Batman and Robin #17

Seriously? Is there more trouble in Gotham? Unbelievable.

About 850 comic book commentaries later, how do I still have anything new to say? Obviously I have new things to say that comment directly on the current comic book I'm reading. But how many ways can I say, "Scott Lobdell and/or Tom DeFalco can't write"? You know what? I'm going to stop referring to them by their individual names since I'm pretty sure they're the same person. From now on, I will refer to them collectively as Tott Dedell when I want to bust their balls at the same time. I never leave my tiny office to have new experiences to write about either since I'm constantly labouring over my pile of comic books to vomit up poison filled rants about the state of DC's editorial department. Even lunch wasn't a new experience! I've probably eaten 1000 burritos just like that one in my lifetime!

But that's why I read comic books, I guess! To live vicariously through costumed vigilantes so I don't have to actually live amongst the rest of this world's populace. So I can at least thank Tott Dedell for that much! I'd rather spend time reading his half-assed scripts than spending time with actual people. At least I know when I'm lying on my deathbed struggling for my final breath, I won't regret having not read enough shitty comic books.

Although I might regret having not read enough good comic books! I hear there are some good stories going on over at Image and Marvel right now! Too bad I don't have time to read them. Except for Saga. Of course I'm reading Saga. What do you take me for? An uncivilized, illiterate, intemperate barbarian of dubious virtue?

Luckily Batman and Robin has yet to fall into the bad comic book category. Peter Tomasi has been doing an excellent job with these characters (and Alfred as well!). And for those people who hate The New 52, I'm pretty sure you can read this comic book and simply pretend it takes place in the old universe. All the really important history is still the same, including the fact that Dick was Batman for a year with Damian as his Robin. This is my secret gift to you, The New 52 Haters: Batman and Robin is Preboot Friendly.

I once lamented while reading a scene from Batwoman where Kate and Bette are changing into costume together how we never see Batman and Robin in their underwear while getting ready. Well consider that lament rectified!

Okay, so they're not exactly in their underwear. But they're getting there because they're removing their costumes at the end of a long night.

That's the first page. Beautiful moment. And look at those sandwiches! I've always had a love of cartoon sandwiches. Yogi Bear's sandwiches always looked so fucking delicious. One New Year's Eve while near passing out from inebriation, I gave voice to my fetishization of cartoon food for a solid ten minutes. I only wish one could retain the exact structure and nuance of speeches like these, born of spontaneity and intense drunkenness.

On page two, I proffer another example of the excellence with which this comic book is put together.

Some writers would ruin this moment, feeling it necessary to fill the space with Damian's inner thoughts.

Those panels above go a long way toward bonding the reader with the characters and this comic book. These are panels that are necessary for the long term relationship between the reader and the creators. In this we see that Tomasi cares about these characters. We see that he thinks about their relationship. In the simple act of a child comparing the size of his shoe to his father's, Tomasi engages our emotion to the story. I can only wish that this were the trend as opposed to Narration Boxes filling up all the quiet, empty spaces of comic book panels.

The comic continues in their dreams as Alfred, Damian, and Bruce all lie down to sleep.

Damian's dream begins as he watches everyone in his life sunk beneath the ocean, weighted down and drowning. He speaks with another version of himself, his two halves, the al Ghul and the Wayne, not quite reconciled with one another. He is calm until he sees Alfred drowning and this causes him to dream awaken. That just means he wakes from his dream within a dream. In his new setting, he begins following a robin throughout Wayne Manor only to find this:

I have no idea what Jung says about this dream imagery!

This encounter with a bat feasting on his father and asking Damian to join him actually wakes Damian up with a start. Does this mean a part of Damian wants to be Batman so badly that he'd consider helping his father into early retirement? Of course it would be a subconscious part of him. One of those Oedipal temptations that the dream mind loves to dangle in front of us? Or is this merely Damian seeing weakness in himself? Seeing that he relies too much on his father? Like I said, I don't know how to interpret this!

Next is Alfred's dream. Alfred dreams of helping Thomas and Martha and Bruce prepare for their last night on the town. He then hears noises down in the Batcave. Upon investigation, he discovers The Joker slaughtering the Bat Family with a hammer. Alfred takes it upon himself to end this asshole's reign of terror with a shotgun.

Even Alfred thinks this is how Death of the Family should have ended! Look at that smile!

Bruce dreams of losing his parents and finding respite in solitude. Or perhaps he just feels that nobody has suffered as badly as the poor boy that lost his parents on the night he insisted on leaving the movie early and he just wants to be left alone to pity himself and suffer in silence. Perhaps he thought he could lose himself in the persona of Batman. Instead, he became the popular kid in Gotham whom everybody wanted as their friend.

Or his dream just has to do with his repressed homosexuality and his love of The Joker.

At the end of the dream, Damian reaches down and pulls Bruce up from the bottom of the ocean. It is, and always has been, Robin that saves the Batman. Bruce awakens, checks on Damian, tucks him in, and goes back to bed. Meanwhile Damian dreams of fighting at Batman's side all night long.

The scariest two gargoyles in Gotham City.

Batman and Robin #17 Rating: +2 Ranking. I'm a sucker for one shot stories like this. And even though I don't raise the rankings of comic books based on their annuals, that doesn't mean that I can't raise this issue's ranking a little higher than I normally would because the Batman and Robin Annual was extraordinarily well done!