Damian, Son of Batman, Reading Order

MINISERIES SUMMARY PAGE: DAMIAN, SON OF BATMAN

What if Things Were Different When Batman Died?

Start: October 2013
End: January 2014

Forget the continuity of Batman Incorporated. Forget Batman #666. Forget Leviathan. Forget that Damian was killed. In this unique 4-issue limited series, you're going to see a different take on Damian Wayne, the true son of Batman, written by Andy Kubert.

Plot: Taking his rightful place as Robin, Damian and his father go out on a mission when the unexpected happens and Batman is killed. Now he is forced to handle the villainous elite on his own terms by donning the mantle of The Dark Knight.

Provided here is a simple Summary Page on the Limited Series Damian, Son of Batman. It will continue the Reading Order - even though unnecessary - and a synopsis of each issue.

Status: Complete

Reading Order
001 Damian, Son of Batman #1
002 Damian, Son of Batman #2
003 Damian, Son of Batman #3
004 Damian, Son of Batman #4



Detailed Summaries

Damian, Son of Batman #1 - Book One: Next of Kin. Begins the Series. On a routine mission, Batman and Robin begin examining a pile of bodies strewn about at the Gotham Docks. They search until Batman comes upon a smiling fish. Suddenly, before Damian can stop his father, it explodes. The Boy Wonder wakes up hours later and finds his father under wreckage. When he digs him out, he realizes that Batman is dead. Weeks later, after attending the funeral, Damian travels to Isle Murjeno, home to his grandfather and The League of Assassins. There, he meets with his mother, Talia, and Ra's al Ghul. He asks them for help, but is denied. Ra's then informed him that his ties to the League is severed and that he should don the cowl of The Dark Knight, becoming the next Batman. Damian returns home and begins seeking revenge. Multiple criminals are claiming they killed Batman, but there is nothing from The Joker. One by one, he begins killing them. Confused about his moral responsibility, he goes to a church and makes confession. He's then faced with the Code of Justice his father upheld, but leaves in anger. Next, in Wayne Manor, Alfred confronts Damian about the criminal killings. This angers him again; he heads down to the Bat-Cave, preparing to leave, when he's suddenly intercepted by...Bruce Wayne!
Damian, Son of Batman #2 - Book Two: Hierarchy. Continues immediately from the previous issue. Outraged, Bruce Wayne barrels down on Damian. We now see that Bruce is much older. (The plot doesn't make it readily available about how much time has passed or if this story started farther in the future). In the struggle, it's clear he doesn't want Damian to don the cowl of Batman, but in the strugged, Damian shoots his father, piercing him through the chest, with his grapple gun. Now Bruce Wayne is barely alive. Damian flees for a bit, and returns with a modified Batman suit, vowing to rethink his ways and honor the legacy. He heads to Arkham Asylum and, after finding some clues in the Joker cell, goes after Professor Pyg. Meanwhile, back at the Manor, it appears one of Pyg's nurses are watching over Bruce. In the last few pages, Damian is facing some Dolltrons and gets thrown out a window.
Damian, Son of Batman #3 - Book Three: If Animals Could Talk. Alfred, still fulfilling his role as a familial protector, fishes Damian out of the river, working on his wounds and keeping him alive.After some surgery, Alfred collapses during dinner and "somehow" assumes the identity of a cat, talking to Damian. They discuss Professor Pyg which gives Damian new energy. He heads out and thwarts the Jackanapes gang, working for Pyg. Afterwards, he goes to confession; now the appearance is that there is something mysterious with the Priest, who disappears after revealing too much information he shouldn't know. Damian heads back to the Manor, talks with the Cat, and later finds that his dad is mission. A Joker card is all that's left behind. He heads back to the place where Batman was killed in issue #1, and finds a new "Joker" with thugs ready to attack and Wayne in his capture.
The Plot Thus Far: In case you think you're insane, you're not. Most people will have great difficulty following this story. The Batman who died in issue #1 was Dick Grayson; this is implied in issue #3. Bruce Wayne gave up his mantle to Grayson by the time of this story.
Damian, Son of Batman #4 - Book Four: Full Circle. Damian attacks and although overwhelmed, manages to slow his anger and fury. He's trying to keep his promise to his dad. He defeats this Joker and leaves with Wayne, but from behind, the True Joker emerges - apparently he's still alive. Things are muddled throughout this story, but eventually, we get the sense that Damian has passed the test; he's now accepted the role as the next Batman as he goes out to face more villains.

Editorial Note: Normally I'd give any story I catalog a fighting chance. I did not not think Damian, Son of Batman was a good series. I do not recommend it. It's clueless and steeped in distraction. There were too many loose ends - It appeared to be put together half-heatedly. The artwork was decent, but the plot seemed shallow.

The Requiem of Damian Wayne

MINOR CROSSOVER: REQUIEM

The Fall of the Next Robin

Damian Wayne, son of Talia al Ghul and Bruce Wayne, and wearer of the "Robin" mantle, died in Batman Incorporated #8 (2013). It was not entirely a spoiler since DC Comics began revealing the information in a press release and on their website beforehand. Afterwards, it's been a little divided; fans mourn the loss of another sidekick, and most expect he'll return in some form or another.

