A review by thatpaintedpony
Super Sons #1 by Dennis Culver, Peter J. Tomasi, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sánchez, Chris Burnham
4.0
This is a tricky review for me to write, because for a long time, I have hated Damian Wayne on sheer principle. When I started reading Batman comics, Dick Grayson was Nightwing, Jason Todd was dead, and Tim Drake was Robin. Some of my favorite comics are set early on, as well, either when Batman doesn't have a Robin, or when Dick was Robin (The Long Halloween, Year One, Dark Victory, etc). I also read and watched a lot of classic Teen Titans, with Dick as Robin and then as Nightwing. I then dropped out of comics for a long time, so I missed the New 52, the collapse and re-establishment of the multiverse, etc.
So when I came back to Batman comics, and Tim Drake was gone, and there was this new kid with a punk attitude calling himself Bruce Wayne's son, I was enraged. This wasn't the Robin I knew and loved. Robin had always been a fun, light-hearted character - despite the tragedy they sometimes had, the Robins I knew were a bright counterpoint to Batman's darkness. To me, that was the point of Robin - be be a light in the dark, their bright, silly costumes set in opposition to Batman's darkness. And Damian, with his whole 'raised by the League of Shadows', too good for this, dark and angsty demeanor, didn't seem bright enough to act as a foil to Batman - and my feelings on this point haven't changed.
That said, Damian is starting to grow on me, as long as it's in comics where he's separated from Batman. There are some scenes in some of the newer Batman titles I've read where I haven't minded him so much, but it's largely when he's interacting with the other past Robins, Dick and Jason. I can tolerate him in Teen Titans, but the Super Sons comic is the first time that I felt I could start to like him. His dynamic with Jon is interesting - I enjoyed the feeling that Damian is trying to make friends, in his own prickly, difficult sort of way. Jon is a bit of a goody-two-shoes like his father, but that works well against Damian's "I'm the best at everything" sort of attitude. I liked the art style in this comic - it would have bothered me in say, a Justice League story, but I think it fit the tone well, and it was cute and entertaining. The story was fun and fast paced, and overall I really enjoyed it.
So Damian gets a pass in this instance, even if overall I still think he fails as a Robin.
So when I came back to Batman comics, and Tim Drake was gone, and there was this new kid with a punk attitude calling himself Bruce Wayne's son, I was enraged. This wasn't the Robin I knew and loved. Robin had always been a fun, light-hearted character - despite the tragedy they sometimes had, the Robins I knew were a bright counterpoint to Batman's darkness. To me, that was the point of Robin - be be a light in the dark, their bright, silly costumes set in opposition to Batman's darkness. And Damian, with his whole 'raised by the League of Shadows', too good for this, dark and angsty demeanor, didn't seem bright enough to act as a foil to Batman - and my feelings on this point haven't changed.
That said, Damian is starting to grow on me, as long as it's in comics where he's separated from Batman. There are some scenes in some of the newer Batman titles I've read where I haven't minded him so much, but it's largely when he's interacting with the other past Robins, Dick and Jason. I can tolerate him in Teen Titans, but the Super Sons comic is the first time that I felt I could start to like him. His dynamic with Jon is interesting - I enjoyed the feeling that Damian is trying to make friends, in his own prickly, difficult sort of way. Jon is a bit of a goody-two-shoes like his father, but that works well against Damian's "I'm the best at everything" sort of attitude. I liked the art style in this comic - it would have bothered me in say, a Justice League story, but I think it fit the tone well, and it was cute and entertaining. The story was fun and fast paced, and overall I really enjoyed it.
So Damian gets a pass in this instance, even if overall I still think he fails as a Robin.