Damian Wayne is still grieving about the death of Alfred and has his sights set on Bane to enact his revenge. His warpath has led him and Batman to Dinosaur Island where Bane has retreated to. Will Damian actually kill Bane and proceed to go down a dark road from which he can’t return?
Issue #12 starts with a flashback at Wayne Manor where Damian and Alfred are having a conversation, and Damian packs his stuff and leaves the mansion because he and Batman had some sort of disagreement and he thinks he’s being a burden. Alfred reaffirms that Damian is not a burden and that he’ll always have a home there and when they see each other next, it will be under better circumstances. Fast forward to the present and that obviously didn’t happen, and Damian charges Bane in a rage and they start to fight. Throughout the issue, there are various flashbacks to different story arcs where Alfred is giving Damian life advice and being another father figure essentially. While Damian and Bane are fighting, Batman is preoccupied with Vengeance (a.k.a. the “daughter” of Bane who happens to be his clone). Those two also get into a scuffle, and Vengeance explains to Batman that she and her father came to Dinosaur Island to build a new home for themselves, but people keep interfering.
Vengeance later reveals that the Kobra Cult approached Bane to develop a new form of venom by experimenting on dinosaurs. This new venom would only require one dose compared to the normal venom where the effects wear off. Bane agreed to help Kobra in exchange for resources and the new venom. The only caveat was that the dose of new venom gave the user not just strength, but an animalistic rage that is uncontrollable. Bane didn’t want that new venom getting out into the world, so he terminated the agreement with Kobra. After revealing that secret to Batman, Vengeance tries to kill him but gets knocked out by Maya Ducard. Meanwhile, Damian and Bane continue to beat the crap out of each other which leads to Damian defeating Bane, and Bane urges him to finish the job and kill him. Damian reflects on his past conversations with Alfred and decides to spare Bane’s life. Batman and Maya catch up to them, but then something happens to Damian and the issue ends with a cliffhanger that alludes to another epic fight that will determine the fate of Damian’s soul.
I thought this issue was a definite improvement on issue eleven, and it was tense throughout. Juan Ferreyra’s artwork continues to be the standout. The extended fight scenes between Damian and Bane were particularly beautiful and down right brutal. The illustrations definitely elevated Joshua Williamson’s writing and through the artwork, I could feel Damian’s anger and pain when he finally faced off against the man who killed Alfred. Batman was once again sidelined, and I felt is only purpose this issue was to get an exposition dump from Vengeance about Bane’s true motivations. While I didn’t mind that too much since the Damian/Bane conflict is the obvious focal point of this arc, I just wanted Batman to have a little more to do. I also appreciated jumping back and forth with the flashbacks because they gave insight into what Damian is going through mentally. While again the story isn’t groundbreaking, I still left with anticipation for the next issue which I think will be concluding this arc and Williamson’s run on Batman & Robin (feel free to fact check me on that in the comments).
Recommended if…
- If you enjoyed the previous issue.
- If you want to see some bad*** fight scenes between Robin and Bane.
- If you want to marvel at Juan Ferreyra’s amazing artwork.
Overall
Batman & Robin #12 was a fun read, and I’m excited to see how the arc ends. If Williamson is indeed ending his run on the next issue, I think he’ll end on a strong note as this story has been quite enjoyable. I have definitely become a fan of Juan Ferreyra and will be on the look out for what project he does next. Now, will Damian break Bane next issue? I can’t wait to find out.
Score: 8.5/10
