“Robin Rides the Black Mariah”

Writer- Matt Fraction

Artist- Jorge Jimenez

Colors- Tomeu Morey

Letters: Clayton Cowles with Jorge Jimenez

Spoilers Ahead

The first few pages of Batman 2 move the story back a few minutes and focus on Bruce teaching Tim to drive an automatic clutch. The creative team then catch us up to the cliffhanger ending of the first issue: Tim Drake at the business end of a cop’s service weapon! Chaos ensues, and Robin ends up with a bullet in the ribs.

Story:

Jeremy: Fraction and Jiménez move us back and forth through time via flashbacks of Tim learning to drive (sort of), which conjures issues of trust and doubt that all come into play later. 

Vandal Savage…sorry, Commissioner Vandal Savage…is definitely going to be a huge problem. He’s basically declared open season on the Dynamic Duo, and appears to have plenty of loyal, bloodthirsty soldiers to do his bidding. 

Oh, and there are TWO kick ass Batmobile designs in this issue! Two words: “SECRET GEAR!” Awesome. 

Steve: As Jeremy mentioned, Fraction moves us back and forth between timelines effortlessly, ultimately having the concept pay off in a very cool way. In the past, Fraction uses a very relatable father and son moment as Bruce teaches Tim to drive a stick. Tim struggles, but Bruce installs confidence in the young man. This comes full circle in the end as Tim must drive himself and Bruce away from danger in the end.

Fraction is presenting us with an anything-goes story and a rather caring and fallible Bruce. In issue one, Bruce engages Croc in a warm conversation and uses empathy rather than muscle to solve the problem. In this issue, we have a tender moment with Tim, some lessons about hard work for Damian and a moment when Batman loses his focus and is shot in the back of the neck.

Likewise, Fraction handles Tim and Damian very well. Damian is young and petulant in the issue, whining because he has to wash the car. Tim is an excellent fighter, resilient and ultimately a wonderful human. Rather than saving himself and fleeing the scene, he pauses to help an officer who has been shot. Character building 101.

Art:

Jeremy: Once again, the action is stellar. Super solid draftsmanship is on full display, with interesting page layouts, varying panel shapes and sizes, and cool use of silhouettes. Tomeu Morey’s colors are indispensable, creating mood and separation of situations. 

Steve: Ditto to Jeremy. This book is gorgeous! I really appreciated the inserted info boxes explaining the bag gadgets: Batboot, Batbang, and Bat-bandages. Not a huge thing, but just shows the level of detail that is going into this book.

Overall:

Jeremy: There’s been chatter about Bats being a little unhinged in this book (Alfred was NOT a hologram or AI!), but I don’t really see any more of that here. I do like how Fraction seems to be committing to a more “one and done” approach, with some month-to-month connective tissue. Also, where last issue gave us a lot of heart, this one leans a little heavier on well executed humor, with a bit of a “buddy cop movie” feel. 

Score: 4.25 batarangs

Steve: I love this book. I love the character designs, the colors, the details, the layouts, but most importantly the heart and family. While there is a darkness present, the book has a brightness absent from a lot of Batman titles. I cannot wait to see where this goes. And I got the Mike Allred cover- that most certainly helps!

Score: 4.5 batarangs

Come back next month for Batman 3.