However callous it sounds, grief is a rather boring thing to watch. Unless, of course, you’re watching Batman. We continue to witness Batman’s reaction to the loss of Damian and it seems Catwoman is the only one there for him to take him out on patrols. It appears Bats is starting to come around in this issue, but is it good?
Batman and Robin (2011-) #22: Catwoman (DC Comics)
Check out our review of Batman and Robin #19 here.
DC Comics introduced Carrie Kelly, made famous in Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns a few issues ago and she seems to be here to stay. We learn in this issue Alfred has asked her to give Bruce’s dog Titus three days a week of undivided attention. Or maybe she’s really there to help Bruce pull out of his grief. The only problem is, Carrie thinks Damian is still alive and Bruce has kept saying he’s off in China and will be back soon. That might spell problems in the future, but for now it’s still a viable lie. That’s the main thread in this issue to chew on, while the rest is a nice team up with Catwoman.
Why Batman, how big shoulders you have!
Peter Tomasi does a good job with the material at hand. I do take some umbrage with the pacing and balance between the two storylines of this issue, but generally there’s some interesting stuff going on. The Catwoman bits read more like action filler to please fans looking for some Batman action and I wouldn’t be surprised if Tomasi admitted he’s more interested in the Carrie/Bruce storyline. That said, there is some point to the Catwoman bits here, as this is where Batman learns Catwoman is in the JSA. It just seems a bit hard to believe that Batman was unaware of her joining the team.
Cat signal. Nice!
Artist Patrick Gleason really shines with the Catwoman scenes. There’s two pages where we see the characters in silhouette that conveys their abilities in a wonderful minimalist style.
Pretty.
This is a quick read, especially when considering the opening two pages are throwaway material of Catwoman stealing some artifact. Why this was necessary is beyond me. That said, Bruce lying to Carrie is a tantalizing story as we all know it’ll eventually blow up in his face.
Guilty Batman is so guilty.
7.0
- Incredible silhouette fight scene
- Bruce lying to Carrie is interesting
- Pacing is off
There’s an interesting story brewing here as Batman is lying to Carrie and doing a very immoral thing. This is due to being blinded by grief most likely, but seeing Batman exuding a weakness is fascinating stuff. The Catwoman/Batman teamup in this issue is fun to read and looks great, but seems so disjointed from the Carrie stuff it reads like filler. This is a good issue, but it won’t blow you away.
Is It Good?
Good, but not great. Keep your eyes on this series as an interesting story is building, but this issue is only a stepping stone.
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