Batman vs. Robin #5 Review

Writer: Mark Waid

Art: Mahmud Asrar, Scott Godlewski, Jordie Bellaire, Steve Wands, and Nathan Fairbairn

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $5.99

Release Date: February 28th, 2023

The Lazarus Volcano has left its impact on planet Earth, but the fallout from Bruce and Damian Wayne’s war is far from over. It’s been a long road from the initial tensions that drove a wedge between father and son in the pages of Teen Titans, but is the hatchet at last ready to be buried? A bold new chapter in the lives of Batman and Robin begins in this epic final issue of Batman vs. Robin #5 by Mark Waid.

If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read Batman vs. Robin #5 Review.

THE DISPATCH

As Batman vs. Robin #5 concludes this Lazarus Planet Event, readers find themselves ending almost exactly where it all began: with a fight between the Dark Knight and his son. One of the highlights of this issue was the exceptional explanation to open this issue that summarizes everything in this story to this point. To any fan thinking of testing out this comic, Waid provides readers with the perfect Cliff Notes to kick this story off.

Moreover, the inner monologue of Damian versus his actual statements toward Nezha were both humorous and cunning. It once again showed the growth in the character of Damian Wayne and his development since Waid began this story. Everyone knows Damian can be a prick. However, this Damian is just more mature and leads Batman vs. Robin #5 well. To this point, I feel like Damian has always been a great side character. However, this is the first time where I feel like Damian could genuinely spearhead a title on his own while keeping the interests of the reader in the process.

Additionally, Waid throws in some other rather unique wrinkles that add some clever flare to the issue. Readers discover some more insight into Nezha’s pull on Damian as well, which makes the events leading up to Batman vs. Robin a bit more understandable as well as a new power set establishment for Monkey Prince. Nevertheless, it’s the Spirit Bomb, Dragonball Z-ish ending that this reviewer found to be a rather cheesy way of wrapping this entire event up. I wish there was a better way to top this story off that would have been a bit more believable, especially with the individuals in Gotham.

ART

Mahmud Asrar is the perfect artist for “moments”. “Moments” that readers remember in an issue. Overall, his illustrations aren’t bad by any stretch. However, there are always two to three outstanding scenes that every reader will remember for quite some time in an Asrar comic. In Batman vs. Robin #5, it’s undoubtedly the moment Batman walks from a burning Batmobile after it crashes or the dozens of Damian’s cascading across a full-page spread ready to lay the smackdown. Nevertheless, as cheesy as the ending was, I can’t help but look to the tender moment of the last page as one Batman fans will remember for years to come. Again, it’s always the “moments” that shine through to this reviewer in an Asrar comic compared to so many other artists today which extenuates the artistic vision he has within a comic.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Batman vs. Robin #5 proves the importance of seeing a story the entire way through to the bitter end. You can’t cut corners. Readers, a gymnast can flip, twirl, and leap dozens of times to heights never thought possible. However, if they don’t land the stunt, it diminishes everything leading up to it immensely. Batman vs. Robin #5 begins with a strong recap that would make Cliff Notes blush. Additionally, it contains a strong plot and some significant passionate moments. Plus, all of the prior statements were coupled with the maturation of Damian Wayne and his ability to be a very capable leader in a comic. Readers, he’s there!

Nevertheless, the fluffy, happy-go-lucky, almost corny ending to this event was extremely uncharacteristic of Waid and left this reviewer scratching his head. Furthermore, it got me to question the event overall. Realistically, all the Batman vs. Robin issues were pretty well done including Lazarus Planet: Alpha #1 and Lazarus Planet: Omega #1. However, if I use the words straight from this issue, anything else related to this event that Waid didn’t write about was actually pretty close to an “unnatural disaster”. And that my friends, drastically impacts the overall score of the event making it feel a bit more inconsequential. As for Batman vs. Robin #5, it wasn’t necessarily the ending I thought we were going to get. But, I certainly appreciated a writer finally developing Damian Wayne and moving him from a troubled, price of a kid to a young adult.