Hello again everyone. Another session of the DWBC is upon us. This week Batman and Robin are back in action and the OG Batman is around as well but he has other more far reaching plans than just returning to the status quo in Gotham as we shall soon see. So let’s get started.
Son of Batman News
New to DCU
Adventures of the Super Sons #12 (7/7)
It’s been a long road, but Superboy and Robin have finally made their way back home! Unfortunately, an armada of about a gazillion juvenile super-delinquents is back too, and these pint-sized hell-raisers are out to conquer Earth! It’s the final battle between the son of Batman, the son of Superman, a big fan of Lex Luthor and whatever a “Doomsdame" is in this epic finale to the Super Sons saga!
Teen Titans #32 (7/21)
Lobo’s back—and he’s got his daughter, Crush, dead to rights! At least she can ask him about the identity of her mother, right? And as the Teen Titans square off against the Main Man, an enemy more sadistic than any they’ve ever faced before, questions about the team’s future are still hanging in the balance—that is, if they have any future at all!
Robin begins a hunt that leads him to the KGBeast, the same assassin who wounded and nearly killed the first Robin, Dick Grayson. Will Damian Wayne cross the line to enact brutal revenge on the Russian villain - or can the Teen Titans temper the current Robin’s rage
There are some familiar organizations and people in Batman: The Return, which we will eventually delve into more at a later date. For now what did you think of Damian’s first run in with the one later known as Heretic?
How did you feel about the dynamic between Bruce and Damian here compared to the dynamic between Dick and Damian?
Batman and Robin face an unusual foe in “The Sum of Her Parts”. What did you think of The Absence? Does she fit in with the other rogues that have faced the Dick and Damian version of the Dynamic Duo?
Two things Damian said in these issues stand out to me
a. “What we do isn’t meant to be fun.”
b. “I won’t push back. Not even as a reflex.”
Did anything Damian said in these issues stand out to you?
That is accurate. Something you can see in these issues about Damian is that he tries, he really does. But he doesn’t really get why he’s trying. The most notable difference between how Bruce treats Damian and how Dick does, is the lack of trust.
There are some familiar organizations and people in Batman: The Return, which we will eventually delve into more at a later date. For now what did you think of Damian’s first run in with the one later known as Heretic?
Definitely spooky and mysterious. The kind of intro that makes one want to learn more, which was definitely the point.
How did you feel about the dynamic between Bruce and Damian here compared to the dynamic between Dick and Damian?
Well, this may be a shock to some people, but Bruce is a bit of a control freak. I think (well, know because we see it later) that Bruce can work together with Damian, but at this point in time, he’s too driven by his mission to start Batman Incorporated to really try and get used to Damian as a partner. That’s part of why he decides to let him and Dick continue to work together – they clearly developed a bond, they’re working well together. Why try to fix something that isn’t broken?
Batman and Robin face an unusual foe in “The Sum of Her Parts”. What did you think of The Absence? Does she fit in with the other rogues that have faced the Dick and Damian version of the Dynamic Duo?
I think she does. With the previous arcs of Batman & Robin, the new rogues that Morrison introduced I think were mostly a sort of dark, creepy camp, from the guy in a pig mask making people into dolls to the pink-clad homicidal face eater.
Having a woman with a literal hole in her head I think definitely keeps to that same theme. I like that they’re using something that capitalizes on Bruce’s return, while still keeping it mostly about our current Dynamic Duo.
She’s an interesting commentary on one of those cliches that has been part of the Batman mythos for decades – the empty, disposable girlfriend that Bruce uses as part of his playboy identity to hide his true nature. When you start to think about it, especially in more modern contexts, it really is rather terrible behavior of Bruce, and it’s something that I’m rather glad has been thrown by the wayside in recent years.
Fun fact, while it’s definitely a more over the top version of it, the brain condition that is mentioned, Dandy-Walker syndrome, is based on a real thing.
That is accurate. Something you can see in these issues about Damian is that he tries, he really does. But he doesn’t really get why he’s trying. The most notable difference between how Bruce treats Damian and how Dick does, is the lack of trust.
