Batman and Robin #14
Kevin Rossi
Recap
Damian Wayne is the son of the Bat, grandson of the Demon, and Robin — but as he nears the age at which his father traveled the world, one question is on his mind: Who is Damian outside of the crusades his family has tasked him with fighting since birth? When he starts to look beyond his life of endless violence, a different way to help the world begins to present itself — but when an enigmatic new murderer begins reenacting traumatic crimes from Gotham's history, Batman will need Robin more than ever before! 
Review
This is a big month for DC and fans. The Dawn of DC has ended, making way for DC All In, the new initiative that coincides with the new Absolute Universe line. With the return of the classic bullet logo and new trade dressing, there is some great synergy going on at DC. While DC All In is bringing readers a whole new universe this week with Absolute Batman #1, the new initiative also marks a new creative team for Batman and Robin. Batman and Robin #14 is written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, drawn by Javier Fernández, colored by Marcelo Maiolo, and lettered by Steve Wands. The new creative team wastes no time introducing the next chapter of the series with some exciting and fast-paced action where Batman and Robin take down multiple vehicles filled with Gotham City criminals. Everything from the dialogue, the art, and the lettering does an excellent job of showing readers how efficient Batman and Robin are when they work together.
Fernandez’s work on Nightwing proved that he can handle the physicality of these characters. The opening car chase alone should be enough for readers to be on board with the art. Maiolo’s colors feel subtle and do an excellent job highlighting Fernandez’s pencils. The color palette uses a lot of cool tones for most of the issue giving the book a dark feel without the heavy use of black until darkness is needed in the story. Joshua Williamson put a lot of work into Damian with multiple series that informed the initial issues of Batman and Robin. The relationship between Batman and Robin got equal play as the relationship between Bruce and Damian. That character development is there here, but Johnson flips it on its head and blurs the line between the costumed heroes and the men who wear them. As great as the opening is, Johnson has Bruce and Damian in tuxedos at a charity dinner for the majority of the issue which does a lot of fun things. For one, we see Damian learning how to be a Wayne. Readers also see how the two react to trouble without their suits and gear. Johnson throws a lot at readers to kick off his run but doesn’t overwhelm it with new ideas.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Batman and Robin #14 is an excellent debut for this creative team. It already feels a lot more straightforward than the previous arcs, which might attract new readers. One downside to this issue is Damian seems to be a lot younger than he was when Williamson was writing, but that doesn’t mean the character development is gone. It will be interesting to see what this creative team does with this series. Johnson is no stranger to family dynamics and he has proven that he can tackle big ideas with laser focus.
Batman and Robin #14: A Fresh Start
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10
