Review: Batman and Robin Vol. 2- Pearl
Quick Summary
Pros: Many of the stories collected here are exciting and have great moments from the members of the Bat-family. The continued development of the relationship between Batman and Robin is excellent and is handled well throughout this collection. Damian’s relationships and interactions with others are handled well in general.
Cons: The “Night of the Owls” tie-in is just average. There are places where the visuals are unpleasant.
Overall: Like its predecessor, this collection is an excellent combination of exciting action and meaningful emotions. It has Batman and Robin physically fighting villains, verbally fighting each other, and, ultimately, growing closer as a family. There are more negatives here than in the first volume, but the overall level of quality is still very high. Anyone who enjoyed the first volume or who is interested in Batman and Robin’s adventures should read this book.
Story
Though not quite as mind-blowingly positive as the first volume, Batman and Robin Vol. 2: Pearl, by Peter J. Tomasi, is still an above-average collection of highly entertaining stories. The variety of stories here center around Damian Wayne, his relationship with his father, and the ties that bind him to the rest of the Bat-family. In general, these stories are highly entertaining and help develop these characters and the relationships between them. The stories also contain the levels of action and excitement one would expect from a group of superheroes. All in all, this is an entertaining book that is a real joy to read.
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Pearl opens up with a dive into Damian Wayne’s past, specifically looking at the relationship he forged with his mother. Though his traumatic past was hinted at in the previous volume, seeing it play out here makes it even more meaningful. This is especially true in regards to his yearly fight against his own mother, which involves both characters nearly killing one another. The entire flashback gives readers more of an understanding as to how Damian became the person we see today.
The next chapter is a “Night of the Owls” tie-in that ends up being the most average chapter of the collection. It has Robin saving the life of a General from a deadly Talon assassin. Though the resulting conflict is exciting and shows off Robin’s penchant for tactical maneuvering, it ultimately feels a bit stale. The flashbacks surrounding the Talon’s history are far less interesting than flashbacks seen in other “Night of the Owls” tie-ins and the entire conflict fails to truly justify the massive loss of life incurred when protecting the General.
Luckily, things improve from here. The following story is a three chapter arc that has Batman and Robin face off against a powerful enemy, with a little help from the former Robins. The high-stakes battle allows Batman to go all-out against the villain in a battle that is awesome from start to finish. This leads to Batman donning an awesome new Batsuit and literally jumping off of a missile he just disabled. The only problem with this portion of the book is that the high-stakes nature of the villain is developed a bit too quickly, causing the pacing to feel too rapid.
However, any flaws here are made up for by this arc’s secondary plotline. This sees a continuation of the emotional development Damian has been going through. It has him rage against his predecessors in order to validate his position as Robin, only to realize that none of this validation is truly necessary. In some ways, the entire ordeal is, once again, a reflection of familial relationships, as it takes a look at the competitive situation that often develops between real-world siblings.
A similar pattern plays out in Pearl‘s final two chapters. These form an arc that is moderately exciting when it comes to action but truly worthwhile when it comes to emotional growth. It has Batman and Robin shut down a cannibalistic cult secretly being run by the Joker. However, it also has them further their understanding of one another. The moments the two share while looking at the eclipse or while talking in the Batcave are wonderfully executed and fit perfectly within the context of this series as a whole.
(spoilers end here)
Art
The vast majority of the artwork in Pearl is provided by Patrick Gleason, who does an absolutely fantastic job from start to finish. Gleason’s work contains fantastic takes on members of the Bat-family, with some that look so good it feels like they should be blown up to poster size and placed on a wall. It also is wonderfully structured in a way that makes full used of different panel structures and thematically relevant background imagery. Gleason’s artwork also has the unique ability to switch between wholesome and emotional scenes, centered around members of the Bat-family, to terrifying scenes, centered around the volume’s grotesque villains. All of this helps further enhance the narrative and make everything that happens here feel more meaningful.
Unfortunately, there are also places in Pearl where other artists take over the visuals, often leading to less than satisfactory results. The volume’s second chapter is alright, for the most part, but has places where the level of detail drops or where simple visual mistakes are made. Then, in the collection’s final arc, the artwork randomly shifts between Patrick Gleason and Tomás Giorello. Though both artists do a solid job in these chapters, the dramatic differences in their visual styles create a disjointed reading experience that is unpleasant to see. These artistic negatives are not significant enough to take away from the collection’s artistic positives but are enough to be easily noticed while reading.
Continuity
Batman and Robin Vol. 2: Pearl continues the story started in Batman and Robin Vol. 1: Born to Kill (Review).
The story here continues in Batman and Robin Vol. 3: Death of the Family (Review).
This volume also references another comic book, detailed below:
- The first chapter makes specific references to Damian and Batman’s first meeting. This is shown over the course of the Batman and Son story arc.
- Batman and Robin #9 is a tie-in issue to the “Night of the Owls” event. The origin of this event is detailed in Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls (Review) and its conclusion is detailed in Batman Vol. 2: The City of Owls (Review).
- At one point, Damian’s confrontation with Otto Netz is mentioned. This confrontation took place in Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes! #1, collected in Batman Incorporated.
- Red Hood mentions fighting Mister Freeze recently. This took place in a “Night of the Owls” event tie-in from Red Hood and the Outlaws #9, collected in Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 2: The Starfire (Review).
- A bounty was placed on Damian’s head in Batman Incorporated Vol. 1: Demon Star.
- At one point, Tim Drake’s participation in “The Culling” event (Reading Order) is mentioned. This event is shown in The Culling: Rise of the Ravagers (Review).
- Jason Todd’s death at the hands of the Joker is mentioned a number of times. This death took place in Batman: A Death in the Family.
- Damian’s fight against the Joker is mentioned. This fight took place in Batman & Robin Vol. 3: Batman & Robin Must Die!
- Batman and Robin #13 makes references to Joker’s reappearance. His reappearance was kicked off in Batman #13, collected in Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family (Review).