Robin Rises has been one of the more surprisingly engaging stories of the last few months, Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason offering up an exhilarating mix of awesome action and gripping character work. Batman and Robin returns with more of the same, issue #35 delivering more of the requisite thrills with a few surprises for good measure.

At this point, Tomasi's Batman is done messing around. The character is a wrecking ball in motion, looking to punch, kick and batarang his way through any lackey or grunt stupid enough to get in his way. We've seen Batman driven before, but this is some Liam Neeson type focus, Batman utilizing his particular set of skills with a savagery normally saved for a certain Clown Prince of Crime. Tomasi smartly balances this relentless rage by involving the rest of the Bat crew, again touching on the theme of family that's been so important to this arc. Using Cyborg as the gateway is a great move (though he really should have seen that coming), and the addition of the Robin themed battle armor is an equally great touch. Plus, even Titus came along!Art wise, Patrick Gleason continues to dominate the pages. The opening page is a striking precursor of what's to come, Hellbat's imposing shadow streaking towards the Apokoliptian fire pits. It's yet another example of Gleason turning a fairly mundane image into something terrifically exciting, and he does it repeatedly over the course of the issue. His ability to craft big, iconic imagery lends itself perfectly to this particular arc, as Batman is able to cut loose in ways we aren't used to seeing. Inker Mick Gray and colorist John Kalisz also deserve mention, the former's crisp lines and mammoth shadows working in perfect concert with the latter's vibrant, flame-licked palette.

Jeff is a writer for IGN. He can make the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs, probably. Follow him on Twitter and IGN