Jared Matthews’s Reviews > Batman & Robin, Vol. 1: Batman Reborn > Status Update

The art takes a major step down after issue #3. Philip Tan’s art is no comparison to Quitely’s and it makes the story really hard to comprehend. It’s very hard to understand what is going on.

Framing the second issue as Alfred asking about Dick’s tough day was really powerful. There has always been something touching about their relationship. Maybe it’s because Dick has always been less guarded than Bruce.

Regardless, you can really feel Dick’s dread and relate to the shitty day that he’s had, you really understand how big Damian’s actions, and the day, impacted him.

Quitely’s art goes perfect with chillingly designed antagonists. The strange circus, and Pyg specifically, look so much more chilling with the jagged lines that he draws with. It also succeeds in making Batman and Robin look that much more rugged and fierce as well.

The dynamic between Dick and Damian, is a somewhat inverted dynamic from the classic Batman and Robin that we are familiar with.

Classically, Batman is the brooding fighter with Robin as the comic relief, youthful energy and fun counterbalance to Batman’s seriousness.

With Robin upgraded to Batman, and Bruce’s son as Robin, the roles are reversed. Dick takes things lightly while Damian is all business.

It’s a tall task to replace Batman.

Morrison does a solid job with Dick as Batman. He isn’t the same brooding deceptive that Bruce is, but he’s compelling in his own way.

Dick, along with the reader, is nervous about stepping into Batman’s impossible-to-fill shoes.

He is also a familiar and beloved character, which takes some pressure off the expectations the reader has going in. We know he is not Bruce.

I’ve already red Morrison’s Batman run up to this point, so I’m excited to see what happens to the bat-family after Batman’s possible death.

Batman is usually serious with Robin lightening the mood. However, it is now reversed with Dick as Batman and Damian as Robin.

I loved Quitely and Morrison’s All-Star Superman, so I’m hoping the team works just as well on Batman.