Robin Issue 12 Review: “Demon vs Detective”

Robin issue 12 begins the next arc in the Robin series. The Lazarus Tournament is over, Mother Soul and the Demon have been defeated. All the contestants are heading home, and that includes Damian Wayne. He has a plan to use Lazarus resin from the Pit to resurrect Alfred Pennyworth, but will he actually follow through with it?

There will be some spoilers below.

This issue definitely has a little bit of a different feel from the previous 11 issues. Of course, it is a new arc, but gone is the atmosphere of a fighting anime or video game. This story feels like it’s shaping up to take a darker turn. However, it is still delving deeper into the character of Damian, and I believe we will continue to learn more about his family and perhaps even see his relationship with his mother become somewhat mended.

Robin issue 12 starts with the return of the shojo manga that Damian had been reading. And once again, it foreshadows and aligns with what’s happening to Damian. To quote the manga, “We still have so much left to learn…” Damian hasn’t quite left Lazarus Island because he wants to make sure that all of the other contestants have left. After that, he steals his mother’s jet and heads back to Gotham.

When he gets there though; he notices right away that his father is no longer there. At Alfred’s grave, he is confronted by another version of himself. Damian quickly realizes that Mother Soul’s magic still has a bit of a hold on him, but his mother shows up and breaks him out of it and comes with a proposal. Will Damian accept? You’ll have to read the issue to find out! But what he decides I’m sure will have a huge impact on his future!

The Robin comic is definitely a big part of the overall story that writer Joshua Williamson is telling through a couple of different series. I don’t know that I’ll ever be reading all of them, but my hope is that Damian’s story in the Robin series will be self-explanatory enough on its own. I really enjoyed Williamson’s writing in the last arc and this issue is already shaping up to be interesting. It looks like Damian will be mending some bridges while some others may burn.

Roger Cruz is the artist for this issue, and I believe he will continue to be on the series now that Gleb Melnikov has moved on to other projects. I think this was the perfect time for the change and the art lends to the different overall feel for the next arc. What I particularly love about Roger Cruz’s style is how expressive his characters are. His Demon Damian is especially epic. Luis Guerrero remains on colors and Troy Peteri continues with the lettering as well. It is interesting to see their take on Gotham which is always a darker place than pretty much anywhere.

Robin issue 12 has a much different feel than the previous 11 issues. I know I am excited to see what Damian will get up to next and I’m also looking forward to learning more about his mother. I am hoping to see some healing in their relationship as Damian really could use some more people in his corner, especially his own parents!

Who knows what’s up ahead for Damian, but knowing Joshua Williamson’s work, I’m sure it’ll be a period of even more character growth for Damian!

Author: Jessica Rae

Jessica has a BA in music with an emphasis in voice and spends her day typesetting, editing, writing, and moderating webinars. Jessica primarily reviews anime and comic book series. She also offers insights on various movies, books, games, and other geeky topics.

Twitter

Help support independent journalism. Subscribe to our Patreon.

Copyright © The Geekiary