The Boy Wonder wraps-up with the obligatory fight between Damian and Ra's al Ghul with help from the rest of the Bat family. Does this consistently enjoyable miniseries stick the landing?
I’d say it gets pretty close. You know that joke about Batman basically being a trust fund kid who beats up poor people? Writer Juni Ba takes that criticism completely seriously in this comic. Damian acknowledges that the rampant inequality and destitution that defines much of the modern economy is a problem that Ra’s, in his own broken way, is trying to address.
Unlike Ra’s, Damian’s solution is basically community organizing. This comic ends with the Robin moniker essentially becoming the branding of a non-profit that helps people escape the cycle of poverty in Gotham.
It’s a fun idea. This series might have a childish art style, but it handles some pretty heavy themes of persistent inequality and the uselessness of the violent vengeance Batman represents. I appreciate that this comic didn’t end with Damian just experiencing his own arc of self-acceptance, but a greater awareness of how to improve the community in which he exists. I'm not sure that every reader is going to be excited about a Robin finding that civic advocacy is his passion, but it is a fun idea for a Black Label miniseries where later writers aren't going to have to deal with the implications of that choice.
I do have my problems with this final issue. For starters, it doesn’t quite escape the cheesiness of the ‘young person learns the importance of family’ trope. I knew that with each issue highlighting a different Robin would come the eventual catharsis of Damian learning that the value of the Bat family is in teamwork, but it ended up playing out in a more predictable way than I was expecting.
The comic also features a fixture of Robin comics that I find disappointing, which is Batman swooping in at the last minute. It sort of interrupts the dynamic of all of the Robins proving that they have an important part to play in protecting Gotham together is Bruce is always just going to jump in and solve the problems.
That being said, I love the way that Ba draws Batman. He looks like a children’s book version of Frank Miller’s Dark Knight. He’s squat and chunky looking, which is hilarious and awesome. We need more versions of the Bat that make him look like a wrestler.
Recommended if…
- You are a fan of Robin.
- You want to read a comic that knows how to handle Damian Wayne.
- You enjoy a wholesome ending.
Overall…
My most nostalgic comic book memories are of reading Chuck Dixon’s Robin run as a teenager. Boy Wonder recaptured some of that magic for me. I loved the episodic structure highlighting each Robin, and the way that Ba clearly has reverence for each of these characters. I don’t think there’s been such a great Bat family comic in the last two years.
