CONVERGENCE - BATMAN & ROBIN #2

[ MY SONS NOT FOR SALE! ] 

It's May of 2015, and we all know what that means, don't we? Its time for us to ride the wild ride known as Convergence! So buckle up Ron Marz, Denys Cowan, and Klaus Janson, because you're the ones in charge of the Batman family, and have cooked up a fantastic story about family, forgiveness, and killer dolls. God bless them.

To QUOTE Richard Bach: “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life”.

THE STORY:

Telos, the sentient planet, has finally issued his ultimatum: destroy or be destroyed. In turn this has caused domes to fall, superpowers to return, and everyone to fend for themselves in this battle for survival.

There is one major problem though. The Extremists have made Gotham their target, and only the combined power of Batman and his sons can help save the day.

Yes, sons. The Extremists are toasted now, eh?

THE GOOD:

On the whole I'd say this issue is an extensive fight scene where we see Batman and his kids do what they do best: beating up the bad guys. Simple enough as a pretext goes, and some would say a little boring too. But fear not, dear reader, good character moments are abundant and provide a nice contrast to all the fighting.

After years of non-stop bickering within the bat-family, they're finally able to set their differences aside and work together towards a greater good. Bruce is being a real father for Damian. Jason has put his past to rest and is giving his all to protect his city and his family. Whilst Damian has come to terms with both his adopted brother's return and his father's shortcomings.

Marz crafts a fantastic history on this tale where family is its central theme. In fact, the issue closes with a beautiful dialogue exchange about family between Bruce and Clark, and by doing so, he gives closure to Jason's issues with Bruce. Finally wiping the slate clean and offering a promising future for all involved.

Cowan's work is also way more elaborated than the previous issue, with the highlight being the panels where multiple characters share the scene. Once again, his work is so good that the book could lack any dialogue and still be worth every cent.

THE BAD:

Just like its predecessor, the biggest fault of this story is how formulaic it is. Now please don't misunderstand me. It is a great story, but nothing we haven't seen before. And as Convergence 6 shows, ultimately meaningless in the long run.

The pre Flashpoint Batman and his supporting cast are only background characters (at best) on the fight against Telos and Deimos. And while it is pretty great to see Jason finally embracing his part of the family by being nice to both Bruce and Damian, it's also a resolution that lacks proper build-up or tension. Unlike the N52 version, who made the process slow and detailed, here the issue is solved within a few panels.

In my eyes this is very disappointing since the dynamics between Jason and the Bat-family are extremely different on the pre Flashpoint universe, making it hard to believe that everything would be solved that easily.

THE MUSIC:

'My Father's Eyes' by Eric Clapton is the perfect companion piece to illustrate both Damian's struggles with the sudden return of Jason, as well as Jason's own issues with Bruce. After all, underneath their stubborn and rough exterior lie two kids looking for their father's approval and love.

THE COMPARISON:

The word to describe this issue is Teamwork. With their world coming to an end, everyone needs to put aside their differences and start working together for the greater good. Or in other words, time to pull the ol’ Sprang/Aparo combination!

Ron Marz, you card!!!

THE CONCLUSION:

Despite its shortcomings, more or less this is a pretty pleasant issue. All the heart-warming moments between the cast leave the reader filled with fuzzy feelings inside, where as the ending reminds us that while this story is done, the characters will live on in our memories. Always ready for any writer to pick them up and continue their adventures.

Now I can't finish this review without mentioning something that I found very curious about the story. At no point do we see Jason without his helmet. Why? As many of you can remember, pre Flashpoint Jason was retconned into being red-headed by Grant Morrison -- a very polarizing decision within the fandom. With Jason being black haired on the N52 (and being by far, his most popular look), it would seem editorial has left the choice of pre N52 Jason's look to the readers.

*** This review was brought to you by Adan, Comic Lad Extraordinaire.