Comic Review: Batman And Robin #29

In this review of Batman and Robin #29, the Dynamic Duo figures out Scarface’s final play on Penguin and Two-Face while also determining the Quiet Man’s role in it.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #29
Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
Art by FICO OSSIO
Main Cover: NIMIT MALAVIA
Variant Covers: GUILLEM MARCH and MARTIN SIMMONDS
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 1/14/26

This review contains spoilers

Batman And Robin #29 begins with Wesker and “Blair” arriving at a GCPD storage facility and killing the guard to pick up Mr. Scarface. Wesker and Scarface (Blair has disappeared into the ether), arrive at Penguin’s hideout and shoots up his goons until they tell him where their boss is at.

Penguin is gone, believing that since the Sacred Heart Fundraiser is on his turf, he has the right to attend as an honored guest.

At Blackgate, where the Penguin has men stationed as guards outside The Quiet Man’s cell, Batman and Robin are getting more info from the prisoner. We find out that Cyrus Mercer, The Quiet Man, had found silver in the mountains while living with his son. They worked out a deal to sell the silver to Falcone, but Scarface arrived and started shooting indiscriminately, killing Cyrus’s son in the back of their van. Because the van was stolen with the silver,  no one ever found the boy’s body.

After leaving Blackgate, Robin accuses Batman of being too harsh a judge on Cyrus, comparing the two and believing that the only difference is that Bruce had money to find productive ways to channel his pain and Cyrus did not. Batman acknowledges Robin’s opinion, and while  not wanting to talk about it in the middle of the rain during such a stressful time, allows Robin to deduce Wesker’s plans. They realize that he will try to attack Penguin at the Sacred Heart Fundraiser.

Batman And Robin #29 ends at the Fundraiser, where the organizers are upset that Bruce and Damian Wayne haven’t arrived yet, but never fear, for the Penguin has arrived. However, The Quiet Man, who has broken out of prison, Batman, Robin, Wesker, and Scarface are all converging at the same place. To be continued in the next issue.

Review

This story is getting more and more exciting. I am very impressed that a Scarface story has this many facets to it and yet is all coming together for an ultimate showdown. PKJ, though starting the his run with a strange characterization of Bruce and back peddling Damian’s growth a bit, has managed, in my opinion, to create some very memorable stories with great interactions between the dynamic duo.

Though I personally do not agree with Damian’s point of view, it was a very compelling scene between father and son addressing differences and the way Bruce chose to handle it. I feel like this showed his growth as a father while still maintaining the integrity of their investigation and doing their best to keep Gotham safe. It really feels like PKJ has found the voice for these characters.

The art is very good and adds to the excitement and tension building in the story. Though there is quite a bit of dialog between Cyrus and Batman and Damian and Batman, there are quite a few pages where the art is carrying the action and the drama, and Ossio does an amazing job with his shadows and framing.

I can honestly say, I will miss PKJ so much after his last issue and though I wish him the best of future endeavors, he really did make his mark on Batman & Robin with his stories.

Stephanie Mounce

Stephanie had watched Batman movies and shows since she was a little girl, but didn’t read comics until 2017 when she discovered Batman’s proposal to Catwoman. She discovered the TBU Comics Podcast and devoured the episodes. When the call went out to find a temporary co-host to fill Stella’s shoes, Steph wasted no time in volunteering. The rest, they say, is history and Steph has been a co-host of the podcast since May 2018. She has since also become a writer of sales numbers and Batman merch articles for The Batman Universe. When she isn’t reading TBU comics, Steph is practicing her new career, voice acting. She also enjoys watching anime, playing games, or living her best life with her husband and two cats.