Batman and Red Robin #19 Review

By Christopher Jones / April 11, 2013

rating: 3.5

This is a weird issue. Not just because of the large role that Frankenstein has, but the manifestation of Bruce€™s grief and anguish. Last issue we got the perfect silent issue which showed a very melancholy Bruce Wayne stumbling around Wayne Manor and the Batcave, before taking his anger out on some of Gotham€™s lesser criminals. In that review I mentioned how there was a Kübler-Ross model (five stages of grief) motif, and it€™s continued here in issue #19. It appears that Bruce has hit the bargaining stage, as he takes off for the artic without telling Alfred, or even packing his winter Bat-gear. This is what leads a worried Alfred to contact Tim Drake, hence the title. What happens after that is truly bizarre, and I suggest reading this issue a couple of times to let it really sink in. His plan is to have Frankenstein resurrect Damian. Yes, that€™s right. He wants to reanimate the body of his deceased son. Bruce€™s sanity is always something that€™s tweetered on the edge, and various writers have used it as a device to varying effects. In Batman and Red Robin #19 he is unhinged and full of despair, and the result is truly terrifying. The sections with Alfred pointing out that Bruce is still referring to Damian in the present tense are chilling. This isn€™t the calm and collected Batman. This isn€™t the menacing caped crusader who growls at his enemies. This isn€™t the keen detective who can solve any crime. This is a tired and broken man in every sense of the word. Keep in mind the recent events of Gotham City €“ the Joker wrecked havoc and exhausted Batman and his allies resulting in a rift in the family. This was also happening almost simultaneously as Leviathan launched its strike against the city, so physically Batman has had his hands full with various battles. Combine his physical exhausting with the tremendous weight of having lost his son during the Leviathan attack, and you have a highly unstable individual. There aren€™t any off days for Batman. There€™s no paid vacation, sick days or personal time. It€™s been clear in the preceding issues of the Bat-books that Bruce has not taken the time to properly grieve, and the effects of that approach are on full display in this issue of Batman and Red Robin. Keep in mind that we are currently in what DC had originally planned to market as €œWTF Certified€ month. Between the Carrie Kelley gate-fold and the demented depictions of the Dark Knight I definitely felt that vibe. Therein lies the corundum of the Caped Crusader. It's easy to forget that Batman exists within the larger scale of the DC-Universe, so while the last couple of issues of the bat books may have felt very grounded in reality, concurrently more "comic book" and "super hero" situations have been happening in other books of the New 52. So when you see Batman taking Frankenstein apart it might seem unnatural and bizarre, but that's how operating within the confides of a collective creative universe works. Putting Carrie Kelley on the second part of the gatefold, while hinting at her being €œThe New Robin€ isn€™t the only curveball that gets thrown. It is revealed that the C.K. from issue 18, whom everyone had assumed was Clark Kent, was actually Carrie. Honestly, in the previous issue I doubt very many people figured that€™s who the C.K. could stand for, seeing as how she is the product of an elseworld€™s story. I€™m sure there are going to be those select few however that guess correctly, and won€™t hesitate to tell everyone of their brilliance. Awkward Dr. Brucenstein plotline aside the biggest issues here are some confusing references to pre-New 52 events that exacerbate confusion regarding continuity, and the fact that Tim Drake (whose super hero name is in the title of the issue) feels more like a cameo, than a supporting role. Have you read this comic? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.