Batman and Robin #17
by Paul Cornell, Scott McDaniel, Rob Hunter, Alex Sinclair and Patrick Brosseau

Synopsis: Batman and Robin go to a chapel. Are they going to get married?

01. Although I do enjoy the writing of Peter Tomasi, I have to admit, I squealed with glee when I discovered that due to scheduling troubles, Paul Cornell would be stepping in as writer for three issues of Batman and Robin. Both are quite accomplished, but I think that Cornell is the ideal buffer between the two, a halfway point between the more straight-forward super-heroics that Tomasi is known for, and the psychedelic romps that Grant Morrison wrote for this book.

02. This issue was pretty rad. Crafted under what I can only assume was quite a tight deadline, Cornell keeps the fast paces spirit of the book alive, while simultaneously creating a new, crazy Batman and Robin villain called “The Absence”. It’s hard to tell exactly what this person’s deal is right at the moment, but what we’ve seen so far is intriguing.

03. Some customers are excited about the art change in this issue. While I personally enjoyed the art of Frazer Irving, it definitely doesn’t match the superhero “house style” that a lot of people have a tough time breaking from. Which, you know, is absolutely fine. Not only does Scott McDaniel bring a more traditional look to the book, he must have done so in record time, what with his other run on Detective just wrapping up, and this schedule substitution made quite late in the game. A great job by this man.

04. Light spoilers for those who have not read the issue (and shame on you): Una Nemo? Roughly translated means “a nobody”, or a singular nobody. Which is just delightful. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Whelp, you should probably just up and read this book then, shouldn’t you?

Batman and Robin #17 was released on November 24th, 2010.