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BATMAN AND ROBIN #18

The Absence has come for Batman and Robin, and, as they hear the tale in a burning church, our heroes start to realize the scale of the horror they’re protecting Bruce Wayne from. The Absence is on a mission, and it can only end in fire and destruction.

Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Scott McDaniel and Rob Hunter
Cover by Guillem March
Variant cover by Gene Ha

Price: $2.99
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 0.2%

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ComicBookGuy3712/30/10NoRead Review
Ajacks712/17/10YesRead Review
TheNextChampion12/15/10NoRead Review
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Avg Rating: 3.4
 
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Comments

  1. Avatar photo ctrosejr says:
    December 13, 2010 at 2:14 pm

    I like how there are so many different “flavors” of Batman out there these days.  There’s something for everyone.  This is more of the silly, campy style Batman.  Batman, INC. is “sexy-time” Batman.  Etc.

  2. Avatar photo MoodSmoothie says:
    December 13, 2010 at 2:28 pm

    Very cool cover. The variant here is really cool too!

    @ ctrosejr – I agree. I’m not complaining though. 😉

  3. Avatar photo misterckent says:
    December 13, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    This lady is just super creepy.  I really wonder how that hole works with her brain.  She still seems kinda smart and with all her motor functions.

  4. Avatar photo MoodSmoothie says:
    December 13, 2010 at 3:08 pm

    maybe her brain is located somewhere else in her body…(insert corny joke)

  5. Avatar photo JimBilly4 says:
    December 13, 2010 at 3:24 pm

    This is all right, but with so many Bat books it may not make the cut for me. Cornell is weaving a good bat tale, but the McDaniel art does nothing for me.

  6. Avatar photo vadamowens says:
    December 13, 2010 at 3:57 pm

    I feel the same way. I felt such a disconnect to the story due to the art of last issue. I’ll end up dropping this is the artist isn’t changed soon.

  7. Avatar photo heylook says:
    December 13, 2010 at 4:58 pm

    well this is the creative team for only 4 issues i believe and then Tomasi and Gleason are taking over I thought

  8. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    December 13, 2010 at 6:17 pm

    Last issue was so bad, SO BAD. I think I’m just gonna buy these just so I can get to Tomasi and Gleason’s run.

    So bad… 

  9. Avatar photo MegaPhilip says:
    December 13, 2010 at 6:20 pm

    I thought the last one was interesting. Think it could go either way. Haven’t decided yet.

  10. froggulper says:
    December 13, 2010 at 6:42 pm

    Everything about the previous issue felt rushed and slapped together. I thought Cornell’s characterizations were a little too cutesy. I’ll try this series again when Tomasi takes over, maybe.

  11. Avatar photo AmirCat says:
    December 13, 2010 at 8:02 pm

    I didn’t like last issue. Only buying this cause I put it in my pull list thinknig it’s still gonna be Morrison. 🙁

  12. Avatar photo BCDX97 says:
    December 13, 2010 at 10:44 pm

    I skipped the last issue because it looked bad.  I should remember to take it off my pull list.  I’m looking forward to Tomasi even less.  But there are so many Batbooks now, different strokes for different folks, I guess. 

  13. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    December 13, 2010 at 11:19 pm

    I was worried that Gleason wasn’t going to be the right fit for this series. But considering how bad Scott McDaniel is, there is no way he can be any worse.

  14. Avatar photo robbydzwonar says:
    December 14, 2010 at 12:11 am

    Buying this arc solely for the covers.  I loved Cornell when he first came over to DC at the start of his ACTION run, but ACTION isn’t even as fun as it was in the beginning, I didn’t understand a word of a single plot point in either issue or Knight & Squire that I read, and it looks like this isn’t going anywhere I would really like to go either.  Send Cornell back to MARVEL!

