Review: Batman and Robin #25
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Art: Fico Ossio
Colors: Marcelo Maiolo
Letters: Steve Wands
Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
Cy gets out of prison and goes to see the Penguin at the Iceberg Lounge before…, while Bruce and Damian have a movie night at The Monarch!
Positives
Batman and Robin #25 is the start of a new arc and it begins with a mystery, which is always a great place to start with the Dark Knight Detective! Who is Cy? Why does he go to the Iceberg Lounge? Why is he met with gunfire? Why does he want to see the Penguin? None of these questions are answered, but it’s a great set up for a mystery by writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson. Additionally, Johnson leaves the reader with a cliffhanger that begs even more questions about Cy.
Bruce and Damian have a short night as they shut down Tiger Shark, sending his henchmen scurrying elsewhere (to the Penguin?) and then have the chance to enjoy some downtime. Johnson utilizes the character development from the previous arc to provide some connectivity with this issue as Bruce is sure to praise Damian and reinforce his love for the boy. Bruce is seeming more fatherly than ever and it’s a very enjoyable take on Batman.
Positives Cont’d
Bruce’s desire to support Damian is a wonderful thing and in this issue it extends to the two going out to the movies, like normal people? And, they are like normal people, but Johnson is able to show some of the problems they have being normal, what they notice, what they’re thinking about that are decidedly the realm of Batman and Robin and not just “normal people.
Fico Ossio does a nice job on the art this issue. No complaints. He brings a lot of atmosphere and fun and exciting action when the Dynamic Duo take down Tiger Shark and gang. There’s some nice facial expression work when father and son get to talking and dry to do some “normal things.” Additionally, the interspersing of action between the movie theater and Iceberg Lounge is effective in building suspense and creating the tension leading up to the cliffhanger.
Negatives
I wouldn’t be able to find a negative here.
Verdict
Batman and Robin #25 is another very good issue in this series. As the first chapter in a new arc, it sets the stage for a mystery and the continuing development of the father/ son dynamic between Bruce and Damian that’s been the character focus of the series since Phillip Kennedy Johnson came aboard with issue #14 about a year ago. And, if you’re jumping in cold, it works just as well as a mystery for Batman with an ending that will have fallout you’ve got to come back for.
