Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason'sRobin Rises has unleashed yet another chapter of pure action and madness. Would you really expect anything less when Batman wears an armor called the Hellbat and goes to Apokolips for on one of his most emotional adventures yet, though? He's already gone through the five stages of grief, but now he finally has the chance to really bring his son, Damian Wayne, back to life. Unfortunately, whether Damian returns has already been revealed, but watching it all unfold is all still plenty exciting. While the latest issue, BATMAN AND ROBIN #36, was basically 150% action (only fitting the chapter's called "Chaos"), there were still some big developments.
Yup, this contains spoilers!
The Hellbat is REALLY draining Bruce Wayne
Before heading to Apokolips, Lex Luthor reminded Bruce Wayne about how dangerous the advanced armor is. It draws from the hero's metabolism, so if he continues to push himself and push himself, the thing he's wearing could drain him. While Batman may be frightening and formidable on the outside, the looks inside the armor reveal he's in poor condition and it's not getting any better. We saw a hint of that in the last chapter, but now it's especially bad. The armor informed him about this -- and said there's an unknown alien bacteria in there -- but Bruce, determined to complete his mission and not be distracted, disabled the updates regarding his health.
Before going on the insane mission, Lex Luthor also tinkered with the armor. He claimed he was "increasing tensile liquid strength and bolstering" Bruce's telepathic link to the suit, but can we really trust that's all he did? Did Luthor do something to boost the draining or Bruce's problem something else entirely? We're guessing the latter because, if Luthor did do something sinister, the suit would have detected it and informed Bruce back then, right? So, what's this alien bacteria that's harming Bruce? Guess we'll just have to wait and see, but Batman pushing himself harder and harder is only making things worse for him. That's a shame because he's going to need all of his strength in the next chapter.
The Chaos Cannon helps Apokolips
Weapons are meant to harm their targets, and as we saw in the last cliffhanger, the Chaos Canon can most definitely dish out a ton of damage. Except this powerful weapon isn't just destroying; it's also healing Apokolips. According to Kalibak, the Chaos Cannon can target a planet and then transfer its life-force to Apokolips. Not shabby, right? They tested it out on an unpopulated target, but now it's time for them to put this weapon to proper use. As you can imagine, Batman isn't too pleased to eventually learn that his son's body and the Chaos Shard are being used to create a ginormous gun that'll destroy others and strengthen Apokolips.
Batman vs. an army? Batman wins, obviously
We know Batman's a beast in this new attire, but what happens when he comes face to face with an entire army?! The answer is simple: Batman walks all over them. He may be outnumbered, but those seemingly symbiotic wings flood over the enemies and break into dozens upon dozens of batarangs, pelting and stabbing his enemies. They bring in bigger weaponry and vehicles, but everything topples before Batman. Even when they have him restrained, he's able to break free and humiliate everyone that dares to oppose him. And yes, he exclaims, "I'm Batman!" during the brutal fight.
Batman hasn't lost it and is still focused on the mission
In this issue, the Dark Knight doesn't hold back -- or so it seems. No matter what stands in front of him, he lets loose and knocks it over. He even took down an entire ship and everyone in it fell out as it crashed. Despite him being so full of anger and seemingly not holding back all that much, Batman tells his allies that it's all part of the plan and he hasn't killed anyone. He's hoping this much *ahem* chaos will get Darkseid's attention. What will Batman do once he has it, though? We've yet to see, but considering Batman had time to plan this attack, we're pretty sure it's something special. Now that he has Jason Todd, Barbara Gordon, Cyborg, Tim Drakeand the mighty Titus by his side, that's sure to help him out, even if they're just temporary distractions to his enemies in the upcoming conflict.
Batman beats Kalibak and the Chaos Cannon is destroyed
Darkseid's son, Kalibak, is a powerful being; he possess great strength and durability. But against Batman in his Hellbat suit? Saying Kalibak gets wrecked is putting it pretty lightly. It's a completely one-sided fight as the Dark Knight pummels this strong villain and even rips part of his hair out. It's just not fair and it's a humiliating showing for Kalibak, that's for sure. As Batman obliterates Darkseid's son, Cyborg uses pure strength to make short work of the Chaos Cannon. That's one problem solved and countless planets saved from its destructive capabilities. Now comes the biggest problem: Bringing Damian back to life.
Darkseid returns!
Batman wanted Darkseid's attention. Well, he's got it! We know Batman is hugely impressive with the Hellbat armor, but is he formidable enough to take on Darkseid?! We're talking about DC's big bad -- a guy who had no problem taking on the Justice League by himself. Considering Wayne's a brilliant tactician, there's no way his plan is "PUNCH DARKSEID SUPER HARD UNTIL HE FALLS OVER," right? There has to be something else up Batman's sleeve -- something we've yet to see. But what could he have in that suit that'll help him against such a titan and how far will it hinder his own health? Or does he hope to get out of this conflict by using his words and not elaborate technology?
Considering the way this story has been handled, it seems safe to assume they won't have a peaceful discussion about the fate of Damian and reach an agreement. Whatever Batman has in store for Darkseid, it must be huge. And if the suit does fail him, at least Batman still has Titus by his side! Oh man, you don't think they'd kill Titus in this story, do you? How heartbreaking would that be?! Anyway, this was quite a cliffhanger and, if you've been liking Robin Rises, odds are you're just as anxious as we are to read the next issue.
BATMAN AND ROBIN #37 goes on sale December 17.
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