  15. Avatar photo comicBOOKchris says:
    December 14, 2010 at 1:00 am

    I liked the first issue of this for the most part. It’s certainly not as brilliant as all of Knight & Squire and some issues of Action, but it was an ok read. McDaniel’s art really brings me back to the day of Dixon’s Nightwing and Robin series, and that’s not a bad thing.

  16. Avatar photo NawidA says:
    December 14, 2010 at 1:19 am

    I think I’ll wait to see what you guys think about this issue. Not impressed by the last.

  17. Avatar photo Fvckstick says:
    December 14, 2010 at 7:54 am

    Last issue was a total mess. Art was unacceptable, story seemed to be all over the place, and it just left me bummed. This series has been great, and so far last issue was the first to bum me out. Even through the Tan era, Morrison still told a good story. Cornell is a great writer and I’ve always liked his work, but this just left me unsatisfied.

  18. Avatar photo WheelHands says:
    December 14, 2010 at 9:56 am

    #17 didn’t rock my world, but I wasn’t expecting much. Morrison is never an easy act to follow, and I’m not a huge McDaniel fan. I haven’t read much Cornell, but he seems to have a decent grip on the boys, and I applaud his efforts to creat a new villain.

    Sidenote: I think it’s wonderful that Morrison’s stint on the Batbooks has ushered in a new era of very original (and kinda scary) villains. As great as Batman’s villains are, the Batline has always suffered from a serious reguritation problem. Think of all the great threats Morrison & Co. have churned out in recent years, both original and revitalized; Dr. Hurt, The Black Glove (what’s left of them), Professor Pyg and the Doll-O-Trons, Flamingo, Red Hood, Scarlet, Mario Falcone, Black Mask II, The 99 Fiends, and now Absence. A lot of Morrison’s creations will be ignored of course, but still it’s exciting to have a fresh, dangerous rogues gallery and not have just another Two-Face or Scarecrow story.

  19. Avatar photo RoiVampire says:
    December 14, 2010 at 12:05 pm

    I loved last issue. The whole bit where Damian is telling Dick to not be so funny was great.

  20. Avatar photo Urthona says:
    December 14, 2010 at 12:57 pm

    I hated last issue, and see no reason to think things will get better.  Ya gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em….for B&R, the time is now to fold, so I’m out.

    Luckily with Detective, Batwoman, Batman Inc., there is no shortage of good Batman…hey, even the cartoon Brave and the Bold is fun! 

  21. Avatar photo ctrosejr says:
    December 14, 2010 at 1:04 pm

    I also loved the last issue.  Best Bat book out that week (there were a lot).  Is it Morrison?  No.  But, it was a very good, fun issue.  Can’t wait for this one!

  22. Avatar photo JimBilly4 says:
    December 14, 2010 at 7:35 pm

    @Wheelhands I loved the Morrison epic, but the only characters he created that I think will stick are Dr. Hurt and Pyg (and his Doll-o-Trons, I suppose). Most of the rest are just Morrison madness that are fun when he writes them, but not exactly well rounded characters/villain ideas. Of course Damian is sticking around, as well.

  23. Avatar photo AlanRob says:
    December 15, 2010 at 12:45 am

    I believe I have crossed a threshold where I will buy anything that Paul Cornell writes.

  24. Cedric says:
    December 15, 2010 at 5:18 am

    @AlanRob  Same for me

  25. Avatar photo WheelHands says:
    December 15, 2010 at 10:25 am

    @JimBilly4: Oh absolutely. In fact, I wouldn’t be suprised at all if no one touched Dr. Hurt besides Morrison ever again. Almost everything the guy introduces gets universally ignored. Damian is an exception, and I couldn’t be happier about it. That little bastard is the single greatest installment in a terrific run. What I really meant was that I’m excited by the fact that an effort is being made by all the bat writers to give Dick his own gallery of new baddies, rather than just recycling the classics.

