When we last left the Dynamic Duo, an unexpected fire started in the sub-basement of the Sacred Heart Medical Center during a fundraiser they were both attending. Both are without their gear and hero suits, and a new enemy has emerged to confront Bruce while Damian deals with his own problems. The All-In era team of Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Javi Fernández, and Marcelo Maiolo had a good start with issue #14. Will issue #15 keep up the intrigue? Let’s get into it.

I thought that Batman & Robin #15 was another solid issue. My feelings are pretty much similar to how I felt after reading the first issue. Johnson is starting to bring more emotional depth to the characters, specifically Damian, as he grapples with dealing with a traumatic event that takes place in this issue. Johnson once again showcases Bruce and Damian’s father-son dynamic especially when Bruce has to comfort his son after the said traumatic event. I was surprised how dark the tone got in this issue and how the stakes were raised because we’re still so early on in the run. I appreciated the creative risks that Johnson took. The mystery is building, and I also appreciated the detective aspects. Javi Fernández’s illustrations continue to be another standout. The art style reminds me of the artwork back in the 1980s with a modern twist.

Marcelo Maiolo’s colors have been elevating the artwork as well, and the colors for the fire scenes had me feeling the heat. While there were many things to enjoy about this issue, I still had a couple qualms.

The main issue I had is the story’s pacing. It felt a little disjointed to me because there was so much happening, but some of the story beats did not feel necessary. There’s a flashback section that is a couple of pages (drawn by Carmine Di Giandomenico) that felt shoehorned in. I understand the reasoning of why it’s in there, but I felt that it just hindered the momentum in the issue. While I will give the creative team the benefit of the doubt and will wait to see how the story further unravels, I just wanted to get a little more insight into the new villain, Memento, and what his motivations are. I will admit that my opinions of both issue #14 and #15 might change depending on what happens next.

The issue starts off where the last issue ended, and Batman and Robin are dealing with their respective crisis. Batman escapes the burning boiler room, and Robin handles the chaos that’s transpiring upstairs. So the first half of the issue is them dealing with the fire and the second half of the issue is them dealing with the aftermath, Damian doubting himself, and the two further investigating into Memento. The issue ends on a cliffhanger with Memento causing some more havoc.

Recommended if…

• You enjoyed the previous issue.
• You enjoy the detective aspects of Batman stories.
• You are interested in the new villain.

Overall

Phillip Kennedy Johnson and the team produced another solid issue of Batman & Robin. While I did had some gripes about the pacing of the story, I’m still intrigued about the mystery surrounding the villain Memento and how the Dynamic Duo are going to investigate this new threat. Plus, this issue got surprisingly dark that had me feeling empathetic with what Damian was going through. Stakes have been raised. Onto the next!

Score: 7.5/10