Art by: Nikola Čižmešija
Colors by: Rex Lokus
Letters by: Steve Wands
Cover art by:Simone Di Meo
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: February 13, 2024
Batman And Robin #6 continues the surveillance on Damian's classmate, Zach, when he's found to have a disturbing connection to Gotham's most notorious serial killer.
Is Batman And Robin #6 Good?
Is Zach really the obsessed son of Victor Zsasz? In Batman And Robin #6, you find out for sure, and Joshua Williamson puts readers on a heck of a ride to find out. The Manga influences are more evident in this issue than any other in this series, and maybe that's a good thing.
When last we left the father/son duo of Bruce and Damian, the current Boy Wonder's belief that Principal Stone is really Mistress Harsh, aka Shush, led to a deep dive into all students. Damian learned Zach's past records smelled more than fishy, which led to a surveillance operation that uncovered Zach's obsession with his father, Victor Zsasz?!?
Now, Batman and Robin arrange a stakeout at Zsasz's appeal hearing, which happens to be the only day Zach skips school to keep an eye out for shenanigans. The Dynamic Duo doesn't have to wait long. A skilled ninja attacks the police caravan in an attempt to free Victor Zsasz. Batman and Robin intervene, and we learn with certainty Zach's connection to Zsasz.
Later, Damian openly accuses Principal Stone of being Mistress Harsh, aka Shush, because Zach could only attempt to free Zsasz with the skill he showed if he was trained by someone with assassin knowledge. The issue ends with a visit to one of Man-Bat's old labs after Batman's warning system triggers, and the visit reveals an old Robin ally has come to town.
If that seems like a lot, that's because it is, but Williamson keeps the plot moving, clean, and clear, so you definitely feel you're getting your money's worth for the cover price.
What's great about Batman And Robin #6? The highlight of the issue is the growing Bond between Bruce and Damian as they begin to find a personal relationship dynamic that works. In short, Bruce and Damian are beginning to see each other as father and son, and it works.
What's not so great about Batman And Robin #6? The "mystery" surrounding Principal Stone's identity seems needlessly drawn out and pointless. How easy would it be for Batman to get a DNA sample or confirm Principal's Stone personal history records? The mystery only works if you suspend enough disbelief that Principal Stone's identity couldn't easily be sussed out by the world's greatest detective, so it doesn't work.
How's the art? Nikola Čižmešija's strongly Manga-influenced style is a perfect fit for the action and emotional beats in Williamson's script. Unfortunately, figure details are lost on the wider panels, so the art looks great until it doesn't.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Bits and Pieces:
Batman And Robin #6 is a surprisingly entertaining and wholesome entry in the series when the Dynamic Duo stops crime while starting to build a familial bond. Williamson's emotional beats and relationship dynamic are on point, and Čižmešija's looks great during the emotional and action scenes. However, the mystery surrounding Principal Stone is starting to get silly, and Čižmešija's art loses too much character detail in the wider panels.
Is Zach really the obsessed son of Victor Zsasz? In Batman And Robin #6, you find out for sure, and Joshua Williamson puts readers on a heck of a ride to find out. The Manga influences are more evident in this issue than any other in this series, and maybe that's a good thing.
When last we left the father/son duo of Bruce and Damian, the current Boy Wonder's belief that Principal Stone is really Mistress Harsh, aka Shush, led to a deep dive into all students. Damian learned Zach's past records smelled more than fishy, which led to a surveillance operation that uncovered Zach's obsession with his father, Victor Zsasz?!?
Now, Batman and Robin arrange a stakeout at Zsasz's appeal hearing, which happens to be the only day Zach skips school to keep an eye out for shenanigans. The Dynamic Duo doesn't have to wait long. A skilled ninja attacks the police caravan in an attempt to free Victor Zsasz. Batman and Robin intervene, and we learn with certainty Zach's connection to Zsasz.
Later, Damian openly accuses Principal Stone of being Mistress Harsh, aka Shush, because Zach could only attempt to free Zsasz with the skill he showed if he was trained by someone with assassin knowledge. The issue ends with a visit to one of Man-Bat's old labs after Batman's warning system triggers, and the visit reveals an old Robin ally has come to town.
If that seems like a lot, that's because it is, but Williamson keeps the plot moving, clean, and clear, so you definitely feel you're getting your money's worth for the cover price.
What's great about Batman And Robin #6? The highlight of the issue is the growing Bond between Bruce and Damian as they begin to find a personal relationship dynamic that works. In short, Bruce and Damian are beginning to see each other as father and son, and it works.
What's not so great about Batman And Robin #6? The "mystery" surrounding Principal Stone's identity seems needlessly drawn out and pointless. How easy would it be for Batman to get a DNA sample or confirm Principal's Stone personal history records? The mystery only works if you suspend enough disbelief that Principal Stone's identity couldn't easily be sussed out by the world's greatest detective, so it doesn't work.
How's the art? Nikola Čižmešija's strongly Manga-influenced style is a perfect fit for the action and emotional beats in Williamson's script. Unfortunately, figure details are lost on the wider panels, so the art looks great until it doesn't.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Bits and Pieces:
Batman And Robin #6 is a surprisingly entertaining and wholesome entry in the series when the Dynamic Duo stops crime while starting to build a familial bond. Williamson's emotional beats and relationship dynamic are on point, and Čižmešija's looks great during the emotional and action scenes. However, the mystery surrounding Principal Stone is starting to get silly, and Čižmešija's art loses too much character detail in the wider panels.
8/10
I enjoyed the issue, though I agree the mystery is being drawn out a little too long. But for me the mystery is about Man-Bat and the genetic experiments.
ReplyDeleteI don't like this series very much. I think Williamson writes a very good Damian but he doesn't write a good Bruce/Batman. He feels way out of character, not because he is opening up to Damian, those parts of the issues are actually the highlights of the series but rather his abilities and the way he talks as Batman doesn't line up with how he usually is. One example is the overuse of calling Damian 'son' in almost every sentence. He only called him by name once, now this might just be me, but it doesn't sound natural and i have not heard parents around me talk like that. It just feels like the writer wants you to not forget Damian is Bruce's son and comes off very insecure in writing. It also doesn't match Bruce's way of speaking. Back then him calling his sons 'son' was something special because it outlined important moments. But now both here and almost in every version of him in Tom Taylor's comics you won't get a breathing room without the writer outlining and spelling it aloud for the audience that they are family and it doesn't make the dynamic between the family as natural as it was before and I am saying this as a Batfamily fan. It feels fanservicey. If the plot was good i wouldn't have cared that much about these details or how Batman is so nerfed to allow this plot to happen but it isn't. Specially if you compare it to Tomasi's run on this duo. It's night and day.
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