Batman and Robin #36

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

“You’re here in this hellish place for your son, Bruce.”

Batman continues on his quest to save the body of his son Damian from the world of Apokolips in Batman and Robin #36, but now he isn’t so alone…

Writer Peter J. Tomasi continues the story of Batman fighting his way through the world Darkseid calls home, all the while seeming to slip more and more into madness – but has it all been an act in order to get a certain someone’s attention? Tomasi brings a bit of humor into this issue via the inclusion of three of Batman’s prior sidekicks/allies – Red Hood, Batgirl, and Red Robin join in on the fight accompanied by Cyborg and Titus (Bruce’s dog). Some of the scenes create chances for humorous remarks from both Red Hood and Red Robin, one being a panel where Cyborg tells everyone to get behind him during an attack and Red Robin declares that it’s probably a good idea at this point (Cyborg has a plan).

The artwork is done by Patrick Gleason on pencils, Mick Gray on the inks, and John Kalisz with the colors. Once again the demonic looking world of Apokolips looks a lot like an endless explosion is happening all around. The skies are red and orange mixed with a bit of deep purple in some of the panels. The scenes featuring all of the “Robins” in the beginning (they’re all dressed as Robin, check out the cover below to see for yourself) showcase a lot of cool artwork and play around a lot with the color scheme. The Robins have fallen into a pretty bad spot on the planet, as they’re surrounded by people who apparently wish to eat them, but as Red Hood reassures them “And we’re not on the menu, so don’t take another step,” the Robins have no plans of becoming dinner on this particular evening.

The panel with all three Robins in a pose having landed on the planet shows off Gleason’s artwork style well. Gleason, along with Gray, play a lot with the shading and shadowing of the figures as a luminescent moon bares light in the background. Each Robin strikes their own personal pose, exposing their different fighting styles. The colors and the shading also give Kalisz a chance to have fun with this panel as he illuminates Cyborg in the background, the league member already having his arm cannon aimed at the hungry horde.

This issue brings a lot of action into play right from the beginning. Batman is still determined to find his son Damien, but there’s someone else he’s been looking forward to finding too…and he just might get his wish.