinda meh for me, and to be honest, I can't remember what the hell it was Batman did that pissed off the rest of the Batfamily. Seriously, Snyder's work is just overrated at times.
I guess the next volume is Batman on Apokolips against Darkseid. Who would want to miss that?
June 30, 2015
I randomly picked up an issue from this series at a store and looked at a few pages inside. The art looked good and Batman was facing off with Doomsday in a pretty sweet looking Batfit (Bat+Outfit = Batfit, yes?). I ordered this since it was pretty cheap to see what was going on. I've heard good chatter about Tomasi's run on Batman. I've read Snyder's run so I wasn't completely lost. However, Batman facing Doomsday is going to be in the next volume as this one leads towards their encounter. The writing and art looked decent. However, I need the rest of the run for this to be in proper context for me.
I'll probably eventually try to pick of the HCs for this run. After I do that DC will announce an omnibus (with my luck). Or would that be, a Batibus? :p
I'll probably eventually try to pick of the HCs for this run. After I do that DC will announce an omnibus (with my luck). Or would that be, a Batibus? :p
April 12, 2017
This volume represents Peter Tomasi finally getting to take charge. It's the point where DC had enough faith in him to let him do exactly what he wanted. Which ended up looking a lot like what he'd done with the fourth volume, Requiem for Damian (which followed Robin's death in the pages of Grant Morrison's Batman Incorporated), ratcheted up several dozen degrees.
Tomasi started out as an editor, and his imagination shows. The best comics writers operate on the belief that anything's possible. As an editor he had a chance to explore superhero storytelling potential as few others have. He puts everything he learned into Hunt for Robin. It helps that he was allowed to finally control the destiny of Batman and Robin. Between Morrison and Scott Snyder's popular Batman, Tomasi was more often reacting than acting. While he did so brilliantly early in the series, there was always the sense that he was holding back.
Not anymore. Here Batman chases Ra's al Ghul around the world, allowing Tomasi to exploit the more imaginative possibilities of the Dark Knight's world and associations. Chief among them is Frankenstein, the version Morrison previously cooked up in the pages of Seven Soldiers, and a character who at the time was undergoing a creative renaissance. But somehow Tomasi makes it feel as if no one else understands the character better than he does. That's what I'm talking about.
There's also the Justice League and the demons of Apokolips. All of it is part of an epic vision designed to amplify the story Tomasi was gifted beyond a simple death and return arc. No one expected Damian to return, and certainly not like this. Batman goes to every length to prevent it from happening , and then every length to make it happen...
The psychology of it might seem all over the place. That's the main criticism I've seen of the material. But it really isn't. Batman always takes the death of a Robin personally. When Jason Todd was killed he went off the rails, too. But Damian was his son. Never before has a story like this been possible. Tomasi immediately seemed to grasp the possibilities. What happens when a man capable of anything runs through the emotions of grief? Something like this. Grief on an epic scale. And the events of this volume amplify those effects on a scale only Batman could possibly conceive.
Or Peter Tomasi. He and Patrick Gleason (a master of the humane and the grotesque) and Andy Kubert (who along with Morrison first brought Damian into existence) are obviously having the time of their lives...All of it leads to a cliffhanger, and more of the unexpected. If this isn't some of the best Batman material ever, it's pretty close. It's the wildness of it that shines through, everything no one else has really done before, things that seem downright obvious in hindsight. What feels wrong, really, is Damian's absence. But isn't Batman's story always about a void needing to be filled?
Tomasi started out as an editor, and his imagination shows. The best comics writers operate on the belief that anything's possible. As an editor he had a chance to explore superhero storytelling potential as few others have. He puts everything he learned into Hunt for Robin. It helps that he was allowed to finally control the destiny of Batman and Robin. Between Morrison and Scott Snyder's popular Batman, Tomasi was more often reacting than acting. While he did so brilliantly early in the series, there was always the sense that he was holding back.
Not anymore. Here Batman chases Ra's al Ghul around the world, allowing Tomasi to exploit the more imaginative possibilities of the Dark Knight's world and associations. Chief among them is Frankenstein, the version Morrison previously cooked up in the pages of Seven Soldiers, and a character who at the time was undergoing a creative renaissance. But somehow Tomasi makes it feel as if no one else understands the character better than he does. That's what I'm talking about.
There's also the Justice League and the demons of Apokolips. All of it is part of an epic vision designed to amplify the story Tomasi was gifted beyond a simple death and return arc. No one expected Damian to return, and certainly not like this. Batman goes to every length to prevent it from happening , and then every length to make it happen...
