Batman and Robin #4 is out today and Comic Book Resources has posted an interview with Peter Tomasi. Tomasi has a lot of history with the characters inside The Batman Universe and continues to show his knowledge of the characters every month. With the newest issue out today, Toamsi shared a little bit of information about not only what is in issue four but clears up some things from the past issues.
CBR: "Batman And Robin" #1 set up Bruce and Damian's differences and subsequent issues have explored their dynamic as well as NoBody targeting Batman and Batman Incorporated. How does issue #4 fit into this? Is this the NoBody origin issue?
Peter Tomasi: Actually, "Batman And Robin" #4 has two key factors: the first is the continued breakdown of trust and respect between Bruce and Damian, and this results in a pivotal moment at the end of the issue. The second factor in issue #4 is about peeling away what NoBody really wants from Bruce and Damian and it's also the beginning of NoBody's origin. It's issues #5 and #6 that really go into more depth of NoBody's back-story and relation to Bruce with some wonderfully drawn flashbacks by Pat Gleason. Back in issue #1, Batman Incorporated's emergence overseas was a catalyst for NoBody, a wake up call of sorts that prodded him to seek out Bruce again and question the road not taken with a serious axe to grind.
CBR: Recent issues also deal heavily with the past — NoBody seems connected to Batman's past, Bruce is working through Damian's upbringing, etc. Is the past coming back to haunt the present a theme you really want to hit with this initial arc?
Peter Tomasi: I'm happy to see that you locked on the theme I was going for. As they say, past is prologue, and I truly believe that. Bruce, Damian and NoBody's pasts affect their DNA, all their life choices. Some people are haunted by horrible things in their past, others embrace it, some can move beyond it in a positive way. We know how it affects Bruce's life, but there'll be a realization that there was another key moment in his life when things could have gone in a different, and quite possibly, darker way.
CBR: OK, I have to ask, is Bruce's buying a dog part of his attempts to be a "good" father?
Peter Tomasi: Yes, it is most definitely an obvious way for Bruce to try and connect with Damian, but I put the Great Dane into the book for a very specific reason, which I won't elaborate on right now (along with getting a kick out of watching Gleason draw a dog every issue).
For the entire interview, including talk about Patrick Gleason's art, head over to Comic Book Resources. Batman and Robin #4 is in store today.
Posted by Dustin Fritschel
