Batman vs. Robin #5 // Review
Damian is on his motorcycle when he gets a call from his mom. She tells him not to do what he’s going to do. See: Damian’s father has been possessed by a demon, and he wants to exorcise it. Turns out that’s a bad thing, though. His mother lets him know that his father is in seriously critical condition, and the demon possession is the only thing keeping him alive. So it’s kind of a complicated day for the Wayne family in Batman vs. Robin #5. Writer Mark Waid closes out the “Lazarus Planet” crossover with a dramatic issue that is brought to the page by artist Mahmud Asrar and colorist Jordie Bellaire.
The Monkey Prince fills Damian in on the situation. Various people have worn the mask of Robin over the years. It’s unlikely that any of them have been told to kill their father to save the world, but that’s more or less the situation. He gets the word out to Nightwing, the Batgirls, and a few others that they’re going to have to go after Batman. He doesn’t let them know he has to die, though. No reason to sow the seeds of cognitive dissonance before things get underway.
Waid paces the action remarkably well. The establishing scene sets up the stakes. The following scene with the Monkey Prince amplifies it. Then there’s the joy of watching every supporting character beat the hell out of Batman until Zatanna and the mystics show up to close things out. The dramatic depth of the conflict lacks a whole lot of intensity, but the action hits with a profound impact that nails everything. No other part of the Lazarus Planet crossover has had the power of the fifth issue of Batman vs. Robin.
The whole issue hinges on a scene in which nearly every supporting character in Gotham City crowds out Batman and relentlessly pummels the possessed multi-millionaire. On some level, it might be satisfying to watch that happen, but it would be appallingly dull without the kind of dynamic visualization that Asrar summons to the page. A big mass of people attacking Batman? It could easily have turned into a big, hopeless mess. Asrar gives the weight of the combat extreme intensity that carries it perfectly from panel to panel. The entire issue takes place at night in Gotham City. Asrar doesn’t give a whole lot of definition to the backgrounds. This allows Bellaire plenty of room to bathe the panels in radiance that beautifully amplifies the action.
In the end, Batman gets his Spartacus moment. Waid does a pretty good job of drawing emotion to the page, but there’s no escaping the fact that the ending to this series is breathtakingly silly. What Waid is attempting with the end of the series is admirable, but there’s just NO WAY that the magical rite involved will be anything other than a very, very weak finale to a series that could have been so much more than it was.
