Damian has been kidnapped! Now, Batman is frantically on the pursuit of his son’s captor, Memento. While still feeling the effects of the Gravedigger’s Poppy toxin, even the illustrious detective is having difficulties trying to figure out what to do next. But even with Damian gone, the Boy Wonder might still be able to help out his father in this dire time. Hugo Petrus and Juni Ba make guest appearances for artwork in certain sections, while Miguel Mendonça returns to illustrate the present-day sequences of Batman and Robin #20. Here are my thoughts on this latest issue.
I’ve thought that this run by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and co. has been pretty solid so far. While it’s had its ups and downs, I’ve been engaged with the main mystery surrounding Memento and I’ve appreciated the horror elements that have been reflected in the artwork. But after reading the prior six issues, I’m starting to feel that the story is meandering a bit. With issue #20, we take a bit of a breather to reset things in an interlude type of issue where multiple artists come in to assist with the story, and I thought that aspect was pretty creative.
First, Hugo Petrus starts off the issue with in-universe artwork inside Thomas Wayne’s journal. It was an interesting way to start the issue because it shows how Bruce’s father feels about being absent in his son’s life and what he can do to be a better father. That mirrors what Bruce is going through with Damian, and it leads into the present-day sequences. Once we’re in the present day, we get brief cameos of pretty much all of the Bat Family members during the aftermath of Damian’s kidnapping; which was cool.
One of my slight grievances in the story right now is how long Batman has been feeling the effects of the Gravedigger’s Poppy toxin. While I have somewhat enjoyed the slow and methodical way Johnson has been telling this story, I think that certain elements, like Batman’s condition, are just dragging now and feeling too sluggish. Hopefully that story element gets resolved soon.
My favorite part of the issue was Juni Ba’s involvement with his artwork. After coming off of his wonderful miniseries, The Boy Wonder, from the Black Label imprint (check out our review of the series here), Ba returns to draw Damian in this in-universe comic that Damian made. Ba has such a unique style that lends perfectly to this particular situation where Batman is reading this comic that Damian created. This section of the issue dives deep into how Damian perceives himself after what happened with the little girl at Sacred Heart Medical Center earlier in the run and how he wants to pursue other avenues besides being Robin.
While that section by Ba might seem fun and inconsequential on surface, it really does push the story forward and I just thought Johnson’s writing here was superb. Also, Steve Wands was the unsung hero in this issue as his lettering was seamless with all of the different art styles.
Recommended if…
- You appreciate a creative structure in storytelling.
- You are a fan of Juni Ba’s artwork.
- You think Batman needs to detox… like yesterday.
Overall
Batman and Robin #20 is one of the better issues of Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s run. Even with it being an interlude-type of issue, the way the story was structured was really creative. The guest artists, Hugo Petrus and Juni Ba, did their thing and were welcome additions. And while I hope we come to a resolution to this story soon, I’m still intrigued in what happens next.
Score: 8/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of review.
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