The psychology of it might seem all over the place. That's the main criticism I've seen of the material. But it really isn't. Batman always takes the death of a Robin personally. When Jason Todd was killed he went off the rails, too. But Damian was his son. Never before has a story like this been possible. Tomasi immediately seemed to grasp the possibilities. What happens when a man capable of anything runs through the emotions of grief? Something like this. Grief on an epic scale. And the events of this volume amplify those effects on a scale only Batman could possibly conceive.
Or Peter Tomasi. He and Patrick Gleason (a master of the humane and the grotesque) and Andy Kubert (who along with Morrison first brought Damian into existence) are obviously having the time of their lives...All of it leads to a cliffhanger, and more of the unexpected. If this isn't some of the best Batman material ever, it's pretty close. It's the wildness of it that shines through, everything no one else has really done before, things that seem downright obvious in hindsight. What feels wrong, really, is Damian's absence. But isn't Batman's story always about a void needing to be filled?
Read
July 16, 2024This was a clunker. It's a by-the-numbers quest with obvious fighting and yelling dialogue. I guess it holds together as a story but it's entirely plot-driven superhero schlock, with little nuance to be found. The Justice League, Frankenstein, and the Robins stand in for Damian as Batman tracks down Ra's al Ghul, who has Damian's corpse. Parademons show up too. It's all too drawn out, and Batman acts like a child at times. But I guess we have to resurrect Damian though, because comics.
December 19, 2019
Good storytelling, nice involvement of many of the JL members, great Batman as usual. Good to see Bruce (mostly) under control again. Enjoyed the team-ups and the big-picture concepts. Some meh art, but can't win 'em all. Looking forward to Vol. 7 and discovering how Damian is returned.
March 1, 2021
Jesus Christ.
How did this get so bad?
How did this get so bad?
April 8, 2019
Ogarniętego żałobą Batmana sprowadza na ziemię rabunek grobu Damiana. Takiego czynu dopuścić może się tylko jeden człowiek. Bruce natychmiast wyrusza w pogoń za hieną cmentarną a do pomocy przyłączają się też inni bohaterowie. Jak na pościg przystało akcja rwie z kopyta.
W biegu tej historii widzimy jak Bats zmienia swój charakter przez wpływ Damiana. Przez skorupę samolubnej ambicji przebija się bezinteresowne poświęcenie i ojcowska miłość.
W biegu tej historii widzimy jak Bats zmienia swój charakter przez wpływ Damiana. Przez skorupę samolubnej ambicji przebija się bezinteresowne poświęcenie i ojcowska miłość.
December 13, 2015
Less of a Hunt for Robin and more of a In Pursuit Of Robin because Batman manages to lose him not once but twice in the space of one trade.
After the previous volume decided to randomly go off on a stupid Two-Face story which was a) irrelevant and b) crap, we're back on track here as Batman fights basically everyone as he tries to stop Ra's Al Ghul from resurrecting his daughter Talia and his grandson (Bruce's son) Damian, the aforementioned dead Robin.
Batman's done the whole grieving thing, so now he's back to business with the Justice League and Frankenstein along for the ride. It's a high stakes story in terms of the emotions involved, and there are a lot of links to a lot of previous Batman stories which give this some good continuity heft behind it too.
Patrick Gleason pencils the majority of the series as always, with a fill-in by Doug Mahnke whose art is so similar it took me about half an issue to notice, and Adam Kubert draws the Robin Rises one-shot about halfway through which is a lot rougher, but still readable.
This volume ends on a cliffhanger, since this one and the next are all essentially the same story, so hopefully all the good work done here pays off once Bruce gets to Apokolips and rescues his son.
After the previous volume decided to randomly go off on a stupid Two-Face story which was a) irrelevant and b) crap, we're back on track here as Batman fights basically everyone as he tries to stop Ra's Al Ghul from resurrecting his daughter Talia and his grandson (Bruce's son) Damian, the aforementioned dead Robin.
Batman's done the whole grieving thing, so now he's back to business with the Justice League and Frankenstein along for the ride. It's a high stakes story in terms of the emotions involved, and there are a lot of links to a lot of previous Batman stories which give this some good continuity heft behind it too.
Patrick Gleason pencils the majority of the series as always, with a fill-in by Doug Mahnke whose art is so similar it took me about half an issue to notice, and Adam Kubert draws the Robin Rises one-shot about halfway through which is a lot rougher, but still readable.
This volume ends on a cliffhanger, since this one and the next are all essentially the same story, so hopefully all the good work done here pays off once Bruce gets to Apokolips and rescues his son.
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