It started when Dick, Alfred and Damian decided to look for clues that will help them find and retrieve Bruce who is currently trapped in some other dimension, no thanks to Darkseid. In doing so, they uncovered secret passageways in the Manor where they discover that one of the Wayne ancestors used to worship demon bats.
Later, Damian meets Oberon Sexton in the graveyard and they took turns beating up the random gangsters who turned up to ransack Wayne Manor. Damian then deduces that Sexton has a fake English accent--and that he could be Bruce Wayne all along.
Much earlier on, however, Talia al Ghul just so happens to have experimented on her son's damaged spine under false medical assistance so she could plant a chip that would control his motor functions via a Cerebro-looking helmet.
Much later on, Slade Wilson, a.k.a Death Stroke, was commissioned by Talia to put on the said helmet so he can use Damian's body to beat the crap out of Dick whom he has a personal vendetta with.
And here we are.
This is the exciting conclusion to the three-part story arc Batman vs. Robin and it was infused with lots of action and drama that once and for all proved that Grant Morrison can write the most convoluted plots and yet still somehow stick the landing as long as he can manage to incorporate some deeper reflection later on. That was exactly how Batman vs. Robin was like for me. It had tantalizing action and genuinely comedic moments which can also be said for his previous arcs in the first volume (Batman Reborn and Revenge of the Red Hood). I didn't really expect it to have some sort of emotional pay-off at the end like those two did, and yet it thankfully had one. I wouldn't exactly call it a pay-off either but it was definitely an insightful, personal plot thread that resonates with Damian Wayne's characterization so far in Morrison's series.
I've stated before that I much preferred Damian in Peter J. Tomas's New 52 Batman and Robin series, but Morrison is the credited creator for this Boy Wonder so I still accept his characterization as the original one. For this issue, we get a very honest (if not brutally so) conversation between Damian and his mother Talia. Back in the day, I never had any strong opinions about Talia but now I do. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS WOMAN? She literally controls her son and justifies that it's for his own good. She believes that being Robin is harmful for him but Damian definitely fights for it, asserting that becoming Robin is his best decision. In a last attempt to change his mind, Talia shows him a container where his clone brother is being nurtured, telling him that if he doesn't quit being Robin and accept the al Ghul legacy, then this clone baby will replace him instead.
She then claims to only want what was best for Damian and what was best for him is to abandon all notions of heroism--the things his father stood for as Batman--and join her in her conquests to rule the world under the supreme leadership of an al Ghul. It's his destiny, she keeps on saying. And, in the most poignant of moments, Damian's response to his mother's ridiculous proposal was:
Do you hear that sound? That was the sound of my heart breaking. The maternal instinct in me immediately wanted to wrap my arms around him and say: "Oh, yes, baby. Of course, I will! You're one of a kind. You can be whatever you want to be and I will support you because I trust and respect you enough to make your own choices. I am your mother and I'm proud of you because you will never do anything to make me love you less." But I'm not Damian's mother. It's Talia. And she replies. "NO. I am too much of a perfectionist." Seriously? You can't love your son because he wouldn't live up to the fantasy version you wanted for a child? WHAT THE HOLY LOKI FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, TALIA? That's not even the worst part. As soon as Damian finalizes his decision to stay as Robin and fight with Dick Grayson, Talia then makes an official announcement: if Damian won't be her perfect son then he is now AN ENEMY OF THE AL GHULS. Yes, that's right. Cunt Bitch Talia just declared her son to be a sworn enemy of the League of Assassins and he is no longer welcome at her home. That means no mother-son dinner holidays, I suppose. Oh, and if he gets in her way, Talia will not hesitate to have him killed. You know, just to sweeten the deal. Again, WHAT THE HOLY LOKI FUCK, WOMAN? Being a mother is a privilege in itself. Being the mother to an amazing boy like Damian Wayne SHOULD BE AN HONOR.
Bitch, you cray-cray, okay? YOU CRAY-CRAY!!
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
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