Despite being killed quite a while ago, Alfred is still making his presence felt in the Batman universe, thanks to a high number of flashbacks, possibly almost as much as his absence has been felt. Following the cliffhanger of the last issue of Robin, could things be about to change?
Done with the Lazarus Tournament, Damian has a plan to return to Gotham. Possibly not quite ready a reunion with his father, Damian has a very specific non-tourist spot in mind; the grave of one Alfred Pennyworth! But can the Heir to the Demon deal with the demons of the past before encountering those of the future?
Joshua Williamson has paced this book well from the get go, throwing in shock after shock with the initial death of Damian and the chase across the Gotham skyline with the Robins being the highlights! Williamson has used these polar opposites as anchors, with various stops along the way. Now that the first arc is mainly done with, the next step is a lead into the Shadow War. Williamson has focussed on one of the best, most underrated relationships in the Bat universe; Damian and “Pennyworth”. Williamson gets to show how much Damian has matured through his experiences with the contrast being his desire to save Alfred.
Roger Cruz supplies the art in a style that mirrors previous art from Gleb Melnikov well, giving the books and energetic feel. Cruz uses a lot of angular effects to give Damian an air of movement even when sat still. This still conveys the emotional aspects of the challenging decision that he is about to make. The action scenes are well worked, with a nice re-interpretation of the old Clark Kent versus Superman situation. Cruz is ably assisted by veteran inker Norm Rapmund with strong lines and I am always in awe of artists who can draw rain effectively. The colors are provided by Luis Guerrero who gets to enjoy the different environments including the aforementioned graveyard. ALW’s Troy Peteri drops a font that fills the variosu word balloons, keeping the dialogue tight and minimises the detracting impact verbosity can cause. With several covers, I like the main cover from Viktor Bogdanovic who seems to be channeling Klaus Janson vibes!
For a fun read, there are a couple of things that annoyed me. Firstly, I thought that Alfred’s grave was on the Wayne grounds, not in a city site. The other thing was the inclusion of a Shadow War lead in. Surely this could have been completed in a more natural way, given that all the characters were on show earlier in the book. That said, Williamson is keeping the book interesting with tweak and turns playing against the standard expectation of Damian’s behaviours.
Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
Overall – 4 Stars
Written by; Joshua Williamson
Art by; Roger Cruz
Inks by; Norm Rapmund
Colors by; Luis Guerrero
Letters by; ALW’s Troy Peteri
Cover by; Viktor Bogdanovic
Published by; DC Comics
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