Left: The cover of Batman Incorporated #8 (2013), featuring Damian Wayne and "RIP".

What occurs after Damian's death, though, is the focus of this Summary Page. Known as "Robin's Requiem" or plainly, Requiem, we're going to go over the issues that are paying homage to the now deceased heir of The Dark Knight.

The Rundown: In Batman Incorporated #8, Gotham City has now been overrun by Leviathan, a villainous organization where Talia al Ghul, Damian's mother, sits at the center and a mysterious figure known as The Heretic, acts as one of its leading agents. Ironically, he is a clone of Damian with an altered physiology that aged him to adulthood. At the time of the issue, Batman has already been captured and tortured by Talia, with Red Robin, Nightwing, and Commissioner Gordon in the field fighting for Gotham's survival.

Damian, ignoring orders to stay out of the battle, armors up and flies into fight, eventually pairing up with Nightwing in a battle against The Heretic. It is a gruesome encounter; Leviathan converts are shooting arrows as they square off. Nightwing is knocked out of commission and it's ultimately up to Damian. Unfortunately, it doesn't go well. Damian even breaks his oath not to kill, shooting an arrow into Heretic's back. But it is no good. Eventually Heretic gets a handhold on him, breaks his back and runs him through with a sword. In the final scene, we see Batman kneeling on the ground with his son in his arms.



The comprised list is not meant to be a Reading Order. Although being called a mini-crossover, they are organized to tie the Requiem story together.

Last Update:  03/27/2013

The Reading List

Batman Incorporated #9<--Released: 03/27/2013
Teen Titans #18<--Released: 03/27/2013
Batgirl #18
Batman and Robin #18
Batman #18
World's Finest #10
Red Hood and The Outlaws #18
Nightwing #18
Catwoman #18

Summaries
Including Spoilers

Batman Incorporated #9 (This is the best issue to start the Reading Order based on the relationship it has to Damian's death. Starting out with Bruce Wayne and the rest of the Robins at Damian's funeral, the story then goes into past and present shots of Batman's fight against The Heretic. The issue also cover's Knight's death and the new team of Ranger and Squire, (where Ranger becomes the new Knight) as well as the Incorporated's move to hide underground while Leviathan controls the city.)

Teen Titans #18 (Tim Drake starts out the story arriving in Batman's Cave in a black suit, so he probably is going to Damian's funeral. He has some words with Alfred and then the story cuts to the Teen Titans story arc. Tim then tricks his team into invading Belle Reeve where he sets up a deal with Amanda Waller. They fight the Suicide Squad briefly, until Waller and Tim reveal their agreement. At the end of the issue, though, is the surprise, and that's when Trigon appears over the skies.)

Batgirl #18 (Barbara Gordon's story barely intertwines with the Requiem, except that she's been notified. In The Mask of Ashes, her brother James is playing a cat-and-mouse game; he's psychotic and even attempted to deal with The Joker in the past. After surviving a fiery building collapse, Barbara is notified by her father that Robin has died. She calls Dick Grayson, but he tells her that now is not the time and he'll call her back. Afterwards, she continues on the hunt for her brother, who leads her to an abandoned house where he plants a cell phone. When she opens the door to see it, there is also a bloody bat nailed to the wall and a message "Hello Barbara, Nice Try". James is actually in a house on the other side of the street. He calls their mother and threatens to kill Batgirl if she doesn't meet with him.)

Batman and Robin #18 (A powerful issue, the entire comic book is printed without words or dialogue. Bruce Wayne starts off brooding over the loss of his son, wandering through the house. He finally decides to patrol as Batman, all the while having images of Robin next to him. He goes on rampage of sorts, even accidentally wrecking a light post with the Batmobile, and finally returns home to find a message in his son's locker. On it, Damian tells his father how he helped him live a better life. This causes Bruce to scream out in rage. He lashes out as Robin's clothing and effects are scattered throughout the cave.)

Batman #18 (Centering on a girl named "Harper", the daughter of a thug Batman put away. She's been tracking The Dark Knight attempting to fit herself into his lifestyle, much in the way of earlier Robins. After visiting her dad with her brother, she goes out on the hunt and realizes that something is eating away at Batman; he hasn't slept in days and he's getting sloppy. Finally after one encounter with Venom-infused dogs, she intervenes and helps put them down. Batman, though, doesn't take it kindly, lashes out at her, and leaves. The next day, she heads to Wayne Enterprises and leaves a message for Bruce Wayne, telling him she fears that Batman may need help. Later, Batman finds Harper and gives her his version of an apology. He tells her he's going to take care of himself. On the last page, we learn the message is "Resolve".)

