Batman and Robin #14

            I think I like Batman and Robin more every time I read it. There’s something so special about what Peter J. Tomasi is doing with the relationship between Damian and Bruce, both as partners and as a father and son that no other writers really get the chance to do or work with in general. This issue brings all of that work and emotion to the forefront, and it absolutely pays dividends.

            This book has one of my favorite panels within The New 52, in which Patrick Gleason & co. draw an elated Damian Wayne, who despite being on the tail end of saving a whole bunch of lives is still in quite a bit of trouble seeing that his father has found him and come to help.

            It’s a small panel, but probably the most significant in the book. We’ve been shown time and time again how much Bruce cares for Damian and how troubling Damina’s reckless, dangerous and occasionally violent decision making is for his father, but to see that type of thing reciprocated is different, and it is done absolutely beautifully within the pages of this book.

            I could fawn all day over the relationship that is being built between these two characters, and the way that this book ends could very well bring tears to many committed readers eyes. This book has a much stronger emotional punch than pretty much any other that I read on a consistent basis, and that is being cultivated with care and deliberate work.

            All of this was done, of course, with the next issue being one that falls into the Death of the Family arc. The creative team did a wonderful job of setting up themselves and readers for the best and most significant crossover event that readers have been able to experience in some time. (AvX is out of the running because I said best, if you’re curious. I hate AvX. It wasn’t in this review, but now it is. It wouldn’t have felt right if I went a week without mentioning it).

            As well, it’s worth noting that this book had what was easily the most graphically powerful page that I’ve seen in quite sometime, showing an enraged and concerned Batman juggling anger and the villains, his son and his concern for the wellbeing of Robin and the citizens in danger. An incredibly powerful page inside of an incredibly powerful title.

            This book continues to be great (and seemingly underrated), and I imagine PJT will put together one of the best pieces of Death of the Family.