Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Batman and Robin #8
DC Comics
Morrison & Stewart
The mystery of the Batman body is solved in this comic book. The current Batman (Dick) has taken Bruce Wayne's body and dipped it into the Lazarus Pit in hopes of giving Batman a rebirth. When what rises from the pit isn't exactly what Dick has in mind we get a Batman versus Batman comic book. The story has some very good elements to it. It also has some confusing ones as well, such as the random inclusion of Batwoman. However, for the most part this is an action packed issue that gives a decent story behind it. It's not one of Morrison's best efforts but it is a good comic book nonetheless.
Batman (Dick), Batwoman, Knight and Squire all watch as Batman rises from the pit. At this point they all begin to realize this creature might not be Bruce Wayne. Instead it appears to be a Batman clone leftover from the Final Crisis mini series from 2008-2009. The Bat-clone is mad and takes it out on Dick.
This battle lasts for about ten pages and is the source of some very good elements and some very bad ones. Dick understands through the way the Bat-clone is fighting that it is not Bruce Wayne. This is conveyed very well through the artistic direction of the fight. It does actually look like Bat-clone is trying to kill while Batman-Dick is not. This scene is also aided by the rip in Bat-clone's costume on his right breast. Without this carefully placed nuisance the pair would be impossible to differentiate making this battle scene confusing and too long.
This sequence has two major annoyances in it. First, on page eleven of the story on the top row, right panel, a word balloon is coming from Bat-clone when it is obviously meant to be from Batman-Dick. This is the second issue in a row where word balloons are screwed up and there is simply no excuse for this type of mistake. Secondly, Dick's got a pair of electronic knuckles that seem to light up on some panels and not on others. I found this to be confusing and the inconsistency led me to question which character was whom unnecessarily.
The comic has two other pieces, one of which works well and the other does not. The return of Damian to Alfred's care and their interaction is perfect. If there is a Damian as Batman era I hope Alfred is around for it because the pair is pitch perfect.
What does not work is the appearance and exit of Batwoman. I still don't understand why she is in this issue and what the plan was for her to leave the issue. Its possible Morrison has plans for her later on down the pike, but for now this seemed like the type of guest that a Jeph Loeb comic would drop in for no apparent reason.
The artwork does a nice job telling the story. It's probably not a lot of fun to draw the same two characters fighting each other in close quarters page after page but the comic book makes use of all of the character's personalities and quirks in the artwork helping to tell a visually compelling story.
This is a good comic book. I may not understand the Batwoman piece but there is a lot to like in this issue. Without the word balloon gaff this would be a four geek goggle comic book. I hope next issue doesn't have any more errors as I look forward to another great fight with Bat-clone.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