Detective Comics #18 (Batman, having survived the Death of The Family event, faces threats in the form of The Penguin and Victor Zsasz. He stops briefly during the issue at his son's grave. The rest of the issue deals with him attempting to find a way to incarcerate Penguin. For the most part, Oswald Cobblepot is untouchable, but Batman manages to acquire surveillance video showing Osward breaking into a secreted weapon's cache. Normally Oswald would have lawyers to get him out of this mess, but Zsasz has murdered them at the behest of Oswald's former assistant, Ogilvy, now calling himself the Emporer Penguin. He's betrayed Cobblepot and take over all his assets.)



World's Finest #10 (While Kara is causing what appears to be "natural" disasters to Holt Industries resources, Helena is attempting to break into Holt's computer network.  During the issue, though, Kara tells her that Damian didn't make one of their rendezvous checks and she learns that he has died and is buried on the Wayne Manor grounds. She almost encounters Batman, but is not ready; Kara flies her off before the unfortunate meeting can occur. The story then resumes and someone, clearly an imposter, posing a Holt appears and tells officials that everything is fine, even though his labs are getting destroyed. By the end of the issue, though, Helena reveals what she's learned: Power Girl was having an affair with Michael Holt.)

Nightwing #18 (Dick Grayson starts this issue at Damian's grave, reminiscing his affection for the young Robin. After leaving, he meets with Sonia to help cool his demeanor. It doesn't help much, and he later runs into Batman, who is waiting for him. The Dark Knight tells Dick to suit up and leads him to a location where "The Dealer", an auctioneer of illegal superhero merchandize, is selling his dad's Flying Grayson outfit. Dick breaks into the event and disrupts it, causing a fire. The Dealer escapes, but no one is harmed. Later, Dick returns to Damian's grave and leaves a special token - a video game - by the tombstone. He resumes meeting Sonia again, and suddenly learns that Tony Zucco, his family's murderer, is still alive.)

Red Hood and The Outlaws #18 (Jason Todd's story really has little to do with the Requiem, and more to do with the after events of The Death of The Family. Nursing him back to health from an acid wound left by The Joker, Alfred Pennyworth and Bruce Wayne wait by bedside as Jason works with his All-Caste teacher "Ducra", fighting against the visages of his coma. At the end, Jason wakes up and it is believed he may be changed person inside.)

Catwoman #18 (While driving through Gotham, Batman catches up to Selena and threatens her to return paintings she stole from the Gotham Museum. She says it's a done deal, but is surprised when Batman starts forcibly breaking her motorcycle helmet. She doesn't know the reasons, but can sense that he's upset about something. They briefly talk, but eventually he pushes her away and leaves. Meanwhile, the story then goes into Selena checking up on her friend. She disguises herself and gets into the Gotham Police Department as a mug victim. While there, she places a bug on Detective Alvarez's desk.) 

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Damian Wayne Takes The Wheel

SUPER-FUNNIES

"I Got This", Says Robin

~Batman and Robin #11 (2012)

How old is he? Twelve?

Commissioner Gordon and Batman are attempting to solve a series of crimes where people are branded. It's happening all across Gotham in Batman and Robin #11; the markings are in the style of Batman's crest. Still on the edge of danger, Damian Wayne, the latest Robin, remains oblivious that adults perceive him as a child. 

SuperFunnies updates every week (usually Thursday) on The Superheroes List.These are the moments of levity and humor, sometimes utterly ridiculous. You can also look for #SuperFunnies on Twitter.

Batman Tragedy #5: The Death of Robin

~Excerpt from Batman #428 (1989)

When the Joker shot Barbara Gordon in the stomach, we thought he had reached the pinnacle of villainy: ending the career of a superhero. But we were wrong. Way wrong. Less than a year after that ill-fated crime, Joker returned to raise the bar, add one more notch to his insane list of accomplishments. And it was all thanks to you, the readers, because that's when he killed Robin. (Not my fault, really.)

Depicted in the story arc A Death in the Family, from 1988 to 1989 with Batman #426-429, this event takes place far away from Gotham; Bruce Wayne is now training a new sidekick, Jason Todd, with great skill, but easily angered. Sensing the potential for problems, Batman takes him out of action. At the same time, Jason has none of it and abandons the Batcave. The story then takes a turn where he searches for his real mother; the dynamic duo work out their differences, but end up in the Middle East where Joker is dealing out his latest scheme.

If you want to talk about a tragic ending, look no further: Todd finally finds his mother, but she's a twisted, tormented soul and leads him into Joker's trap. She literally takes advantage of his last shred of innocence and trust and turns him over to the madman. Pages later, Batman's greatest villain beats Robin to death with a crowbar.

How did it happen? Why, it was all thanks to a poll. DC held a hotline where readers could vote at a cost of 50 cents per call. (Multiple calls? No problem!) The result was 5,343 to 5,271: Robin would die. Humanity exposed its cruel fangs and took Jason Todd out. And certainly, this time, Joker had the last laugh.

The 10 Most Deadly Moments of Batman is a countdown provided by The Superheroes List preparing fans for the upcoming movie The Dark Knight Rises, with Christian Bale. If you want to get hyped up on Caped Crusader information, come on over and Check out the List!