Beyond words: The silent Batman & Robin #18 is a beautiful, sad requiem for the fallen Robin.

The death of Damian Wayne a.k.a. Robin gives the character of Batman an extra, poignant dimension.

A COUPLE of months ago (Feb 27 to be exact), Damian Wayne a.k.a. Robin died at the hands of his artificially aged clone, the Heretic, in Batman Incorporated #8.

Why are we only talking about this now? Well, after recently watching Johnny Storm, Winter Soldier and Bruce Wayne resurrected in record time after their “deaths”, you’ll have to forgive us if we are a bit more cautious when reporting comic book deaths.

Besides, we are dealing with the grandson of Ra’s Al Ghul here, who has been resurrected quite a number of times via his Lazarus Pits before. To further justify my scepticism about Damian’s death, his mother, Talia Al Ghul, previously saved him from certain death (in Batman #655-658) via the transplant of “harvested organs”.

In case your Batman diet is limited to the Christian Bale flicks, Damian is the son of Bruce and Talia, daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul. While such a union between Gotham City’s protector and an international megalomaniac’s daughter may seem unlikely, it actually happened in the 1987 graphic novel Batman: Son Of The Demon.

Following that unholy union, Talia gave our hero an offspring – a son he did not know existed until two decades later, our time (Batman #655).

Throughout this period, there have been signs of Damian’s rise to prominence and future inheritance of the Bat-mantle, but after his untimely death, it will probably take another Flashpoint-like reboot to reverse his passing.

Anyway, now that the dust has settled (hopefully finally), let us pay tribute to Damian Wayne – probably the most eccentric Boy Wonder ever!

Batman & Robin Annual #1

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi

Artist: Ardian Syaf, Vicente Cifuentes

DAMIAN stood out from the other Robins (Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake and even the only female one thus far, Carrie Kelley) mainly because of his birthright as a Wayne.

Trained by the League of Assassins and possessing advanced engineering prowess (the flying Batmobile is testament to that!), Damian arrived at Wayne Mansion with excessive emotional baggage encased in a violent ego.

While his early years in the Bat-family were overshadowed by his bickering with Tim Drake a.k.a. Red Robin, not to mention the ruthless manner in which he delivered justice, he showed tremendous improvement under the tutelage of Dick Grayson (who took over the Batman cowl in Bruce’s absence) and over the past year with his dad.

Batman & Robin Annual #1 completed Damian’s ascension into a more humane, likable character, offering an offbeat adventure for the Waynes as Damian put his father’s detective skills to the ultimate test via a three-day global scavenger hunt.

While Damian’s ultimate objective was to prove to his dad that he has been learning about his birthright, he also wanted to give Bruce a gift in the form of reconnecting with his non-crimefighting past.

The hunt takes Bruce to London, Barcelona and Athens – places where significant milestones occurred during Thomas and Martha Wayne’s early years together.

While these are moments that Bruce and Talia never shared, Damian’s success in reconstructing the moments is not only touching, but offers a rare look behind the Dark Knight’s grim façade.

Batman Incorporated #8

Writer: Grant Morrison

Artist: Chris Burnham

IF you read Batman & Robin Annual #1 before Damian’s death, you would have cried out at the injustice of his subsequent death in Batman Incorporated #8.

Here, his preference for his father’s cause is viewed as traitorous by his mother Talia, who is so peeved by her son’s betrayal that she puts a bounty on Damian’s head and “replaces” him with an artificially aged clone called the Heretic.

Fearing for his son’s safety, Batman fakes his son’s death, but Damian’s persistence in addressing the problem directly leads to a duel to the death with his clone.

There were two moments in this issue that I would deem as milestones in the Batman mythos.

Firstly, his final conversation with Nightwing, in which he says, “So far, I’d say you’ve been my favourite partner. We were the best, Richard. No matter what anyone thinks.”

Then there was his final battle with the Heretic, where he was forced to go into “kill mode”, while pleading to his mother to turn on the Heretic’s “kill-save”.

Batman & Robin #18

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi

Artist: Patrick Gleason

AFTER Damian’s death, Batman & Robin #18 captures the impact of his passing on Batman. The almost entirely wordless issue is a beautifully moving way of capturing just how both sides of Bruce Wayne’s character cope with the loss of Damian.

Interestingly, Bruce Wayne and Batman cope with the loss of a son and sidekick in contrasting fashion. As a father, he allows himself that rare moment to mourn, but when in crimefighting mode, he returns with a vengeance and takes out his grief on criminals in an extra brutal manner.

But what makes this issue even more poignant are Damian’s last words in his final message, “I want you to know that Mother may have given me life, but you taught me how to live.”

While we know that comic book deaths are only permanent when it comes to Uncle Ben and Thomas & Martha Wayne, for now, we shall play along with this epic Batman run which offered a new dimension to the character, that of a grieving father.

Initially, I was sceptical about seeing the Dark Knight share his death-defying encounters with a 10-year-old egoistical punk, but the last year of reading about the change in Damian’s behaviour certainly changed my mind about the character.

Rest in peace, Damian Wayne.

> Comics courtesy of Earth 638 (2nd Floor, Kelana Mall, Jalan SS6/12, Kelana Jaya, Petaling Jaya, tel: 03-78048380, e-mail: earth638@yahoo.com)

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