Robin Issue 15 Review: “Parent Trap”

Robin issue 15 shows a Damian Wayne who is truly ready to go off on his own. He learned many valuable lessons from living with first his mother and then his father, but now needs to have his own journey to discover who he is without them. But is this something his parents will accept?

There will be some spoilers below.

I will say that Robin issue 15 standing on its own still feels a bit disjointed, as the comic was part of the overall Shadow War storyline. While there are some editor notes to help, it does feel like you are missing parts of the story by only reading the Robin comic. Sadly, this is the common result of huge crossover events. This issue somewhat closes that storyline within the Robin comic and is moving back to Damian’s own adventures. As this issue progresses, it does feel more like a contained story.

Robin issue 15 starts out with a flashback to a younger Damian Wayne trying to get his parents to stay together with him. It then jumps forward to present time where Talia is being interrogated by Director Chase of the Gotham D.E.O. Field Office. She questions Talia about her father and the events of the Shadow War. However, when she threatens to go after Damian, it obviously hits a nerve and Talia makes her escape.

Meanwhile, we see Damian back in Gotham and fighting a gang of clowns who surprisingly have nothing to do with the Joker. (Which I have no complaints about! Seeing less of the Joker is definitely okay with me.) He gets completely surrounded, but thankfully Batman, Nightwing, Robin (Tim Drake), Black Bat, and Spoiler are there to help. Damian soon finds out about his mother’s escape. After he and Batman confront Talia, Damian presents them with a plea regarding their influence in his life. Do they accept? You’ll have to read to find out!

As always, Joshua Williamson writes in a way that shows how much he cares about these characters. I can really appreciate the journey that he is taking Damian Wayne on. I may have my reservations about crossover events hindering individual series’ stories to a certain extent, but that does not take away from the fact that Williamson is doing so much to repair Damian Wayne’s character.

But I do wonder what kind of limbo Damian’s character may be in after the conclusion of the Robin series and the start up of the new upcoming Tim Drake: Robin series. I hope we don’t lose character progress again.

Artist Roger Cruz once again illustrates the characters so well. They are full of emotion and movement across each page. His attention to facial expressions is something that always sticks out to me. Inker Norm Rapmund and colorist Luis Guerrero do an excellent job highlighting Cruz’ art along with Troy Peteri’s letters. One of my favorite pages is the large panel of the Batfamily coming in from above to help defend Damian from the unsuspecting gang of clowns below. The perspective is a lot of fun on that page.

Robin issue 15 does an excellent job setting up the (possible?) final chapter of the Robin series. I’m looking forward to what Damian does on his journey of discovering himself and making new friends along the way. Although I still kind of feel like Damian is too young to be without any adult supervision, Dick Grayson really wasn’t too terribly much older than Damian when he went off and formed his own team of superheroes.

So, I’m looking forward to Damian possibly doing the same in the final two issues of the series. Also, not to spoil anything too much, but I’m excited to see a certain Ballerina character back in the series and am hoping to possibly see her with a bigger role in the upcoming issues!

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.

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