Review: Batman and Robin Vol. 6- The Hunt for Robin

Quick Summary

Pros: The opening chapters are exciting and satisfying team-ups. The main storyline is incredible and connects back to the larger narrative of this series. It also builds a lot of anticipation for the next volume. The book concludes with a great scene from the Bat-family. The book’s artwork looks great.

Cons: Nothing significant

Overall: As the Batman and Robin series moves toward its conclusion, the penultimate volume continues to deliver on satisfying narratives and exciting storytelling. The adventures contained within are fun to see play out and help push this series forward. They also contain a variety of satisfying single moments that help characters and plot points shine even brighter. In the end, this is a fantastic volume that any fan of the series should read.

Story

While the previous collection saw a return to more standard Batman action, Batman and Robin Vol. 6: The Hunt for Robin, by Peter J. Tomasi, sees the return of the Damian-centric narrative. It starts out by pairing Batman with a variety of different allies, which leads to some entertaining team-ups. From here, the narrative becomes more focused and ignites the rising action toward this entire comic’s conclusion. This portion of the book is incredibly exciting and features high-stakes conflicts that are incredibly fun on their own. Then, when the volume closes, readers are left on a satisfying cliffhanger that works as the perfect setup for the next volume.

(spoilers start here)

The Hunt for Robin opens up with Batman hot on Ra’s al Ghul’s trail. He follows him from location to location, taking part in small team-ups with other heroes along the way. These team-ups are entertaining and give readers a chance to see Batman working with people outside of the Bat-family.

From here, the rising action toward the climax of the entire Batman and Robin series begins. Ra’s al Ghul’s plot is unexpectedly interrupted when forces from Apokolips arrive and steal Damian’s body, an act which ups the stakes of this rescue operation significantly. This forces Batman to break out his most powerful Batsuit and even, temporarily, turn against the Justice League. All of this is in preparation for an actual trip to Apokolips, a trip that Batman’s dialogue indicates he is not sure he will return from. The rising action here is expertly handled and generates a ton of excitement for the next volume.

It is also just insanely fun to see play out. An all-out battle between Ra’s al Ghul’s forces, hordes from Apokolips, the Justice League, and Batman makes for a fantastic scene. Plus, Batman going rogue on the Justice League is a concept that is always great to see, even if it has been done before. These moments provide a way to fit some more standard action and adventure in a storyline that is mostly emotional in nature.

The conclusion of The Hunt for Robin also contains a wonderful satisfying moment for any fan of the Bat-family. Though the family was severely fractured in Batman: Death of the Family (Review) for reasons that made sense, seeing them separated was rough. The conclusion of this book brings about another logical evolution for the family by having them reconcile. It is a wholesome chapter that fans of this chaotic family are sure to appreciate.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in the Batman and Robin has been so consistently positive and fits the subject material so well that it almost feels repetitive to continue bragging about it. However, Patrick Gleason’s work on The Hunt for Robin is so good that it is easily worth saying once again. The visuals here are great and allow the vast variety of characters and locations to stand out nicely. In addition, Gleason’s creativity helps depict some items, specifically a special Batsuit that appears within this book. It helps make the story feel more epic, which is perfect for the encounters that take place within this volume.

Continuity

Batman and Robin Vol. 6: The Hunt for Robin continues the story from Batman and Robin Vol. 5: The Big Burn (Review).

The story here continues in Batman and Robin Vol. 7: Robin Rises.

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• Much of this volume centers around a death occurring in Batman Incorporated #8 and one occurring in Batman Incorporated #13. Both issues are collected in Batman Incorporated Vol. 2: Gotham’s Most Wanted.
• Wonder Woman says that she recently learned a pair of glasses could conceal her secret identity. This specific event is shown in Justice League #14, collected in Justice League Vol. 3: Throne of Atlantis (Review).
• An Amazon mentions only recently returning to human form. This happened at the conclusion of Wonder Woman Vol. 5: Flesh (Review).
• The Amazon’s cruelty toward sailors was revealed back at the beginning of Wonder Woman Vol. 2: Guts (Review).
• The disappearance of Nanda Parbat occurred in Justice League Dark #29 as a part of the Forever Evil: Blight (Review) (Reading Order) event.
• Frankenstein was also tortured in Nanda Parbat as part of the Forever Evil: Blight (Review) (Reading Order) event.  
• Batman mentions his own time in Nanda Parbat. This was first mentioned in Batman #673, collected in Batman and Son, and was further explained in Batman #682, collected in Batman R.I.P.
• The Robin Rises: Omega chapter starts out by showing flashbacks to a number of events from Batman’s past. These include:
  • Ra’s al Ghul’s test of Batman from Batman #244.
  • The consummation of Damian. This event was originally depicted as consensual in Batman: Son of the Demon but was retconned to be nonconsensual in Batman #656, collected in Batman and Son. The flashback here seems to retcon the event back to being consensual once more.
  • The meeting of Batman and Damian from Batman #656, collected in Batman and Son.
  • Batman’s death in Batman #681, collected in Batman: R.I.P.
  • Dick Grayson and Damian’s tenure as Batman and Robin, specifically their fight against Doctor Hurt from Batman and Robin #10-16, collected across Batman and Robin Vol. 2: Batman vs. Robin and Batman and Robin Vol. 3: Batman & Robin Must Die.
  • Batman’s journey through time from Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne.
  • Joker’s torture of the Bat-family from Batman #17, collected in Batman: Death of the Family (Review).
• Batman and the Justice League defeated Darkseid back in Justice League: Origin (Review). This story arc also has Batman briefly enter Apokolips and had Parademons invading Earth.
• At one point, Batman remembers a previously forgotten adventures which included the history of the Chaos Crystal. This story is detailed across Batman/Superman Vol. 1: Cross World (Review).
• Shazam and Lex Luthor joined the Justice League in Justice League #30, collected in Justice League Vol. 6: Injustice League (Review)
• Red Hood mentions a recent encounter with Ra’s al Ghul. This took place from Red Hood and the Outlaws #22-27, collected across Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 4: League of Assassins (Review) and Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 5: The Big Picture (Review).
• Dick Grayson became an Agent of Spyral in Grayson Vol. 1: Agents of Spyral (Review).
• Dick Grayson’s time as Batman was mostly told back in the previous Batman and Robin series.