Some thoughts about Batman & Robin #1

Can Batman and Robin live together once again?

A lot of things have happened to Damian in recent years and Bruce believes is better if he tries to have a normal life with his son but things are not going to be easy since the criminals in Gotham are gathering to attack.

This was pleasant surprise as a whole. The last few years have not been the best for the relationship between Bruce and Damian (not helped by the underwhelming Batman Vs. Robin and Lazarus Planet stories by Mark Waid) so anything that could fix such issues would have been welcomed and I appreciate that this series is handled by Joshua Williamson who showed a great understanding on the character of Damian during his Robin series and I'm happy to say that this book doesn't disappoint about improving their dynamic.

First of all, this wouldn't be a Williamson book without some references to continuity and this is perfectly shown in a page where Damian remembers all the events that happened way back from Rebirth (when he joined the Teen Titans) to the most recent ones but this doesn't end there because we also have the appearance of more obscure villains like the White Rabbit and The Terrible Trio and all of this is done to complement the ongoing plot that Williamson is implementing, one that is building up around the mystery of why are these criminals working together.

Most impressive though, are the interactions between Bruce and Damian. The death of Alfred was one of the most useless events that happened in recent times but Williamson builds-up from it to create a logical dynamic between father and son, one that is not as focused on conflict as much as trying to understand each other, I really enjoy how both learned from Alfred in their own ways with Bruce trying to become a better father by putting his son in school or how Damian prepares breakfast and proper tea. This is the kind of normal relationship that these two have been lacking for a while and I'm glad is happening already.

Simone Di Meo handles the art and has a very energetic style with creative layouts that reminds a bit of Jorge Jimenez' style and at times that makes it a bit hard to follow the story but not enough to ruin what is overall a great work.

Solid beginning, can't wait for the next one.