Batman and Robin #9: Detention

There are a lot of Batman titles to choose from these days, so that means there is a book for everyone. For many, Batman and Robin have been the book that is somewhat of a return to form for the Caped Crusader. For the most part, the series has been straightforward and not bogged down by other things from concurrent titles. Joshua Williamson has been successfully giving readers a book about Batman and Robin, the father and son crime-fighting duo. The series has also done a lot to give Damian some much-needed character development, and even bring back fan favorites like Flatline. It has been a blast to see this side of Damian; less angry and edgy and happier with friends. Williamson has done a great job with this series, and interweaving more Damian-centric plots like Mistress Harsh, who is revealed to be Principle Stone, with the Batman and Robin-centric plots like Man-Bat and Shush. A lot happens in Batman and Robin #9, but it is delivered organically and not rushed. Part of why the pacing in this issue works is because of the art, which is split up into two pairs of artists and colorists.

Simone Di Meo’s art with Giovanna Niro’s colors is undeniably spectacular and delivers some incredible images, but the visuals could potentially be jarring because it’s so stylized. On the other hand, ?ižmešija has a distinct style but is much more approachable for this story. Di Meo’s sections of this issue, pages 1-5 and then 22-24, serve their purpose, and the same goes for pages 6-21 which features Nikola ?ižmešija on art with Rex Lokus contributing colors. It is great to see ?ižmešija and Lokus back. The majority of their section deals with Damian and Flatline at school during the day, which is the major difference between the two artists’ duos. Di Meo thrives in dark spaces, like Man-Bat’s own Batcave.