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I'd be perfectly happy with Bruce staying dead if they could keep turning out Batman stories like this with Dick as Bats, Damien as Robin, and Tim Drake as Red Robin. Great issue.
Labelled as a “Prelude to Bruce Wayne: The Road Home”, this issue has the Bat family on the trail of a thief that has ties to an old case from when Dick Grayson was the original Robin. While chasing this Getaway Genius, Dick’s memories reveal an insight to who Bruce Wayne is as a man and as a hero.
Through the course of stopping this new version of the thief, Bruce Wayne’s son Damian is going to learn that his preconceptions of his father aren’t all that accurate and that there’s more to wearing the costume than he might of thought. Things are lining up for the return of Bruce Wayne to the DC Universe and this issue reminds readers a little of what that means to the characters of these books. Meanwhile, a certain reporter named Vicki Vale is proving to be quite the pain in Batman’s personal and professional life. But where and how does she fit in to this new Getaway Genius series of crimes?
On the outside this is just a one-off story. Batman and Robin chasing down a thief with a little detective work and some costumed adventure. But what’s at the core of this story is the lessons learned from Batman’s original “son” being passed on to his literal one. This is a great showcase of character and Fabian Nicieza handles it perfectly. For all of the action that you’ve come to expect from the Batman books, sometimes it’s the quieter moments of dialogue that carry the hardest punch.
As smart-assed as he is, Damian Wayne is still a little boy that wishes he could’ve had more time with his father and you see that in these pages. The dynamic between Bruce Wayne’s children has really been fantastic since his “death” and Nicieza handles their sibling banter with style. Damian’s smugness in trying to provoke Dick as Batman, and then seeing Dick’s patience with the fledgling hero, are the best moments of the book.
Cover art to BATMAN #703 by Tony Daniel
It’s funny but then it also hits those moments of realness in the dynamic, (more so as you get to the end of the issue). The art is good, though the colors get a little too soft and pastel-ish for me, but Cliff Richards does a fine job handling the art chores and this comes together as an entertaining book to read.
If you’re not a regular reader than you can enjoy a one-shot adventure that’s fun, but this is also a character study that longtime readers should really enjoy. It’s nice to be reminded what makes these fictional people great, but it’s also exciting to know that Bruce Wayne is on his way back and that the books are ready and waiting for him.
I’m going to go with a B+ for this issue and that’s completely due to the personal touches that Fabian Nicieza put in to this story. This is exactly what I needed from one of the Batman books right now and it’s served up with great dialogue.
I'd be perfectly happy with Bruce staying dead if they could keep turning out Batman stories like this with Dick as Bats, Damien as Robin, and Tim Drake as Red Robin. Great issue.
Good to finally see a comic review on here. It's been a little thin on them on this site lately it seems.
I'm still not sure about jumping back into Batman reading just yet, although I am keeping up with the stories and characters enough to be able to buy certain story arcs if they appeal to me enough.
Taskmaster is my look forward to read now. The first issue was everything that I had hoped for with the character. I was actually hoping for a review of that book on here, but perhaps over the next three issues it'll happen.