Family Affair
Written By: Ray Fawkes
Art By: Ramon Bachs, Mat Lopez, Tom Napolitano
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 20, 2016
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 20, 2016
*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*
It's been awhile since I reviewed a Robin: Son of Batman book and while I'd like to say that it's because I've been too busy with really important things that make me seem like some sort of big shot, the truth is, I just haven't been digging this series and once I missed reviewing one issue, it just became easier for me to make up excuses for myself on why I didn't have to review the rest. I've got some time this week though and even though I still have the "not a fan" thing going for me, I have to admit that I've gotten a little curious about what our little pumpkin headed boy is up to and where his adventures will take him before this title ends and he starts having exploits with the Teen Titans and Jonathan Kent. Now I'm not a complete novice on this title even though I missed some reviews because I'm pretty sure that I read every issue up to this, but even then I might have missed some things, but from what I understand, the Lu'un Darga are attempting to replace the artifacts that Damian stole during his Year of Blood so that they can become all powerful........ or something along those lines, but the coolest aspect of all of this is that Damian has a nemesis his own age in the head of the Lu'un Darga. It's cool just to see Damian up against a kid who he could have easily become if his daddy wasn't in his life. Let's see if Damian can put an end to the Lu'un Darga and if Talia can get over the jealousy of her son's first crush/friend Maya. Let's check it out.
Explain It!:
Our issue begins with everyone converging on Gorilla City........ and man, do I mean everyone.......... Well, not everyone because that would be silly, but I bet I got your attention! We do get a shit load of people though because we have the Lu'un Darga attacking Gorilla City so that they can return a crown to its rightful place and thus give the Lu'un Darga more power, we've got Talia Al Ghul and the League of Assassin with Maya along for the ride, what with Talia trying to prove that she's a Lu'un Darga spy, Batman eventually showing up and our boy Damian with his pet bat monster Goliath.......... and just because I want to add to the list, Flash showed up in the beginning of the issue just to get Batman involved.
Really though, even with all these characters showing up, this issue is really just a big over the top battle between the Lu'un Darga and everyone else. One of the most disappointing aspect to me was that we have this great setting in Gorilla City, which we haven't seen a lot of in the New 52 and the DCYou and really it's just kind of wasted because we get gorilla soldiers who do little else than yell battle cries and I just want some more DC gorilla action....... that just might be me though due to my obsession with the Planet of the Apes, but I would have liked a little more from this setting that should be cool. I know it's been awhile since I seriously checked out this book and actually paid attention to it, but I don't remember the tone of this book being as silly as it's presented here. Damian, who I understand to be a serious person, who can have spouts of childish behavior when he's challenged, really comes off here as a parody of himself and it doesn't help any that the art is a cartoon-y style, especially for an over the top free for all battle.
In the end, Maya proves her loyalty to Damian when she gets in the path of the energy that gathers when the ancient crown relic is put back in its rightful place, but due to the artwork I'm not completely sure what went down here because the heir to the Lu'un Darga, Suren Darga seems to be powered up by this energy, but then Maya tackles him and the two at first look like they've been destroyed, but we then find out that they've merely teleported to the location of the final artifact....... and I'm just lost. For all my frustrations in trying to get back into this book though, I have to say that the end is a lot of fun and feels like a "Mommy and Daddy are getting back together" moment because Talia and Batman decide to work together to help their son with his endeavor and as our issue closes we head off to our final location on Dinosaur Island.
That's it for this issue of Robin: Son of Batman and this issue doesn't really do much for me do to the change in tone to the story and the cartoon-y artwork. Yeah, it's been like this for a bit now, but it doesn't do this issue any favors when we're winding down this very long Year of Blood tale and it looks like we're watching an episode of Teen Titans Go. The greatest part about this issue is the end when Batman finally shows up and Damian sees that his father is alive, but even that is short lived because we had to get back to the battle that took up the majority of this book instead of pouring on the feels we all wanted from Damian being reunited with his father. Another thing that I like from this issue is just the thought of how far we've come from Talia ordering her son's death and her ultimately being killed by Kathy Kane shortly after in Batman Incorporated. Oh comic books! Really though, this book had the opportunity to be a big deal with the whole Batman/Damian thing, but it wasted it for a ridiculous battle that went nowhere.
Bits and Pieces:
Damian seems to be a parody of himself in this issue and the cartoon-y artwork doesn't do anything to help that. Yeah, there's action through and through in this book, but it's hard to be happy with this when it missed the opportunity to put away the "BLAM" and "POWS" to actually be the biggest book to pour on the feels of 2016. I haven't been a fan of this Year of Blood story since almost the beginning, but this missed opportunity really makes me dislike it all the more.
Really though, even with all these characters showing up, this issue is really just a big over the top battle between the Lu'un Darga and everyone else. One of the most disappointing aspect to me was that we have this great setting in Gorilla City, which we haven't seen a lot of in the New 52 and the DCYou and really it's just kind of wasted because we get gorilla soldiers who do little else than yell battle cries and I just want some more DC gorilla action....... that just might be me though due to my obsession with the Planet of the Apes, but I would have liked a little more from this setting that should be cool. I know it's been awhile since I seriously checked out this book and actually paid attention to it, but I don't remember the tone of this book being as silly as it's presented here. Damian, who I understand to be a serious person, who can have spouts of childish behavior when he's challenged, really comes off here as a parody of himself and it doesn't help any that the art is a cartoon-y style, especially for an over the top free for all battle.
In the end, Maya proves her loyalty to Damian when she gets in the path of the energy that gathers when the ancient crown relic is put back in its rightful place, but due to the artwork I'm not completely sure what went down here because the heir to the Lu'un Darga, Suren Darga seems to be powered up by this energy, but then Maya tackles him and the two at first look like they've been destroyed, but we then find out that they've merely teleported to the location of the final artifact....... and I'm just lost. For all my frustrations in trying to get back into this book though, I have to say that the end is a lot of fun and feels like a "Mommy and Daddy are getting back together" moment because Talia and Batman decide to work together to help their son with his endeavor and as our issue closes we head off to our final location on Dinosaur Island.
That's it for this issue of Robin: Son of Batman and this issue doesn't really do much for me do to the change in tone to the story and the cartoon-y artwork. Yeah, it's been like this for a bit now, but it doesn't do this issue any favors when we're winding down this very long Year of Blood tale and it looks like we're watching an episode of Teen Titans Go. The greatest part about this issue is the end when Batman finally shows up and Damian sees that his father is alive, but even that is short lived because we had to get back to the battle that took up the majority of this book instead of pouring on the feels we all wanted from Damian being reunited with his father. Another thing that I like from this issue is just the thought of how far we've come from Talia ordering her son's death and her ultimately being killed by Kathy Kane shortly after in Batman Incorporated. Oh comic books! Really though, this book had the opportunity to be a big deal with the whole Batman/Damian thing, but it wasted it for a ridiculous battle that went nowhere.
Bits and Pieces:
Damian seems to be a parody of himself in this issue and the cartoon-y artwork doesn't do anything to help that. Yeah, there's action through and through in this book, but it's hard to be happy with this when it missed the opportunity to put away the "BLAM" and "POWS" to actually be the biggest book to pour on the feels of 2016. I haven't been a fan of this Year of Blood story since almost the beginning, but this missed opportunity really makes me dislike it all the more.
4.5/10
If the whole series was like this I might enjoy it more. ^^:
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Robin son of batman started when Gleason left the book :c
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame because until issue six, the book was great!
I agree with you after reading the "Year of Blood" trade.
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