24 Hour Comics Reviewing Day, Hour Two: Batman #657

BATMAN #657: This comic is fun. Fun yeah, but boy oh boy, does the aptly named Damien ever need a good spankin'. "Batman and Son" continues with a new guest at Wayne Manor and in the Batcave, and I can tell you, Batman, that I'd definitely be a better and more polite little guest to you and Alfred and Robin than bratty Damien is. (Say, you don't think that name is symbolic or anything, do ya?) Grant Morrison continues to impress me with this back-to-basics Batman saga with a new twist, spiked with solid, dynamic art by Andy Kubert, tongue-in-cheek black humored dialogue and a genuinely chilling cliffhanger ending. Plus, the giant penny makes a splash page appearance...any Batman story that remembers the giant penny is tops in my book! My favorite part, however, is the time and attention Bruce gives in informing Tim Drake what's going on and even his misgivings at the situation. That's about as back to basics Batman as you can get: Batman and Robin as partners, as friends, as trusted allies, and that's an element that's been missing from Batman comics until recently. I'm a very pleased little stuffed bull to see it come back. But seriously, Bruce...spare the bat-paddle, spoil the bat-child, huh?