As usual with silent issues, this issue is full of meaningful moments that require time to process them fully.
In presenting the contents of Damian's room, Gleason manages to convey everything that you need to know about Damian. You've got the musical instruments, full sketchbook, and bonsai tree, reminders of Damian's autodidactic tendencies. You've also got the "trophies" that he won from the other Robins resting on the mantle, reminding us that he needed things like art, gardening, and music to offset the brutal nature that he often struggled to control. Then, you've got Titus, lying next to his bed, waiting for Damian to come home. Tomasi and Gleason have done a brilliant job with Titus, showing him as Damian's weak spot, to the point where I've often worried about his safety since he seemed the most obvious target for anyone who wanted to hurt Damian. I was reading this issue when my partner returned home from just a one-day trip and our dog danced around him, barking the whole time, so excited was she to see him. The moment heightened the emotion of that page, obviously, since Titus is waiting in vain. Damian isn't coming home.
After reminding us of who Damian was, Tomasi and Gleason go about showing us how much he will be missed. It's hard to tell what's the more heartbreaking moment, Bruce holding Damian's small glove in his hand (reminiscent of Damian holding his smaller boots to Bruce's bigger ones last issue) or seeing his solitary reflection in the skyscraper. Titus himself gets a moment, running to the Batmobile in excitement when Bruce returns, only to be disappointed when Damian doesn't appear. By the time we get to Bruce cradling Damian's empty costume, it's all almost too much.
This issue, so far, is the only "Requiem" issue that I've read that actually feels like a tribute to Damian. It's fitting, obviously, for it to be in this title. Even though I haven't been thrilled with Tomasi's work all of the time, he really understood Damian. In fact, I continued to get this series because it was the only place where Damian consistently appeared. He just brought something so different and unexpected to the Bat-family and Tomasi and Gleason have done an amazing job of showing that in this series.
But, in showing how much Damian will be missed, they also reminded me how ridiculous it is that he died in the first place. On some level, I get why Dan Slott felt the need to shake up Spider-Man, a character with 50 years of history weighing down every story told about him. But, Damian was just starting to come into his own in the DCnU. His progress had already been interrupted by the reboot and I feel like we were finally just getting to where we had been in the initial run of "Batman and Robin," watching him engage with the world around him in a way uniquely his own. This series' recent annual was a great example of that.
At this point, the only reason I can see why DC killed of Damian Wayne is sheer vanity on Grant Morrison's part. He took his ball and went home. Morrison talks about how his plan was always to kill off Damian, but you have to wonder why DC allowed him to do so. After all, despite what he might think, Morrison doesn't own Batman. By insisting that Damian had to die because he said so, Morrison just seems to be confirming my suspicions lately that we've return to the 1990s again, where creators try to outdo one another with shocking twists and editors do little to stop them. Instead of his legacy being Damian, Morrison seems to want it be to have killed Damian, something that seems to sum up everything wrong with the comic-book industry right there.
So, bye, Damian. You were, surprisingly, the best of them all and nothing will be nearly as much fun without you.
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