(SPOILERS WARNINGS!)
Ever since Damian Wayne came into the picture as part of the "Batman and Son" story arc, I was truthfully never a fan. Then he took away my favorite character, Dick Grayson, from his true costume to done the cape and the cowl and help create the new dynamic duo.
Again, the new Dynamic duo, which took a twist from the stereotype of Batman and Robin, having Robin being more dark than Batman, and not vice-versa, did not sit well with me. I feel like Damian was a huge brat, and Dick just didn't fit the role of "babysitter". I was very critical of the series, and just really fell out of it early on. And I blamed Damian.
But when the new 52 came out, I was hoping something would be done with it. Well, Dick Grayson returned to Nightwing, and Bruce Wayne was back full time as the only Batman. But, Damian was still the Robin. I felt that Damian made Batman weaker due to the fact that he was now, "Dad" and not "Batman the badass who runs around in a cape take one Gotham thug at a time". Now granite, he was still doing this but....he was a dad. I fell out of the Batman and Robin series again early on, but really got back in after Damian challenged all the former Robins to being the best. I thought it was awesome, and starting respecting the character as a whole. During the"Night of the Owls", cross title story arc, Damian was just awesome and really started to grow on me. "Death of the Family" was really the selling point. When Damian thought he was fighting his father, just the emotion that was showed.....just wow.
And then.....well.....Batman Incorporated happened.
In Batman Incorporated volume 2, Batman fakes Damian's death in the first issue. The new enemy, Leviathan, wants the Batman family dead, and is very interested in the dynamic duo. Batman tries to keep Damian away, but Damian's stubbornness has him creating a new identity, Red Bird, to allude Batman. This works for a short period, as Batman counteracts this by adding a new member to the Batman Incorpoated operation, Wing-Man, who turns out to be Jason Todd, to help mentor Damian in a way Batman cannot. Batman's reasoning for keeping Damian away was due to the mastermind behind Leviathan: Damian's Mother and Batman's former lover, Talia Al Ghul.
The issues go on, and finally an all out battle vs Leviathan wages, and Batman Incorporated is loosing. Damian defies his father once again, and returns to the Battlefield to fight against his mother. In issue 8, this following scene was the best. It brings Damian's first partner and him back in a fight together. This really changed my mind on the whole outlook on Dick and Damian together.
And then......
Talia created a matured clone of Damian known as The Heretic, delivers the final blow to Damian in a fight to save Batman Incorporated. I dropped the comic book soon after it. I couldn't believe what I saw. Not another Batman, writer Grant Morrison says that "He saves the world. He does his job as Robin. He dies a hero." Although true, I think Morrison killed of a character that all of us, well.....maybe just me.....started to grow on.
Batman and Robin #19 almost had me in tears. No dialoughe. Just pictures. Pictures of not Batman, but Batman the father's struggle of losing a son. It was such a moving comic and......DC, you may have gotten sales, you may have attracted fans to these books, but you killed a good....no....a great Robin.
This is my first rant, but won't be my last. But will be my most emotional.
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