Batman & Robin Annual #1

The draft for this blog was written before the events of Batman Incorporated #8, I have decided to publish it to show just what a fantastic character Damian had become and morn the loss of story's we may now never get.

Damian is jetting around the world leaving clues for Bruce and Alfred to follow, the reason he is doing it is to help Bruce connect with his past a past Damian thinks he has lost touch with. As with all things that involve Damien not all is what it seems, while Bruce is jetting from country to country Damian is still in Gotham and leaving video clues for Bruce with the aide of a green screen.  And like any youngster left alone in the house he does nothing but party and get drunk while listening to David Bowie on the record player wait that was me many years ago, Damian been Damian just dons a very cool Bat costume and goes out fighting crime.

Over the course of several nights he becomes involved in a case involving a creature with very large teeth and a fire dispensing villain, while managing to annoy Detective Pierce who its safe to say is not a fan of the Batman.  Meanwhile Bruce is connecting with his parents past life a painting by his mother and visiting the place where his farther proposed while becoming increasingly more aware that not all is what it seems with Damiens jet setting, meanwhile Alfred is connecting with his past by treading the boards at the Old Globe Theatre.

Now you may think its a strange story to tell in the middle of all that's going on in the other Bat books but to be honest I found it a welcome break from all the darkness of those books, the interaction between Bruce and Alfred was very well written and had some nice comedic moments, While Damien dressed like a mini-me version of Batman made me smile while at the same time have me thinking I would like to see Robin in this costume. There is a particularly great scene where Commissioner Gordon activates the bat signal and Damien hangs around the shadows to make out he is Batman, but Gordon is not fooled and shouts Robin at him as he swings away. This is one of Peter Tomasi best work and shows how far the character of Damian has come particularly under his writing of the Batman & Robin Book, the art by Ardian Syaf is a joy along with the inks of Vicente Cifuentus there is nothing that I can criticise about this book at all.

The story ends with Bruce and Damian becoming closer as farther and son and Alfred discovering why he quit acting and took up been a butter, all in all a great Batman story and one of the best annuals of the new 52 so far.