Saturday 1 September 2012

GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: BATMAN & ROBIN vol.1 BORN TO KILL


This is possibly the most narrowly focussed of DC's New 52 collected editions (of those that I've read which is well over half those released), with a single story spanning the 8 issues collected here. The question raised is this: Is Damien Wayne more influenced by his upbringing to be an assassin or by his new father who refuses to kill under any circumstances?

For those of you unfamiliar with the background, Damien is the fourth Robin, son of Bruce Wayne following a liaison with Talia al Gul daughter of R'as al Gul leader of the League of Assassins, who has been trained from the age of 3 till 10 to be a brutal killer. Bruce/Batman is not only trying to raise a son he'd never met but perhaps more importantly turn him away from the Dark Side (sorry).

In this graphic novel (and given its length and focus it is a graphic novel and not a collection of comics), right up front is the relationship between the two characters. It starts in one place and ends up in another. There are effectively only three characters in the story (discounting Alfred and bit-players), the other being an old enemy of Batman's (whom we've never met before but we do get flashbacks from Bruce's past) who wants Robin to become a vigilante killer like himself and who also may be Batman's equal in fighting skill. 

The art, while quite effective, is a little too smooth and rounded. I find Batman works better with a more rough-edged approach.

Still this is another more than solid addition to DC's New 52 continuity revamp.


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