  26. Avatar photo RoiVampire says:
    December 15, 2010 at 11:20 am

    @WheelHands  I hadn’t even thought about that but you’re right. Dick hasn’t really taken on any of the classic on a real case that i know of

  27. Avatar photo WheelHands says:
    December 15, 2010 at 1:03 pm

    @RoiVampire: There was the confrontation with Two Face in the cave during Winick’s little arc, but the less said about that the better.

  28. Avatar photo kennyg says:
    December 15, 2010 at 4:03 pm

    @Urthona  If we’re talking poker analogies, then issue #18 is the “flop” in a Texas Hold Em game. Too early for me to fold, and I’ve got an ace/queen in the hole. The whole thing could go south, but I came to play.

  29. Avatar photo magnum240 says:
    December 15, 2010 at 6:01 pm

    @comicbookchris Remember how inventive McDaniels was with his layouts in the Nightwing days? I miss that in his art.

  30. Avatar photo WheelHands says:
    December 15, 2010 at 8:36 pm

    This one did even less for me than the last. Could’ve used more Dick and Damian in this one. The entire issue was an origin story, and not a very strong one. I thought Absence was a concept with potential when I first saw her, but she’s kinda lame. The pollution in Gotham River cauterized the GAPING HOLE IN HER HEAD?! And she can still function because she never had a brain to begin with? Even if that is a real condition, I seriously doubt it’s anything like that.

    I like Cornell and all his quirkiness, but this story just doesn’t interest me. Usually in that case I look towards the art, but McDaniel’s doing less and less for me these days. I’m willing to cut Cornell a little slack, as Morrison set a very specific tone with this series, and a hand-off like this can always be turbulent. Still totally on board with this title, but lookin forward to the next arc.

  31. dkpwv says:
    December 15, 2010 at 9:59 pm

    Strike two Cornell. Take another swing and then let Tomasi give it a try.

  32. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    December 15, 2010 at 11:33 pm

    I actually thought this was a HUGE improvement over the last issue. This feels like Cornell and McDaniels had a lot more time to work with and it shows. Writing was a lot more solid and the ideas Cornell plays here are funny and sick as always. Plus I even gotta admit that McDaniels did some nice work here. Although the final pages look a bit fugly and I don’t care for his ‘Neal Adams’ vibe with Dick and Damien. Otherwise, I think this was a good issue.

    3/5 

  33. Avatar photo NawidA says:
    December 16, 2010 at 12:36 am

    @TNC

    I agree. This was very silly but not in a bad way. I actually thought the whole issue was quite funny. 

  34. Avatar photo andybmcd says:
    December 16, 2010 at 3:03 am

    The script was great and a massive improvement over the first issue.  Art is still weak though.

    3.5/5

     

  35. Avatar photo ResurrectionFlan says:
    December 16, 2010 at 4:01 am

    Eh I think I have come to the end of the line on this book. Taking it down to Batman Inc. and Red Robin.

  36. Avatar photo CaseyJustice says:
    December 16, 2010 at 12:24 pm

    Did not pick this up after reading the last ish. Sad for me, because I used to be a HUGE McDaniels fan when he was on Nightwing. That book was really something special. I’m not sure if I’ve changed, or if he has, but that comic did nothing for me. If the art had wowed, I may have stuck around for the story (which felt like filler, but filler can be fun!). Alas, this was not the case.

  37. Avatar photo comicBOOKchris says:
    December 16, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    What a great issue! This is Cornell writing like the A-lister that he is.

    Plus, the last page is also possibly the greatest panel in comics history.

  38. quenbyh says:
    December 16, 2010 at 6:26 pm

    This issue was fantastic!  I thought it was a huge step up from the last one.  Yes, it was some amazing silly fun…I love that the Bat books are so varied.  @comicBOOKchris, I totally agree about that last page!  

  39. Avatar photo stasisbal says:
    December 18, 2010 at 2:01 am

    Solid issue but I don’t care for the art too much. The fill-in bits in the middle were rough.  But it got the job done and there were some good bits here and there.  The last page makes the issue.

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