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Three panel soul destiny 27/28/2023 ![]() Another highlight comes when Talia and Damian both confront Mother Soul on the edge of a giant chasm. It’s a great moment that gives some agency to the magical characters that were taken out somewhat unceremoniously in the first issue. Batman is unable to fully embrace magic as it requires “submission” but the “voices of all the magic users Nezha has defeated” guide him as he uses their power on their behalf. From this point on, Waid turns up the melodrama as several threads come into play all at once. Nonetheless, the action ramps up once Batman takes possession of all the magic Nezha has stolen by putting on the helmet it was stored in. There’s a fairly convenient off-panel plot point where Batman narrates that he had previously scouted the cave and freed Talia. Credit: Scott Godlewski, Jordie Bellaire, Steve WandsĪfter the obligatory Batman versus Robin showdown, the supporting cast takes on a larger role as Talia arrives to even the odds against Nezha and Mother Soul. ![]() ![]() Lastly, Scott Wands’ letters are subtly perfect, especially as the large amount of narration panels requires careful placement to lead the eye. The cave walls are always cast in shades of green, but heavy shadows create depth and texture that make the backgrounds more than just a blur of rock. Jordie Bellaire once again turns in excellent work, injecting a sense of lushness to the underground caves that could very easily be a barren setting. The only thing that fully betrays the inconsistency between the two artists is that Godlewski draws Mother Soul much younger than Asrar, to the degree where I actually got confused who she was at times. The art in general is extremely strong with the transitions between Asrar and Godlewski noticeable, but well placed as Asrar tends to handle the bigger emotional beats and twists, while Godlewski handles more of the actual fights. Credit: Scott Godlewski, Jordie Bellaire, Steve Wands It looks great, makes the action easy to track, and perfectly captures how the two are evenly matched. There’s a truly fantastic page where Godlewski uses three smaller horizontal panels to track Damian’s attacks as Bruce narrates the techniques, which ends on a closer up panel of them in a stalemate. The majority of the fight plays out silently, making the fight feel more intense, as if both combatants are heavily focused on taking each other down instead of making quips. The focus on narration also allows the fight to play out without unnecessary, and potentially cheesy, banter between Bruce and Damian. However, equally gripping is Batman noting every fighting style Damian utilizes against him as he tries to take Damian down despite being worn out on his journey to the hideout itself. His emotional state is touched upon as he struggles to accept the fact that his son has been turned against him after a lifetime of trying to pry him away from his destiny in the League of Assassins. Credit: Mahmud Asrar, Jordie Bellaire, Steve WandsĪ highlight of the entire series has been Batman’s narration as he works through both physical and mental obstacles. It doesn’t take long for Bruce and Damian to fight, offering a sense of surprise early as it leaves more room for later developments. Waid’s scripts have done an excellent job of distilling the current stakes to make them easy to follow, which is particularly helpful in a monthly series. His plan to have Damian kill Bruce is in full effect, and his own son is prowling around for an opportunity to attack Nezha personally. Most importantly, Nezha is now fully juiced up with Lazarus Pit energy. The first three pages clearly establish the current stakes, which is welcome given the sheer amount of magical chaos that ensued over the past few issues. Mahmud Asrar and Scott Godlewski turn in excellent art that deliver the high stakes goods, while also deftly handling Waid’s melodramatic tendencies. ![]() Robin #4 is an action packed, emotionally resonant penultimate chapter that expertly brings together various threads from the series into a satisfying brawl.
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