š¦š„ Batman and Robin (2023) #5 rambling and a conspiracy theory lol
tbh this is the most exciting issue for me sinceā¦the first one š iām going to talk about the story and art separately because Nikola Cizmesijaās one of my favorite action focused comic artists so this issueās a treat š
Alfred used to mediate during a lot of Bruce and Damianās early relationship, so itās refreshing to see Bruce take more initiative involving himself in Damianās life even if itās for a case lol
a couple instances of Alfredās fatherly support on behalf of Bruce and Damian from Batman and Robin (2011) #2, 4, 39 and Teen Titans (2016) #1
Damian seems to take Bruce's involvement more as a sign heās not reliable rather than Bruce finally just. being around to help him. which is fair š
this is complementary to Cizmesijaās art, but i love this half of the page so bad š the negative space and the shaded foreground with Damian mid-run gives this feeling of time kinda stopping for us to really feel the impact of Damianās entrance AND the effect it has on Bruce, like!! that wide eyed expression in the below panel!! š
Bruceās quiet āyou can do it, sonā to A FULL BODY CHEER OF āGO, DAMIAN!ā Bruce witnessing Damian be great outside of Robin, and on top of that itās just another mundane moment that Bruce has wanted with Damian š
this is such a goofy bully line sdfgh though the whole ābrokenā bit might be a callback to Batman and Robin (2011) #1, in that Bruce is really trying to do his job as a father here or i'm likely reading way too into it
SO the āshocking endingā of Zach being Zsaszās kid was definitely a surprise but then got me wondering what is up with Williamson doing reveals of new kids for villains lol otherwise, the hints in the issue were neat!
the tally marks!! at least tallying blocks is pretty innocent compared to kills š
and Damian would recognize how Zsasz moves, since heās personally fought him before in Streets of Gotham (2009)!! very much not in a sport, but uh maybe it was to Zsasz
the art!! first a shoutout to the colorist Rex Lokus for giving Damian his green eyes and maybe melanin (it didnāt look consistent throughout so i say maybe)!! š also a Talia by Cizmesija!! even though this panel calls her a ānot greatā teacherā¦š
SUCH A FUN PAGE š iāve been into montage scenes lately lol and i love how quickly Cizmesija establishes Damianās routine - Tues, Wed, and Fri are the funniest for me!! Damian grumpily getting lectured by his teacher in the foreground while his classmateās still visibly steaming from the hit he took LOL, DAMIANāS BUG EYED STARE WITH HIS SUNGLASSES UP, and then Damian looming. stealthily. in a tree. while some kid is blatantly pointing him out HAHA š
Cizmesijaās use of motion lines and effects when conveying movement is so cool!! the shonen manga vibes jumps out!! the smoke/dust trails following the movements; the limbs and soccer ball having a sort of blur effect with the motion lines. V COOL.
which leads to my favorite part of Cizmesijaās work - HIS IMPACT SHOTS!!
more motion lines and effects!! the splatter effects!! the arcs!! the jolting impacts!! GRRAAHH!! the setup to that impact shot of Zach's block is so great, and then following with Damian's reaction!! i almost wish that "???" wasn't there, just because that expression of stunned silence already feels so loud!!
last thoughts about Cizmesija's art is that i'm really hoping for a showdown between Damian and Zach next issue because i need to see a Damian fight scene in Nikola Cizmesija-fashion š we get a taste of it with Orca and soccer but i NEED MORE LOL for now, dropping the moment when Damian overpowers Zsasz, in Batman: Streets of Gotham #11 since it was such an epic moment
okay SLAPPING MY CONSPIRACY BOARD!! so on another note Principal Stone being Shush is starting to feel like a red herring and Ms. Heather Hall could actually be Shush. Shushās main point about Damian as his instructor was emphasizing how much potential he has, but the āwrongā influence could affect that
Stone and Hall have made the same observation about Damianās potential, but the difference is how they address that - one wants Bruce to be more involved while the other wants Bruce to back off
Stone acknowledged Damian can take care of himself but still wants Bruce to step up in Damianās life; Hall says itās okay to be a helicopter parent BUT implies giving Damian space (which we already know Bruce has given so much of after Alfredās death to the point of neglect š)
Hall even suggests moving Damian on to college, which would estrange Damian further. also idk how Damian kicking his teammates/bullies asses at soccer is really āmaking friendsā lol
and of all the subjects sheās teaching, itās AP Biology - according to the current case Batman and Robin are working on, which is centered around DNA-sequencing, it makes Hall the perfect accomplice to Langstrom
this is where my brain started reaching because i laughed at first at how specific that comparison is, but then it just made me think of how Shushās first introduction was sniping Bruce LOL anyway, Bruceās reaction is me š
one more Cizmesija appreciation panel - the lil running effects behind Damian :)
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