While I was excited to see Damian again, I’m afraid that after two issues, I can’t say the son of Bruce Wayne is giving me much bang for my buck or rationalizing the four dollar cover price. The issues actually read so quickly that it's hard to believe this is only a four-issue arc.
Issue one set a fast pace for the story, which I can appreciate. Damian and Batman are already at a crime scene, investigating a smorgasbord pile of dead humans and fish. A first issue is all too often a throw away set up issue, but six pages in, Batman trips an explosive concealed beneath a Joker fish and meets his demise. The tempo doesn’t stop there, however. Following the funeral, Damian’s guilt and grief send him to the island home of the League of Assassins. After a failed solicitation for aid in his revenge mission—and an important explanation of his tie to the organization—an enraged Damian returns to Gotham and kills Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, and Jackanape, all of whom tried to take credit for Batman’s death.Following his spree of rage, Damian checks in with a priest simply to establish the priest as a character, then returns to the cave for two scoldings—the first by Alfred, and the second by none other than Bruce Wayne himself, whose reveal wraps up the issue.
Issue two immediately follows with Bruce's chastising of Damian for the murders. The two quickly resort to blows, which causes Damian to accidentally wound the grayed Bruce. Following the altercation, Damian revisits the priest, who also pleads with Damian to end his killing crusade. Following Damian's departure, the priest reveals himself to be a weary Commissioner Gordon. Upon returning to the Batcave, Damian heeds some of Father Gordon's words and suits up as the new Batman.The new Batman begins his maiden voyage at Arkham Asylum, where drones—although I’m sure they’re called Batdrones—have spotted the Joker. Once there, Damian finds a clue that leads him to Professor Pyg's skyscraper hideout. Not much plot is developed as Pyg's "dolls" overwhelm Damian and throw him out a window, leaving the new Bat plummeting to the streets below on the issue's final page.
The second issue marks the half point of the run, which I can only imagine is a test flight for something bigger. While I enjoy seeing Damian back, I can't say what I've seen justifies an ongoing, as the story so far seems thin. There are character moments between the action panels, though they don’t hit hard. This isn’t unlike the struggles we've seen Damian have with his aggression before. Furthermore, I got a bit lost with the continuity between the two books. I assumed the Bruce reveal at the end of issue one was suppose to show he was alive, as opposed to—as I assume it was supposed to mean—that Bruce wasn’t Batman. This only really makes sense, then, if you assume that the League and Talia didn’t know Dick had taken the cowl. Still, as we're at the halfway mark, I'll stick this one out to the finish. Kubert's art is gorgeous, and this may be the last we see of Damian for a while.
What did you think of the issue? Let us know and follow my reviews of issue three and four here on fanboysanonymous.com.
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