Batman and Robin #22 – Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Writer; Javier Fernandez, Artist; Marcelo Maiolo, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The mystery of Memento has been lurking around the fringes of this title since the first issue of this run, but we might finally know the identity of the killer – Atticus Blye, the elderly mentor of Bruce and Detective Lautrec back in France. He was accused of the killings back then and died in prison – so how is he still standing in front of Damian Wayne, dead-eyed as he keeps the boy locked up? It’s been clear since the start that the villain was not a natural serial killer, but this issue reveals fully that he is in fact a supernatural being. Batman and Lautrec investigate the killer’s history – and discover that there were other killers carried out by completely different people, each claiming that a supernatural force made them do it and targeted those they love until they cooperated. And when dealing with the supernatural, Batman is forced to bring in an unlikely ally – Jason Blood.
It’s always fun when Batman is forced to deal with magic, because he’s perpetually annoyed by it. But there’s something deeper going on here – a threat that Batman truly doesn’t understand, with his son’s life at stake. Etrigan, summoned through Jason Blood, lets us in on a truly eerie tale of occultist brothers well over a century ago who tapped into something they shouldn’t have and may have unleashed an ancient evil. But this issue also introduces some other interesting elements – including the return of the Gotham City Irregulars, a band of young delinquents who were cut a break by Batman years ago and help him out on occasion now. Their investigation takes them into the strangest parts of Gotham left behind by No Man’s Land, right into a deadly encounter. This series has a great central mystery, and a lot of intriguing subplots that are likely leading to a powerful conclusion only months from now.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
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