What I consider to be the new flagship title in the Bat-books thus far, Batman and Robin has done exceptionally well, and it's all thanks to the writer who brought about the entire restructuring of the Batverse to begin with - Grant Morrison. The man has successfully booted out Bruce Wayne from his iconic role, transforming everything I once knew and held dear into an unpredictable climate with lots of potential to explore. At first, I was puzzled how he could pull this off without the one true Batman involved, but Morrison proves his writing capabilities by tapping into new and catchy elements of action, mystery, and humor that blend well and work with the dark environment readers are quite familiar with. In addition to making Dick Grayson a formidable successor to the mantle of the Bat, he has actually played his creation, Damian Wayne, into an arrogant but likable Robin. He's a snobbish and wise ass fellow whose League Of Assassin's upbringing makes him dangerous, but this is all tempered by the mentoring of Grayson's Batman, who sees it as an opportunity to "return the favor" to his own mentor, Bruce Wayne himself. Their performance as the "Dynamic Duo" in the field is quite hilarious, with Dick playing a more light-hearted Batman, while Damian goes for the Dark and moody Robin. The criminals they face are none of the familiar rogues the Bat-family has encountered through the years, rather a new blend of evil born from the recesses of Morrison's mind. First, the rather insane Professor Pyg deals his own brand of "restructuring" to society's misfits, while the exploits of Jason Todd/ Red Hood only serve to infuriate the mob and force them to call in the sadistic "El Flamingo" for clean up measures. These are just some of the adventures the new Batman and Robin had to go through, but that's not where the heart of this entire tale lies.
Even if Dick and Damian have gone through a number of problems together, the biggest one they'll eventually have to face is the mystery surrounding their "father's disappearance". This is addressed in the latest story arc, serving as a prologue to "The Return Of Bruce Wayne" series. Now, a certain mystery character named Oberon Sexton, introduced throughout the series as your friendly neighborhood Gotham City "Sherlock Holmes," was hinted back and forth as "Bruce Wayne" in disguise, though how he fits the M.O was entirely out of a hunch I suppose. Anyway, the last page of Batman and Robin #12 digs on deeper than this theory can hold, so if you're not one to pry on spoilers, now's a good time to turn away, otherwise. be spoiled and look at this:
Yes... Oberon Sexton IS The Joker. Last seen at the stunning controversial series "Batman R.I.P", the clown prince of crime hasn't made any official return... until now. What a shocking entrance! For more info, look up the rest of the buzz at DC The Source. And look forward to next month's issue of Batman and Robin, which deals with this startling revelation!
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