Robin Rises

It looks like there’s some Robins in the air.

Throughout the years, The Caped Crusader has had many sidekicks but all have shared one name: Robin.

Batman’s famous sidekick has been in the headlines today. Rumors range from the character appearing in the film, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice to returning in the latest issue of Batman and Robin, issue 38.

The latest film will have Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and now, Robin. However, it won’t be Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, or the latest crimefighter, Damian Wayne. It will be a female, and possibly, Carrie Kelley. We do know that this movie is heavily influenced by Frank Miller’s comic The Dark Knight Returns which features a female Robin but we don’t know if the movie will have Carrie or just a version of her. NBC is currently reporting that Hunger Games: Cathing Fire actress, Jena Malone, will be Batman’s sidekick.

In other news, Batman and Robin writer Peter J. Tomasi has posted a photo on Instagram page of issue 38’s cover, which reveals Damian Wayne as Robin. (Spolier alert) Damian, the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Gul, was killed by The Heretic in Batman Incorporated. Since then, Batman has teamed up with various allies which have included Aquaman and Wonder Woman to recover Damian’s body from Raja al Gul in the comic arc titled Robin Rises.  This title has lead many to believe that Damian will return and with Tomasi’s latest photos, those rumors may have been confirmed.  However, this may just be a ruse and the cover may be a way to honor and remember Damian as Robin.

Batman and Robin, issue 38 cover.

The Best Book I Read Today Is . . . Batman & Robin #35

Since the start of the New 52, Batman & Robin, by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason, has been my favorite book in the Bat-Family, and also the most underrated.  I enjoyed seeing Damian Wayne fleshed out as a character, and after Grant Morrison killed him in Batman, Inc., I, like many other fans, found the silent “Requiem” issue of Batman & Robin especially moving.  So with that in mind, I have been really enjoying the Robin Rises storyline currently underway.



Batman & Robin #35 amps the action up significantly in this dimension hopping Batman adventure.  Yes – dimension hopping.  Unlike its sister books, Batman & Robin isn’t afraid to explore the less “grim and gritty” aspects of the Batman mythos as the Caped Crusader ventures to Apokolips!  Now keep in mind, Batman is attempting to recover the corpse of his dead son before it can be used for various nefarious misdeeds, so in a way the whole premise of the arc is pretty “grim” - - BUT LOOK AT THAT COVER! Batman’s wearing a cybernetic amorphous battlesuit called the “Hellbat”! How cool is that?

In this issue the rest of the Bat-family enters the fray, hijacking Cyborg and hacking into his mainframe to manufacture a Boom Tube so they can follow their leader to Apokolips.



Yeah – Batman’s on Apokolips, and kicking all sorts of Hunger Dog tail! So even as the Bat-family, dressed in retrofitted Robin gear, arrives on the scene, Kalibak is planning to revive his father, Darkseid.



Will Batman get to his son in time?

Can the Bat-family make it to their mentor before it’s too late?

Could the final act of this outstanding arc be a showdown between Darkseid and the Dark Knight, finishing what they started in the Final Crisis of pre-New 52 continuity?

Tune in next month – same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!!!

- Aloha -