Most of us like Snyder’s Batman to some degree, but where are the fans of Peter Tomasi’s Batman and Robin?
As time progresses, I’ve come to see Batman and Robin as the crown jewel from the New 52 Batman lineup.
The stories are fun, the art is great and it’s the book where Batman went to Hell (Apokolips) and back for his son. Definitely a defining moment for Batman and Robin’s titular characters.
Between these two acclaimed writers, whose New 52 era Batman are you more likely to “side” with?
Batman and Robin by Tomasi really changed my view of Damian. I really didnt like Damian when he was first introduced, I hated how he evil he was and how he would repeatedly disobey Batman. Then Tomasi came along and gave us a really amazing run where he showed us that Damian is on a journey of development and self discovery as his tenure as Robin.
I really liked how in Batman and Robin. The use of Robin really differentiated it from the regular Batman title so it wasnt redundant if you bought both Batman titles, they vastly different in terms of story. And then Tomasi would go on to give us one of my favorite Superman runs and the amazing Super Sons run that was stellar.
Now that being said, I prefer Snyders Batman run by a mile. To me, Snyder and Capullo’s Batman is one of the best Batman runs of all time. We literally got Court of Owls, Death of the Family and, Zero Year one after another. Thats crazy, 3 stellar Batman stories back to back to back.
And while I really liked Batman and Robin, there is no storyline from that run that matches Court of Owls, Death of the Family, or Zero Year nevermind all 3. Snyder was a perfect writer for Batman, his roots are in horror. And he brought a real horror edge to his Batman, a psychological thriller.
But I am adamant that Tomasi is a great writer and hes very consistent in his quality output. Hes on Detective Comics right now and its amazing. Feels weird calling Detective Comics underrated since its Batman but it doesnt seem to get anywhere near the shine that the Batman title does. And I prefer Tynions and Tomasi’s Detective Comics runs to Tom Kings Batman.
@MajorZuma Well said. I will however argue that the Hunt for Robin and Robin Rises arcs from Batman and Robin are quite important in the modern Batman hierarchy.
Those stories featured a dead Robin as well as his return to the role he formerly (and involuntarily) left. Jason Todd was secretly red with envy over that I bet.
Regarding more recent Batbooks, I will absolutely champion Detective Comics over Batman. They’re both good, but I find 'Tec has been consistently better in its writing and artwork over the last three years than Batman has been.
I thought Tomasi’s B&R had its ups and downs, more ups than downs overall. I have never warmed to the way he writes Damian. I do appreciate that he is the only writer who tends to treat Bruce & Damian like an actual father and son.
Have to agree with @MajorZuma. I enjoyed Tomasi’s book monthly, but it doesn’t stack up to a soon to be classic Batman run. And while I personally don’t care for Snyder as much as other people do, Capullo has turned himself into one of the premiere artists of industry with his Bat books, and that has been a joy to watch. Zero Year is the highlight for me, especially with the colors. A lot set during the day, which is unusual for a usually active at night Batman. Made the book stand out all the more to me.
I might give the edge to Snyder. Tomasi wrote some amazing moments between Bruce and Damian, but really, whenever the book moved the focus even slightly away from those two, the quality started to shift quickly. Snyder’s run has its issues, but overall it’s really solid all around.
Gonna cheat.
Snyder on Batman.
Tomasi on Superman.
Honestly, I’m not that much in love with Tomasi’s Superman run either. Its pretty good when Jon is the focus (Though I think in an effort to make him as unlike Damian as possible he comes off rather bland at times), but much like B&R, when the focus is away from the father/son relationship, it kind of losses interest.
Tomasi, easily. Snyder is too Grant-Morrison-y for my taste. Tomasi’s stories are more relatable and down to earth.