The Boy Wonder #4
Chad Burdette
Recap
Damian Wayne may have been struggling to live up to his father's legacy... but the last thing he ever wanted was to be returned to the clutches of his grandfather, the Demon King.
But when his worst nightmare comes true, can he rely on his mother to defend him? Or has he lost her forever to the same horrific legacy he's tried to escape?
Review
The Boy Wonder #4 is the penultimate issue of Juni Ba’s Black Label Series that has deconstructed Damian Wayne’s role as Robin, The Boy Wonder, and his place in the Wayne legacy.
This issue, unlike the previous ones delves into the other side of the young Robin’s family and his upbringing as the son of Talia Al Ghul and the grandson and heir apparent of Ras Al Ghul. The issue begins with the hostage (the narrator) and burgler who admits he was just trying to provide for his family, which leads the hostage to tell him another part of the fairytale: Damian’s relationship with the Al Ghul side of the family.
As a manner of setting this part of the story up, Ba recounts Talia’s history as well, touching on the events that originally transpired in the 1987 non-conical Son Of The Demon by Mike Barr and later mined by Grant Morrison when Damian was brought into continuity.
Ba frames Talia’s story with a prophecy of a cup and three trials that she as like the cup will experience in her life. It’s an interesting framing device but gets muddled in the middle making that part of the story unclear.
Ba also draws on other moments in Damians canon continuity like Ras trying to put his spirit in Daimain and pays some homage to the more recent Robin series where Damian returned to the League around the time of Batman vs. Robin and the Lazuras Planet event.
By the end of the issue Damian seems to have found peace with himself, his past, and family, setting up the last issue which looks to explore his relationship with his father, both as Bruce and Batman.
Final Thoughts
The Boy Wonder #4 is another solid issue further exploring and deconstructing the character of Damian Wayne and his Robin persona. The art and overall presentation of the story continues to be solid and leaving readers ready for the finale.
The Boy Wonder #4: Nature vs. Nurture
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 8.8/108.8/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10
The art is an acquired taste but I like the story. However it is not anything we have not seen before. This is kind of a rinse/wash/repeat cycle of having characters with famous tropes relive the same stories and themes. We have seen this before. There are too many Robins as it is and DC does not know how to differentiate Damian, at least until the Brave and the Bold film releases. At $6 this is expensive too, I would not want to be a kid with a meager allowance or odd job saving up to buy comics like this. Not awful, but if I had a choice I would get something else.