Memento is still on the loose and continues to wreak havoc in Gotham. And it doesn’t help that Batman is still feeling the effects of the Gravedigger’s Poppy toxin and that Damian doesn’t want to be Robin anymore. Batman is also suspicious of Damian’s mentor at Sacred Heart, Dr. Bashar, as he believes Dr. Bashar has ulterior interests that could have ties with the League of Assassins or Memento himself. Will the father-son duo be able to trust each other in time to finally end Memento’s reign of terror? Let’s get into it.
Before I get into my thoughts on this latest issue of Batman and Robin, I wanted to correct myself from a statement I made in my review of the last issue. I assumed that issue #19 was the conclusion of the Memento arc and based on what happened by the end of the issue, that is not the case. My apologies for my mistake and now that that’s out of the way, my feelings of this issue are that it was just okay.
I’m starting to feel that the story is meandering a little bit. We still don’t know the identity of Memento (even though we got some huge hints in this issue), and the tension between Bruce and Damian is starting to feel stale. Some of Batman’s decisions in this issue also baffled me. He is still seeing hallucinations after being exposed to Gravedigger’s Poppy, but he’s refusing to get help. I understand that there’s probably not an antidote yet, but I don’t think Batman would continue to put himself in danger and put everyone else that works with him while on patrol in danger while he’s hallucinating. He’s way too intelligent for that.
While I did appreciate the interaction that Bruce and Damian had in Wayne Manor, the whole conflict between them isn’t really working for me. The constant tension that predates the current creative team is just getting boring because we’ve seen it before. By the end of the issue though, I’ll admit that their trust issues lead to the most interesting part where a certain character dies and something happens to Damian and now Batman has to really put those issues aside for the sake of Damian’s well being.
Even though the story was just okay, the artwork by Javi Fernández continues to shine and be the highlight. The atmosphere that he creates (along with the excellent color selection by Marcelo Maiolo) perfectly complements the creepy story by Phillip Kennedy Johnson. His facial expressions on the characters are also really compelling because you know exactly what they’re going through. Whether it be fear, anger, or even some happiness. Also, shout out to letterer Steve Wands. The lettering stuck out to me in this issue specifically during Scarecrow’s dialogue. The lettering for Memento’s dialogue has also been great throughout the series.
Recommended if…
- You’ve been enjoying the detective aspects of this arc.
- You like horror elements in your Batman stories.
- You think Batman tripping balls is funny (but really Bruce… get some rest).
Overall
Batman and Robin #19 was just fine. The artwork was great as always and the story by Phillip Kennedy Johnson continues to be somewhat intriguing. But I’m starting to feel that this arc is starting to lose a little steam. I just want to know who Memento is already. Will we find out next issue? We’ll have to see.
Score: 7/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of review.
English (US) · 