It's time for a change.

[arbre_rieur]

Four pages from BATMAN AND ROBIN 1...

Comments

[darkknightjrk]

Yeah, I think any worry of Batman going uber-grimdark because of the relaunch has been effectively evaporated. I really love this idea, and I hope it sticks. :D

[thormonger]

Wow, Damian's a little asshat. Good on Bruce for trying to move on, though.
(Still, I'm not interested enough to pick up any Bat-titles in the DCnU.)

[shadowpsykie]

well... he's pretty much only like this with Bruce... yeah his an ass... but with Bruce (as steph and Tim both pointed out) grossly over compensates when around Bruce.

[shadowpsykie]

wow.... this is actually pretty incredible....

[tpsreports]

Once again, the compressed timeline simply doesn't work. That being said, how long before a writer forgets about this completely?

[arbre_rieur]

Yes, but I'd argue it never worked. Comic book time was always something you couldn't think about too hard without it all coming down like a house of cards. I think it wasicon_uk who pointed out that Dick Grayson's celebrated over thirty Christmases while he was still Robin. Nothing's broken that wasn't already broken.

[sun_man]

Ugh this was kind of mediocre. I love Damian, but we are retreading this same old plot line/motif. Damian has grown all ready and proved himself. I read Morrison's version and he's probably going to do a better job than this one.

Issue is solid, but not groundbreaking. Just comes off as generic BAtman

[shadowpsykie]

well he has and he hasn't grown... its one thing to grow with Dick and Steph and even cass and tim... but Bruce is a comepletely different story, both bruce and damian have... issues with each other. Damian wether he wants to admit it or not is constantly trying to earn his father's approval... some how when that happens...the ass button gets pushed...

[heckfire]

...and WHY do we want to read about this little shit again..?

[aaron_bourque]

Because Damian's asshattery is what makes him so awesome.

[abriel]

Good on Bats for wanting to move on but this might be the second time in my life I have really wished for the ability to reach through the comics page and smack a fictional character.

I know he's kind of supposed to be that way, but this new Robin is a little spaz.

[icon_uk]

I don't think "spaz" is the sort of term s_d looks kindly on. "Aggravating little shit" might work better.

[icon_uk]

I love Bruce deciding to celebrate his parent's wedding anniversary rather than the day they died.

Damian is a little OTT, and I'd have like some recognition that Damian might be "suffering" in his missing of Dick as his mentor.

[kenn_el]

I liked that as well until I realized that it's probably highly insensitive of Bruce considering that Damian doesn't have an equivalent event involving his own parents to relate to.

[whitesycamore]

"lol IDGAF about your dead parents."

Nice. Real nice, Damian. Um... so why exactly *does* Bruce trust/feel absolutely any fatherly obligation towards at all/not chuck Damian into an incinerator again?

[icon_uk]

Because, whatever his origin, Damian IS his son, and he's not going to let his mothers side of the family destroy him, and since Damian has already forsworn Talia, what other family does he have.

Plus, I'm given to understand that resisting the overwhelming urge to chuck your progeny in an incinerator at least once in your parenting life is considered to be par for the course.

[fifthie]

God that kid has a case of smackmouth

[eyz]

How long before another writer decides to have Bruce in another comic celebrate his parents death again?...what? Probably next January I hear?

XD

But I'd have preferred Damian to stick with Dick overall, it's just looks like the "Batman & Robin" title is starting all over again here..

[fifthie]

Every time a comics writer has someone do something for the LAST TIME they should have to put a dollar in some kind of jar.

If it involves Batman's parents, two dollars.

[midnightvoyager]

uggggggggggggggggggggh

Could not care less. I know this is supposed to be uplifting or whatever, but I found myself skimming and going "My parents are deeeaaaad" "I'm an asshole but I'm Batman's kid so I can't be killed nyah!" for all of the dialog.

It doesn't feel like a Change, it feels dull and lifeless and the only emotion I had during the whole thing was the continuing desire to introduce Damien to a crowbar.

