Monday, November 13, 2023

Batman and Robin #3 Review

   

      


Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Simone Di Meo
Colors by: Simone Di Meo
Letters by: Steve Wands
Cover art by: Simone Di Meo (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: November 14, 2023


Batman And Robin #3 puts the Dynamic duo in a Catch-22. Capture Shush to save White Rabbit or diffuse a bomb before it blows up the prison.
Is Batman And Robin #3 Good?

 Batman And Robin #3 is an oddly contradictory comic book. Joshua Williamson firmly establishes this story takes place amid the events of the Gotham War, but Bruce and Damian are on the outs in the Gotham War. Shush clearly has created a persona based on Tommy Elliot's character, Hush, but she confirms in this issue she has nothing to do with Hush. The more you follow this series, the more it becomes a convoluted conundrum of contradictions with a plot that hasn't come together yet.

When last we left the Dynamic Duo, Batman still grappled with his injection of bat pheromones that make him a moving target for a relentless swarm of hungry (horny?) bats. Meanwhile, Robin's first day of school goes about as badly as you'd suspect. Now, Batman and Robin accidentally cross paths at the prison where White Rabbit is held to find out what she knows, but Shush and the Terrible Trio arrive to bring White Rabbit to Shush's master. Batman gets the drop on Shush while Robin attempts to get White Rabbit to safety, but the standoff takes a terrible turn when Shush's explosive exit strategy forces the Dark Knight to make a decision about who to chase.

The aforementioned contradictions take a toll on the plot because Williamson keeps introducing new ideas and doesn't follow through on them or bridge past plot points with current ones. Damian's adventure in school was amusing for five minutes but is barely mentioned in this issue. The bat pheromone problem turned out to be a major headache in the last issue, but it's only briefly mentioned in this issue. Williamson's ideas are tangentially related to what's happening, but there's no connective tissue to pull it together.

What's great about Batman And Robin #3? Well, there's plenty of Dynamic Duo action with the two working together as a team, something we haven't seen for a while. If you pretend Gotham War never happened (as you should), this series has potential with a better plot.

What's not so great about Batman And Robin #3? I still have no idea what this series is about. At best, we know a genetic scientist was kidnapped for unknown reasons by an unknown person, and that's it. If, after three issues, you can't describe the plot in a simple sentence or two, the writer made a drastic oopsie.

How's the art? Simone Di Meo's slick, dynamic art mostly works when it's applied in the right spots. In still, dramatic scenes or scenes with plenty of fast-paced action, the art looks great. When you get quick, nuanced movements in smaller scenes, Di Meo relies too heavily on closeups to the point where you almost can't tell what's happening. For example, there's a prologue scene where Batman and Damian have an exchange involving a book, and I legitimately can't describe what happened.


About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces:

Batman And Robin #3 benefits from high energy, fast-paced action, and (mostly) great art. That said, there are too many contradictory plot developments, and the point of the story is still a mystery

6/10

1 comment:

  1. I am sorry. I really really tried and as someone who was a fan of this concept a lot and have read previous Damian and Bruce runs and also the recent Robin run meticulously ( a bit mixed with Robin, good character moments for Damian, very well written progression, interesting concept but not good villains and also contrary to popular opinion I don't like Flatline at all. Too thinly written and nonsensical. I did like Ravager and Hawke in that series alot though.), I simply can't tolerate this series with this art. It's too distracting and loud even when it's good which is not most of the times and there is absolutely no character expressions or shadowing to faces that convey an inner thought or a mood. Very flat but also at the same time cluttered and badly coloured. I can't focus on the plot with thhis art but maybe that's just me.

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