Batman #18 Review

And so we return to the loveable Harper Row, one issue removed from the conclusion of Death of the Family. Though there was no literal death in Death of the Family, there has indeed been an unexpected one elsewhere. This issue lives up to its cover by portraying Bruce Wayne’s grief over losing his son – not far removed from what we got in the superb Batman and Robin #18 this week – but does so from the POV of Harper. It’s an emotionally gripping issue that manages to avoid hitting the nail directly on the head, instead opting for a different approach to Bruce’s pain that isn’t being shown elsewhere.

Scott Snyder uses this issue to accomplish two things. One, it depicts how far Harper has come since we last saw her. She’s trained and tougher now; she physically kicks some ass and she stands up to her rotten dad. She even stands up to Batman (and gets her nose broken by him). She’s clearly smart as a whip, but now she’s got the physicality to go along with it. In many ways, Batman #18 makes a case – without overtly stating it, I might add – for why Harper is a logical choice to be the next Robin, should there be such a thing. She’s a mix of previous incarnations, really; she’s got the dedication of Dick Grayson, the attitude of Jason Todd, the brains of Tim Drake, and the defiance of Damian Wayne. Snyder makes her a viable candidate without being unrealistic about her skills.

The second thing this issue accomplishes is giving an outsider’s perspective to Batman’s grief. Never once does Snyder actually mention Damian’s name; the issue is framed by Harper as she stalks Batman’s actions, watching him brutally take down criminals, growing more and more reckless, until she finally intervenes (ergo her nose getting busted). Snyder’s dialogue gets uncharacteristically heavy at this point, as the characters essentially lecture each other. It’s not the smoothest sailing, but it certainly gets the point across and changes the perspectives of both characters by the time they get out the other end. The real treat comes when Harper, unable to get through to Batman, appeals to Bruce Wayne instead. Though the issue continues to be framed from Harper’s perspective, Snyder draws out a moment of growth for Bruce.

Andy Kubert and Alex Maleev step in for Greg Capullo this month, with Kubert handling a bulk of the chapter while Maleev handles the “back-up” – really just an extension of the primary narrative. Kubert’s work is as dynamic as ever, particularly when Batman is on the page, but much of the subtlety that this title is known for is sacrificed as a result. Snyder’s more nuanced character work is lost to repetitive facial features, but once the action kicks in, Batman #18 looks right as rain.

I do wonder if this lack of emotion is what ultimately led to the more verbose nature of this issue; less is actually depicted visually, leaving it to the script to more blatantly pronounce the intention of the scenes. Maleev is more successful though, and the art quickly takes on a much cleaner, more emotive effect. The only real shame of Maleev’s pages is that he doesn’t get more and that they are pretty much just talking heads; I’d love to see the artist on a Batman book in the near future.

Though Batman #18 is a bit of a breather issue, Snyder successfully deals with the death of Damian in an effective way, all the while evolving a very possible candidate for Girl Wonder in Harper Row.

Joey is a Senior Editor at IGN and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. If Harper doesn't become the next Robin, he will eat dirt.

Source : ign[dot]com