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iam_griff's review
3.0
I still dislike Damian as a character & even more so as Robin. What an obnoxious, little twat.
nerdysread's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Heureusement que Damian évolue hein parce que quel petit con. Mais j’ai bien aimé. J’aime bien voir le poids de la mort de Jason sur Bruce même des années plus tard et comment il s’inquiète pour son fils. Mais aussi leur relation qui évolue
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Violence, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse
carleeiigh's review
3.0
Damian really really desperate to prove himself worthy of Robin...again.
I feel New 52 really took a hit by reverting Damian's character growth. He's selfish and rash and keeps thinking that physically beating the other Robins will show how worthy he is...except he did this already in Post-Crisis era. I guess at the end of this arc he's at least focused on helping civilians and Bruce does get him to admit he cares about others. I just hope he acts like it soon instead of being a little shit ALL the time
I feel New 52 really took a hit by reverting Damian's character growth. He's selfish and rash and keeps thinking that physically beating the other Robins will show how worthy he is...except he did this already in Post-Crisis era. I guess at the end of this arc he's at least focused on helping civilians and Bruce does get him to admit he cares about others. I just hope he acts like it soon instead of being a little shit ALL the time
violet_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
joshhansonhorror's review
1.0
I just quit on this book. After a pretty decent first collection, everything falls apart. THe first book is dedicated to the troubled and troubling relationship between Damien and Bruce, and in this volume, the fact that Damien is a deeply damaged psychopathic killer has just been swept under the rug. More importantly, there is zero continuity. Obviously, I'm supposed to be reading ALL of the Batman books simultaneously so that i can follow what's happening, which completely defeats the purpose of a trade collection. Oh, and the writing is shoddy.
dominicangirl's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
rhganci's review against another edition
3.0
As much as I like Damian Wayne as a character, both as the Son of Batman and a different kind of Robin, I would not have matched him up with zombies. I would prefer that zombies just stay out of Gotham City. And while this volume has a few terrific moments, as a whole it labors a bit in terms of structure and sequential art, making it really just a fanciful Halloween sort of fun that kills time while the rest of the Bat-family prepares to welcome back the Joker.
The zero issue is really the best part of this collection, as it provides an efficient backstory for Damian's journey to become Robin (who is really the central character in the BATMAN & ROBIN book). It takes the muddled mess of Morrison's work a half-decade ago and smooths it out into something that really communicates the degree of struggle that Damian faced, and Tomasi is very clear in making that the object of Damian's journey. It offers a passable explanation as to how a 10 year-old can be more awesome than everybody but Batman, and even though a lot of the rest of the book ignores that, I feel like it's a point that has to be made. Nightwing, Red Robin, and Red Hood make some welcome cameos, and as a whole, the character development works okay. Gleason's art doesn't miss a beat, and while some of the sequences are hard to follow--such as the fight with Terminus and the deus ex Batarmor--the book generally looks great when Gleason and Gray are in control of the graphics.
The story, unfortunately, is where this one really tails off from the rest of the Batfamily lot. The army of Terminus makes to play for a huge conclusion, but as character development is prized over plot development, it never really reaches a dramatic climax that would sell its resolution that hard. After that three-issue arc comes the two-issue zombie story which is the most forgettable Batman story I've read in the New 52. It sort of recycles some of the best aspects of V1, but does it with zombies, then attempts to shoehorn the Saturn Society plotline into the Joker's return, which doesn't quite work. What does work is the relationship between Bruce and Damian, and if Tomasi and Gleason get one think accomplished in this volume, is that the deepen a Batman and Robin bond that we've not seen before. It's a true father and son bond that offers a great deal of emotional weight going into DEATH OF THE FAMILY, and it is in that work that PEARL stops short of becoming a poor book, and instead seems to be a nice piece of character development sharing duty with an unimpressive story.
The zero issue is really the best part of this collection, as it provides an efficient backstory for Damian's journey to become Robin (who is really the central character in the BATMAN & ROBIN book). It takes the muddled mess of Morrison's work a half-decade ago and smooths it out into something that really communicates the degree of struggle that Damian faced, and Tomasi is very clear in making that the object of Damian's journey. It offers a passable explanation as to how a 10 year-old can be more awesome than everybody but Batman, and even though a lot of the rest of the book ignores that, I feel like it's a point that has to be made. Nightwing, Red Robin, and Red Hood make some welcome cameos, and as a whole, the character development works okay. Gleason's art doesn't miss a beat, and while some of the sequences are hard to follow--such as the fight with Terminus and the deus ex Batarmor--the book generally looks great when Gleason and Gray are in control of the graphics.
The story, unfortunately, is where this one really tails off from the rest of the Batfamily lot. The army of Terminus makes to play for a huge conclusion, but as character development is prized over plot development, it never really reaches a dramatic climax that would sell its resolution that hard. After that three-issue arc comes the two-issue zombie story which is the most forgettable Batman story I've read in the New 52. It sort of recycles some of the best aspects of V1, but does it with zombies, then attempts to shoehorn the Saturn Society plotline into the Joker's return, which doesn't quite work. What does work is the relationship between Bruce and Damian, and if Tomasi and Gleason get one think accomplished in this volume, is that the deepen a Batman and Robin bond that we've not seen before. It's a true father and son bond that offers a great deal of emotional weight going into DEATH OF THE FAMILY, and it is in that work that PEARL stops short of becoming a poor book, and instead seems to be a nice piece of character development sharing duty with an unimpressive story.
justkristykay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
apageinthestacks's review
4.0
This series continues being thoroughly enjoyable. I never thought I'd come to enjoy reading about Damian Wayne.