Batman & Robin: War of the Robins

"And this is to prove what exactly?"

"That I am the best Robin, of course."

The 'War of the Robins' is a sort of mini-event that began in issue "Batman & Robin #10," where young Damian declares that he is the best Robin.  He promises to best Nightwing, Red Robin, and the Red Hood at their own game by taking something precious of theirs.

The current Robin has some major shoes to fill,  having his father as Batman and three prior Robins, but Damian, the tough assassin, ends up outsmarting both Tim Drake and the Red Hood; however, at the end of issue #12, Nightwing is no match for Damian.  Instead of fighting him, Nightwing merely gives Damian his Escrima Stick and a few words, essentially stopping Damian in his tracks, making him rethink his purpose of defeating the Robins at all--as Nightwing implies Damian is already apart of the legacy.

This is incredibly understandable when considering that Nightwing used to be Batman and Damian was his Robin.  Even in the new DC continuity, their relationship is unique, and represents one of the few instances that falls outside of the Wayne legacy.  The respect that these two share for one another straddles that line between father and son, as well as brothers.  Nightwing inevitably puts Damian in his place, but what Damian failed to realize beforehand is that he had already come into his own--he is a Robin.

I really enjoyed Patrick Gleason's panel in #12 (above), featuring the four Robins looking to the left in a "40's Aviation, Howard Hughes, looking to the future" sort of way.  It was what sprouted my excitement to do this post, and show a few of my other favorite panels.

Along with the art, writer Peter Tomasi does a great job of bringing the four Robins together, without disconnecting the reader from the primary plot.  I would have preferred more focus on the Robins, but if the rumor mill holds true, we may just be seeing a glimpse into the plans for a new reoccurring series titled, "The Robins."

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Reblog from "read/RANT!" - Review: Green Lantern Corps #6

Green Lantern Corps #6 finishes off the Corps’ first story arc of the new 52 by wrapping up some loose ends and posing some important questions of morality for the titles main characters.

When we last left off, John Stewartand two other Green Lanterns had been captured and are being tortured by the Keepers on their home world of Urak.  The Keepers watched over the Green Lantern Corps’ power batteries when they were tucked away in their subspace pockets, but since the Guardians decreed that all Green Lanterns are directly responsible for the whereabouts of their power batteries the Keepers have lost their purpose and their planet has fallen into ruin without the power of the batteries.  However, due to their prolonged exposure to the batteries the Keepers are all but immune to the Green Lantern’s power rings.

The Keepers are torturing John Stewart, as well as the other two lanterns, in an effort to obtain the code to Oa’s force field.  Their goal is to replace Oa as the center of the galaxy with their own world.  John Stewart takes some drastic measures in order to keep the code safe from the Keepers, and even though his actions are justified I have a feeling that the repercussions of his decisions are going to crop up in future issues.

While the Keepers are trying to glean information from the imprisoned Green Lanterns, Guy Gardner is leading his ragtag group of lanterns armed with Earth weapons and a Fear Bomb in order to save John Stewart and the others, while stopping the Keepers from executing their nefarious plan.  Because their rings are practically useless against the Keepers they plan on invading the planet the ol’ fashioned way.

Overall, I thought that the issue was solid.  The first story arc by Peter Tomasiis very nostalgic of older Green Lantern plots and doesn’t deviate from the tried and true method of introducing a new nemesis, losing the first battle, triumphantly returning as the underdog, and finishing with the Green Lanterns winning the day.  The art by Fernando Pasarin is great and remains the series strong point.  This issue sports some great splash pages that border on some of the larger spreads found in Blackest Night, Brightest Day, War of the Green Lanterns.

Comparatively, this is the best Green Lantern series of the bunch.  The inclusion of a new artist in the core cannon is awful and I had a difficult time finishing last week’s Green Lantern issue, and the Red Lanterns and Green Lantern: New Guardians have potential but have been slow to start.

If you want a Green Lantern run in your subscription list but are having a hard time picking—Green Lantern Corps is the run for you.

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