[icon_uk]

Except the whole point is that even BATMAN now feels "My parents are deeeead" has been run into the ground and achieves nothing of note, so he's changing his outlook.

[jcbaggee]

The panel where he says he'll be celebrating the wedding anniversary. Did anyone else chuckle at that?

"Yup! Time to move on, accept that my parents are dead and stop commemorating the day of their death! Just gonna do the wedding now."

I guess "My parents are MARRRIIIEEED" won't have the same ring to it, either.

(Regardless, great issue and a cool Batman idea.)

[brain_floss]

I made the same reaction when reading that. XD

[jaybee3]

Is this the same Peter Tomasi who wrote Damien as deeply troubled and moved by having to dig out his grandparent's corpses with Dick in Blackest Night: Batman (an event that Didio said still happened in the DCnU)? After Gates of Gotham (still continuity per Scott Snyder) one would think Damien would try to get in touch with his Wayne side (especially you know - since on the Al Ghul side his OTHER grandfather tried to use his body for a vessel for his resurrection and his mom is gestating a Damien clone).

[icon_uk]

I would have thought that having to dig up possibly zombie grandparents is probably going to innure you to them for quite some time!

[aaron_bourque]

Wait, all the locks and passwords are set to the same number?

. . . that's not properly paranoid enough for Batman.

The rest, I love. Damian hasn't learned to respect Batman in person yet, Bruce is trying to be patient, the changing of the date of honoring his parents, the reasons for changing those dates . . . "It's my boat."

My god, they're both ten years old.

[icon_uk]

I fully expect Dick to have to play stern parent to BOTH of them the next time he visits and finds them at loggerheads.

[tsunamiwombat]

This is a beautiful scene.

I give it a Month before MY PARENTS ARE DEEAAADD comes back.

[salinea]

This... looks good.

[pyrotwilight]

If ever their were a moment for Flashpoint's Batman to pop in and smack Damian senseless now would be it. Or even Flashpoint's Joker.

[sir_mikael]

Aw that is actually pretty awesome. Heh, loved Alfred's line.

That said.... Tonight's the night we're gonna make it happen
Tonight we'll put all other things aside
Get in this time and show me some affection
We're goin' for those pleasures in the night
I want to love you, feel you, wrap myself around you
I want to squeeze you, please you, I just can't get enough
And if you move real slow I let it go
I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
I'm about to lose control and I think I like it
I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
And I know I know I know I know I know I want you...

Ignore any sexual inappropriateness of Batman singing this in the scene.

[heckfire]

I think Damian needs a grown-up now.

Let's do some math

[cypherfdp]

Bruce + Dick = Grimdark + Cheerful = SUCCESSFUL
Bruce + Jason = Grimdark + Grimdark = FAILED
Bruce + Tim = Grimdark + Cheerful = SUCCESSFUL
Dick + Damian = Cheerful + Grimdark = SUCCESSFUL
Bruce + Damian = ???

Re: Let's do some math

[espanolbot]

Bruce + Steph = Grimdark + cheerful = Failed, because wasn't sincere about giving her a chance.

[espanolbot]

I think that this looks interesting. Bruce not having that much patience with Damian's nonsense seems to be carried over from Morrison's Batman stuff, though as previously mentioned above Damian does have a tendency to act up around Bruce, as his idea of how Bruce'd like him to act doesn't gel with what Bruce actually wants mixed with Damian not understanding why Bruce does what he does.

[stillanerd]

At least we now know Alfred hasn't been remade into a holographic AI like Detective Comics #1 appeared to suggest. Which now proves how clumsy that particular scene between Batman and Alfred from Detective really was.

[an_idol_mind]

Love it. I love seeing Batman being an actual MAN and not a Batdick.

Between this and his smiling in Justice League, I have a good feeling about the new Batman.

[nezchan]

Do not scoff, Batman has trained his whole LIFE to be the best at making paper boats!

[leikomgwtfbbq]

...I like this Batman!

Still hate Damian, though. Can we kick him out and get someone better yet? Like... IDK, young-Steph?