Originally published on Patreon
I've really enjoyed the current run on Robin, I've found the blend of teen drama and extreme violence to have been quite fun. But with the first story arc having come to a close, and the crossover of Shadow War having concluded, it now feels like the future of the series is a bit uncertain. And this issue reflects that in the central conflict that Damian has to deal with.
The story sees Talia al Ghul having followed through on her fathers wishes, and has given herself up to authorities. A prisoner of the DEO, Talia is approached for information about her son.
Meanwhile, Damian is fighting one of the seemingly many clown themed gangs inn Gotham. As you'd expect from Damian Wayne, he's beating the crap out of dozens of the costumed thugs. But when the odds start to shift away from his favour his family arrive to help him. After the fight, whilst relaxing with the Bat-Family, Damian and Bruce find out that Talia has escaped custody.
Tracking her down, the two adults get into a fight over Damian, and the best place for him to be. And this is where Damian steps in as the more rational voice of the two of them, and tells them that he's not going to be going with either of them; but finding his own destiny and place in the world.
As Damian returns to Lazarus Island, where his new friend and ally Connor Hawke is waiting for him, a beaten and bloodied Lord Death Man washes up on the beach, telling them that Flatline has gone bezerk.
I was pleasantly surprised when Robin went on to become one of my favourite books each month. The story is fun, it's got a great cast of characters, and the art has been really good. I found that the Shadow War stuff, whilst good, wasn't quite as fun; so now that we're back to the same characters and themes that were introduced in the first arc it feels like the book has gone back up to being excellent again.
I love how Damian begins this issue unsure of himself, trying to be independent in Gotham, yet still spending time with the family he's built there; and it's not until he sees his two parents ready to go to blows over his future that he realises that neither one of their worlds is perfect for him right now. He's growing and maturing as a character, and realising that he doesn't need to let Batman or Talia define him.
The scene with him hanging out with the Bat-Family is quite a nice one though, and has a very different energy to the scenes with him and his new friends. You can tell that there's a level of comfort his family has around him, and that they don't quite see him as a peer because he's the youngest one there. This seems to be something that doesn't happen with the other young fighter on Lazarus Island, who treat him no differently because he's younger. He's done stuff with his friends that has bonded him with them in different ways to his family; and it's giving him a different type of support network.
I love how the issue directly addresses him and Connor being in the DC Pride special too, adding a bit more to their relationship by confirming that Damian does know that Connor is ace, and that they're close enough that Connor would trust him with that. It also means that any folks who aren't happy with the special can't make any kind of claim that it's non-canonical; as it's clearly referenced here.
I'm going to be interested to see what happens next, especially as Flatline was one of my favourite characters from the first story line. I like her relationship with Damian, and her kind of being his girlfriend despite her literally having killed him. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next with these two.
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