Batman and Robin #33

By Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, John Kalisz

There’s just no getting through to the guy. Am I right?

Writer Peter J. Tomasi continues where Robin Rises Omega left off with Batman and Robin #33. The body of his deceased son Damien has been taken to the planet of Apokolips where Batman intends to travel and retrieve it. The Justice League, however, doesn’t think it’s a great idea to leave Earth any time soon. If anything this storyline has taught us it’s that Batman isn’t willing to let the death of his son go, especially if there’s a chance he can bring him back!

Tomasi writes some great lines throughout this issue. Some of the standouts come from the beginning as Batman is defying his teammate’s wishes while showing off his wit and snarky remarks. A great scene comes from the Watchtower as Batman tries to justify his travel plans by pointing out how obscene all the members of his team are – Shazam being one of the funnier ones to point out.

The artwork is done by penciller Patrick Gleason, inker Mick Gray, and colorist John Kalisz. A scene depicting the construction of one of Batman’s suits features various League members taking part, and each panel depicting a different member is met with their respective colors – Green Lantern in green, Flash in red/yellow, etc. The image of Superman however is placed into the sun as he builds using a hammer reminiscent of a certain God of Thunder. This scene is followed by another Batman/JL confrontation, this time taking place in the Watchtower. Red covers the panels and adds a frantic pace to the arguments as the scene travels from the tower onto Apokolips colored in the same manner. Coming after that scene Gleason and Kalisz do a great job to swap the red for a calming blue in a scene taking place just before even more irrational behavior emits from the Dark Knight – The image of the firefly placed in Bruce’s hands among the other lights in the sky (other fireflies) creates a bit more depth into the scene, giving Bruce a peaceful image before he releases more of his aggression.

This issue does a great job of furthering Batman’s emotions in the event of his son’s death. He’s irrational and defying the League, but nobody is going to stop him from getting back his son.