Review: ‘Batman & Robin’ #5 Explores Legacy

Batman & Robin was pitched to readers as a reunion of the titular characters with some monster fights thrown in for good measure. What it’s become instead is an unexpected exploration of legacy in a very interesting way.

Joshua Williamson, Nicola Cizmesija, Rex Lokus and Steve Wands introduce an unexpected heir to a familiar Gotham face.

Damian is still adjusting to his new life in high school while he and Bruce still are hunting Man-Bat and Shush at nights. Damian seems to think he knows all the answers to the mystery. What Robin doesn’t realize is that there’s so much more to Gotham High School and his classmates than he could have even dreamed.

I didn’t expect this issue to go in the direction that it did. Frankly, the reveal that an evolved Man-Bat was the big villain of the story was very nearly a jump the shark moment for this series. However, the focus on Robin and the reveal of a new villainous legacy puts this series in a new light. Now, there’s a new Man-Bat (even if he’s in the same body), Shush, and as of the last page of this issue, Kid Zsasz. It’s morphed the series from over-the-top action to a fun action book with a strong thematic undercurrent that has totally reengaged my interest.

I like Cizmesija’s work on the series a lot. He’s cartoony enough that the monstrous elements of the story don’t stick out. His figure work recalls a lot of the feel of the main line, but makes the mundane feel as real and engaging as the superheroes that are the focus of the bulk of the issue. The only negative is that the design of the last page reveal character is so different from the original that it feels very out of nowhere.

I like Lokus and Wands’ work on the book. Lokus balances the grim colors that fit into Gotham’s stories with the day time action of the school scenes. And Wands makes the story clear and easy to follow, even through a large amount of information.

Batman & Robin  #5 is available now from DC Comics.