“You were bred to be the League’s Warrior King… but instead you chose to become a ‘Robin.’ Named after fowl. How sad.”

Andy Kubert’s lack of writing experience is felt from page one. With a plot line that’s enjoyable, Kubert’s delivery and pacing is rocky and doesn’t tap into the emotional depths of a story of this caliber; Damian’s father dies and Kubert never appropriately address the severity of this situation and the ensuing consequences of a Gotham without Batman and a boy without his father. The ethics of Batman, the theme that Kubert seemingly favors instead, is superficial and is clumsily written. This is a cool project that with the right writer could have broken free of the average comic book narrative and brought a satisfying look into the relationship of Batman and Robin.

What worked:

The art is consistently great throughout the entire comic.

The Elseworld nature of this book freeing itself from new 52 continuity is a welcomed change.

The story had so much potential…

What didn’t:

… that was never satisfyingly met.

The heavy handed exposition that seemed unnecessary for readers who already know the origins of this character. (In all fairness, if the exposition scene wasn’t so obvious and felt like it was cut and pasted into the story, I would have let this pass.)

The dialogue in a couple of areas will take you out of the book and have you scratching your head.

By the way:

The final page of the comic undermines the entire story and feels like a bait-and-switch ready to happen.

Although it’s heavily implied that the Batman that died was Bruce Wayne, this may not be the case.

Grade: C-

Writer and Artist: Andy Kubert

Colors: Brad Anderson

Letters: Nick Napolitano

Cover: Andy Kubert and Brad Anderson

Publisher: DC Comics