Writers have shown us time and time again that fatherhood does not come easy to one Bruce Wayne. It definitely wasn’t easy raising a Dick Grayson or a Tim Drake, let alone a Jason Todd or a Damian Wayne, even with Alfred Pennyworth around. (Not to mention his “daughters” and other less-troublesome “sons”). But we’ve gotta hand it to the ol’ Bat – he never stops trying.
This miniseries is aptly entitlted “Fathers & Sons”, and it’s easily becoming one of my favorites.
We’ve seen the pattern of resentment among the Robins that comes with feeling replaced. All the four (main) Batboys have gone through it at one point in their vigilante careers: Dick with Jason; Jason with Tim; Tim with Damian. And now, interestingly, Damian with Jason?
You’d think that the li’l former assassin would have gotten over his insecurities after having proven himself a more-than-capable Robin to both Bruce and Dick… Perhaps, it’s a testosterone thing? Or possessiveness over their father?
Whatever the reason, it paves the way for combination angst-and-fluff interactions that I absolutely adore!
A little backstory (and some spoilers):
“Convergence” was a company-wide DC Universe crossover event during the New 52 run focused on Braniac’s obsession with collecting cities from ended timelines and trapping them in domes on a planet outside of space and time. It has several spin-offs, including this two-issue one.
In a domed Gotham City, Batman and Robin rescue Poison Ivy from some rogues. She had been cultivating Robinson park in order to feed the citizens for free, and her colleagues basically saw it as bad for criminal business. When Killer Croc attacks Batman, Red Hood (with his assistant Duela Dent, a.k.a. Scarlet) shows up unexpectedly and saves him.
“Jason… Todd? Why’s he here?”
In the next set of panels, both Bruce and Damian question Jason’s sudden appearance – but probably for different reasons. Bruce seems genuinely curious but welcoming, while Damian’s more he’s-not-supposed-to-be-here.
More under the cut:
“Where have you been?”
Not “Get lost, you’ve done enough”, not “I’m calling the cops on you”.
Awww, Bruce, your “daddy” is showing!
“… Because I have help.”
Fandom tends to portray Batman as a lone wolf who hates working with others, when that’s only partly true. He rarely (openly) asks for help (for efficiency and martyr-ish reasons), but he also rarely has to. The Batfamily has his back whether he prefers it or not (which, I’m pretty sure, he does). And, once in a while, he’ll acknowledge it and have symptoms of gratefulness.
In the last panel, I like how the artist puts the quote beside Damian’s face. I’d like to think that Bruce is either acknowledging the importance of having his Robins, or hinting to Damian that Jason’s contribution to the fight was valuable.
“Maybe it’s time you got yourself a new partner. Or an old one.”
Now, the following scene is very reminiscent of an exchange between Bruce and Tim regarding Damian (which I previously posted about here.) The irony being that Damian’s in Tim’s shoes this time, insecure about where he stands with Bruce now that the long-lost black sheep of the family has returned. Like Tim, he feels that said sheep should earn his place in the family and resents that Bruce seems to be forgetting years of ugly life-threatening disputes with Jason.
But, as far as parents go, Bruce is fair, to say the least. In moments like these, he tries to reassure the concerned child of his love and lets him/her see where the other is coming from.
“Of all the things I learned from you… how to be a father was not one of them.”
If you’ve read the “Batman and Robin” series (the second volume, where Bruce reclaims the cowl from Dick, and Damian stays as his Robin), then you’ve seen the frustrating tug-of-war between Bruce and Damian. Bruce was learning how to be father; Damian, a son. There were so many lovely moments between them that actually made me tear up!
In this heartfelt scene, Bruce is seeking comfort from (the ghost of) his father. Clearly, Batman and son still have a ways to go. If there’s something that can get under Bruce’s skin – apart from his parents’ death, of course – it’s family tension.
(In spite of their argument, Bruce considers taking Damian on patrol, knowing how much his son loves it.)
“I don’t want to fight you.”
I suppose being a fictional vigilante family affords them the right to be this ExtraTM (on a rooftop, a helicopter on standby), but really this is just your typical brotherly brawl at home.
Throughout the issue, we get a glimpse of a now-“reforming” Jason. He shows up out of nowhere, with no other agenda than to fight side-by-side with his family. He holds back his punches against Damian even when he could use “self defense” as an excuse to Bruce. (Maybe he can relate to Damian? After all, they’ve both tried to kill Tim out of Robin-fueled resentment.) His defenses are down when Bruce calls him out for his “unacceptable” behavior”. Here’s a Jason who wants a truce, however uneasy.
Damian’s disdain for Jason isn’t unfounded, though. Jason’s track record… Well. Come on. Plus, remember the time when he humiliated Batman and Robin, almost exposing Dick and Damian’s secret identities to the whole world via the internet?
“Both of you… STOP IT.”
And the “daddy” just keeps falling from his cape.
Before Bruce gets to answer such a loaded question, a disembodied voice interrupts their moment (whew!) and tells them that the cities will have to fight one another to survive.
… Which, of course, is unacceptable to Bruce, whose mantra is that there is always another way. A group called The Extremists arrive in Gotham City and the Batboys are forced to push aside their differences to deal with the threat.
“Both of you… concentrate on your jobs.”
Damian’s snarky by nature, and Jason’s not one to just let a li’l brat get away with insulting him, so…
Annnnnnd Batman breaks his no-civilian-names-in-the-field rule like a mother hen panicking for her two chicks.
Now, this next set of panels just… *sigh*.
In a clever (or desperate?) attempt to get his sons to work together, Bruce actually uses his opponent to reenact a traumatic Batfamily moment. (I mean, how may Bane-like villains are there? And, how many parents do you know use life-and-death situations as teaching moments?)
“We’ll get your father.”
And, just like that, a mutual protectiveness over their father (come on, Jason, just say it already) actually gets them to cooperate!
“We still have a job to do. Together.”
You know who you wouldn’t want as your enemy? Crime-fighting brothers who have just recently made ammends (and have Batman as their dad!).
“Got you.”
“I’m here…”
“This is what we do. This is what we’ve always done. We protect the things that are precious to us.”
“The universe made us orphans, but we don’t have to stay that way. Go be with your family, Bruce.”
And the cherry on top? Our favorite Batfamily “uncle”/co-parent droping by from the sky to share in the feels… (He clearly watched the whole thing unfold.)
In spite of how much his children push him (or each other) away, Bruce doesn’t give up on them (and, well, vice versa). He’ll let them run away, but not without stuffing a care package in their knapsacks first (figuratively speaking).
World’s Greatest Detective, in peak physical condition, revered by superheroes and villains in the Multiverse… and “dad” is still his greatest challenge.
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