In Batman & Robin #11, the Dynamic Duo head to Dinosaur Island, only to find Bane making quick work of Kobra cultists.
Batman & Robin #11 main cover by Simone Di Meo
Title: Batman & Robin #11 – “Welcome to Dinosaur Island”
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist & Colorist: Juan Ferrerya
Cover Artist: Simone Di Meo
Variant Cover Artists: Juan Ferrerya & Travis Mercer, Andrew Dalhouse, Christian Ward
Release Date: July 10, 2024
This comic book review contains spoilers.
On Dinosaur Island, Bane stalks a Tyrannosaurus Rex. It swallows him, and he bursts forth, Jonah-style, through its jaw. Elsewhere on the island, the Dynamic Duo are swooping in, Batman in the Batplane, Robin astride Goliath. A horde of pterosaurs hurtles towards them, and as Batman and Robin navigate through, they realize the saurians are fleeing rather than attacking.
The source of their fear soon becomes apparent. Maya shows herself and leads them to a clearing where the Kobra cult is trying to capture the dinosaurs in cages. Bane appears and summarily disposes of the cultists, but, as Batman points out to Maya, he does not kill any of them. Batman cautions that Bane is incredibly intelligent and needs to be watched before engaging. Robin, enraged at the sight of Bane and thinking only of Alfred, mounts a dinosaur and charges into the clearing to attack Bane. Batman and Maya race after him, only to find themselves amidst a herd of dinosaurs. As Batman prepares to defend, he is grabbed around the neck from behind. Vengeance hoists him with one arm and warns him to leave her father alone.
What is Bane up to on Dinosaur Island? (Credit: DC Comics)
Towards the end of the book, Batman states, “I miss Gotham,” and he is not alone. Perhaps writer Joshua Williamson is reassuring the audience that we will find ourselves back in Gotham soon enough, which, for this reader, would be welcome news. This is a straightforward opening sequence in the new arc, and Williamson wastes no time in setting the characters, the backdrop, a mystery (what is Bane doing?), and the ghost that initiates the movement (Maya). In that vein, it is remarkable how quickly Williamson advances the arc in a single book and is a sharp contrast to the longform currently being used by Ram V on Detective Comics (for example). Williamson has mostly opted for a light-hearted tone in his work on Batman and Robin, as even the plot Man-Bat pushed felt more “Scooby-Doo” style villainy as opposed to the dark, almost horror stylings we saw in James Tynion IV’s Joker War and Fear State.
The bleaker throughline relates back to the very important death of Alfred, and Robin’s rage and trauma at being made a witness to Alfred’s murder literally at Bane’s hands. It’s worth pointing out how important Batman and Robin must be to the editors, if they are choosing this book as an outlet for creatives to circle back around to Alfred’s death.
Although it is nice to see Nikola Čižmešija take a break from the book in favor of Juan Ferrerya, it’s unfortunate that artist Simone Di Meo, who has been doing incredible work recently, only has the cover here. Hopefully we will see more of him soon!
Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with an advance copy of this comic for review purposes. You can find this comic and help support TBU in the process by purchasing this issue digitally on Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.
