Batman and Robin #17 Review

All hell has broken out at Arkham Tower where Memento has struck once again. Batman was in the middle of interrogating Scarecrow about his potential connection to the mysterious villain, and now he has to fight his way out of all the hysteria. Meanwhile, Robin is still questioning if he should continue crime fighting or not. But he’ll have to suit up once more to save his father. I’ve been really enjoying this run so far with the last issue being a turning point for me after a slow start. Will issue #17 continue to be another solid entry? Here are my thoughts.

Once again, I thought this issue of Batman & Robin was really good. While I thought the last issue was a little bit more captivating, I was still riveted throughout. Phillip Kennedy Johnson has crafted a mystery where he leaves me wanting more after each issue, but I’m also still fulfilled each time. Layers surrounding Memento are starting to unfold, and it seems Dr. Bashar might not be what he seems. Ra’s al Ghul might also be involved and that had me intrigued.

While I haven’t been 100% on board with Damian’s subplot in this arc, I’m glad that he got more to do in this issue. I liked how he brought up some valid points to his father about how his time as Batman could be a reason why all the crazy stuff transpires in Gotham. And it looks like we’re going to see him team up with Katherine Lautrec next issue, and I’m excited to see how their dynamic plays out.

Javi Fernández returns for artwork duty, and he doesn’t miss a beat. His illustrations were both beautiful and haunting in certain sequences especially during the parts in Arkham where Batman is having hallucinations from the Gravedigger’s Poppy. The visuals were very psychedelic, and they just fit for that particular scenario in Arkham. I appreciated the horror elements that were infused in the story, and the artwork reflected that. Colorist Marcelo Maiolo has been the unsung hero in this arc. His use of red, orange, and yellow in the sequences in Arkham elevated the chaos that was going on. The stark contrast between the colors in Arkham and the light blues and whites in the hospital with Damian really stood out to me.

Recommended if…

You like compelling mysteries in your Batman stories.
You’ve been a fan of the artwork throughout this run.
You want to see a cameo from a fan-favorite character (well I like this character).

Overall

Batman & Robin has been consistently solid so far in this run and issue #17 is no different. We’re officially past the halfway point in this arc, and I feel that Phillip Kennedy Johnson and the entire creative team working on this will continue to provide great storytelling. Plus (spoilers ahead…), how will the inclusion of Jason Todd affect the conclusion? I love me some Red Hood! I’m looking forward to the next issue, and you should too.

Score: 8/10

DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of review.

5 comments

Kaingerc

January 10, 2025

I liked this issue, but please, is it too much to ask to keep Damien's mental and physical maturity consistent.
Even just in this comic, from artist to artist, his height keeps changing.

Sophronius

January 10, 2025

Again, the art is great, but the second Damian puts on his mask and gets on his motorcycle he suddenly turns into a children's toy. I am convinced that editorial mandated that Damian looks like that so that they can sell action figures because he's totally out of place with the rest of the gloomy and serious art.

The characterization is also off. Damian just seems to be throwing any complaints he can at the wall to see what sticks. First it's the dead girl, then he throws Alfred's death in Batman's face, then he complains about being the son of such a great man (as if Damian wasn't raised with far greater expectations by his mother. Damian was literally the only Robin who wasn't impressed by Bruce), and finally he starts throwing out old comic cliche's about "are we the baddies". It's tired and lazy writing.

And yet I still enjoyed it.

The fact that this comic is far above average in terms of art and characterization despite the above is saying something.

Kaingerc
January 11, 2025
the problem is that the standards are so low with the writing in comics recently, that we are praising well written characters and character interactions even if they are written our of previously established characterizations.
It would make sense that a generic Robin would have this argument with Bruce, but not Damien with his history.
1. Sophronius
  January 11, 2025
  *Damian :)
  But yeah, that's exactly right. There already is a Robin who is insecure about his abilities and who is not sure he can live up to Batman's expectations while juggling his personal life at the same time - his name is Tim Drake. But because editorial has decreed that Tim is "the gay Robin", he only gets LGTB arcs now, and all generic teenager stuff gets shoved onto Damian instead.
  Plus, I think all the Damian-haters out there have convinced them that Damian is unpopular (he isn't, he's just controversial) and so they need to "fix" him by surgically removing everything that makes him unique. I wonder how much of this is caused by them getting their reader impressions from social media.
  But about those low standards... yeah. The thing is, just the fact that the author of this comic is aware that you need to have such things as "character arcs" and "plot development" and "pacing" puts this comic way above the rest.

January 14, 2025

Oddly, Damian asking whether the villians were because of Batman was the one plot point that didn't work for me. Damian is the grandson of the "Immortal Ras al Ghul". More than anyone, Damian would know that super villains pre date Batman and have a global reach. Gotham, as Talia has pointed out, is a pebble in the criminal pound.

Kaingerc
January 10, 2025
I liked this issue, but please, is it too much to ask to keep Damien's mental and physical maturity consistent.
Even just in this comic, from artist to artist, his height keeps changing.
Sophronius
January 10, 2025
Again, the art is great, but the second Damian puts on his mask and gets on his motorcycle he suddenly turns into a children's toy. I am convinced that editorial mandated that Damian looks like that so that they can sell action figures because he's totally out of place with the rest of the gloomy and serious art.
The characterization is also off. Damian just seems to be throwing any complaints he can at the wall to see what sticks. First it's the dead girl, then he throws Alfred's death in Batman's face, then he complains about being the son of such a great man (as if Damian wasn't raised with far greater expectations by his mother. Damian was literally the only Robin who wasn't impressed by Bruce), and finally he starts throwing out old comic cliche's about "are we the baddies". It's tired and lazy writing.
And yet I still enjoyed it.
The fact that this comic is far above average in terms of art and characterization despite the above is saying something.
1. Kaingerc
  January 11, 2025
  the problem is that the standards are so low with the writing in comics recently, that we are praising well written characters and character interactions even if they are written our of previously established characterizations.
  It would make sense that a generic Robin would have this argument with Bruce, but not Damien with his history.
  1. Sophronius
    January 11, 2025
    *Damian :)
    But yeah, that's exactly right. There already is a Robin who is insecure about his abilities and who is not sure he can live up to Batman's expectations while juggling his personal life at the same time - his name is Tim Drake. But because editorial has decreed that Tim is "the gay Robin", he only gets LGTB arcs now, and all generic teenager stuff gets shoved onto Damian instead.
    Plus, I think all the Damian-haters out there have convinced them that Damian is unpopular (he isn't, he's just controversial) and so they need to "fix" him by surgically removing everything that makes him unique. I wonder how much of this is caused by them getting their reader impressions from social media.
    But about those low standards... yeah. The thing is, just the fact that the author of this comic is aware that you need to have such things as "character arcs" and "plot development" and "pacing" puts this comic way above the rest.
J
January 14, 2025
Oddly, Damian asking whether the villians were because of Batman was the one plot point that didn't work for me. Damian is the grandson of the "Immortal Ras al Ghul". More than anyone, Damian would know that super villains pre date Batman and have a global reach. Gotham, as Talia has pointed out, is a pebble in the criminal pound.

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