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Okay, I'm sorry but

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^^ugggh such good points, it's good to have solid, meaty issues to dig in to, like you say!!

I want to point out something about Lautrec and the argument between Bruce and Damian-

I think Bruce is definitely hiding something from Damian, probably about Lautrec :

Bruce keeps wanting Damian to talk to him and he DOES try

BUT

When Damian does want to talk- and just mentions Lautrec, that's when Bruce shuts him down completely, deflects it back onto Damian and changes the subject completely. Now Damian's on the back foot and defending his completely unrelated actions

😭 look at him, completely taken aback

OH, and now Damian has completely forgotten his Lautrec questions too 🤔 how convenient 🤔

I just found that really interesting

Hellooo it's a been a minute- feel free to ignore BUT if you'd be so inclined... thoughts on the latest batman and robin issue? I absolutely adore Damian volunteering at the hospital, it's such a sweet step in his character arc (also something abt how Thomas AND Ras were both doctors, Talia was studying medicine in Cairo when she met Bruce, Alfred was a personal surgeon for Bruce for years...the one thing his family has in common is healing) and I'm very interested in the whole "Damian maybe quitting robin" thing. I doubt they'll commit to that (bc then they don't have a book lmao) but it's still an interesting question to ponder. I've seen ppl speculate that the doctor Damians volunteering for is a suspect and he's trying to drive a wedge between batman and robin?? So that's a possibility.

Anyway yeah! Sorry for the big blab but I like your Damian thoughts and figured it was worth striking up a convo. Hope you're well!

Damian blabbing is always appreciated!! 😤 i’m swamped with irl responsibilities so rambling about the series has been delegated to yapping sessions with @gotham-snark LOL so i’ll tag her in for any further thoughts!

Damian volunteering at the hospital!! is so sweet!! orz hopefully it becomes a part of his civilian life or a future in the medical field… i lean toward Damian pursuing something wholly his own but this healing route is something i’m still happy with, especially for the reasons you mentioned with both sides of his family! 🥺 also like you said, just a beautiful character arc for him when fighting has been the priority for most his life, which Bruce has pointed out enough lol

idk if Damian will have the same medical skillset in this run, but i like the idea of him being this incredibly capable lil hospital volunteer 😆

Detective Comics (2016) #995, #996 (it’s a simulation in these panels but his skillset's gotta be part of the database) not that they'd let him but imagine this kid participating in surgical operations at the hospital haha

Damian's comment about quitting looks more like a nagging thought after all the recent events, from the incident with Emma to learning more about himself and Thomas. another glimpse of his uncertainty in his future!!

but ykw i’d take him quitting the vigilante life over becoming Batman in whatever future TKing’s hoping with Trinity now being canon sdfghj please PKJ take Damian far from that i’m begging... seriously though, yeah! he's absolutely not quitting when he's making regular Robin appearances in other books and confirmed for a movie in the future (the latter idk for better or worse...)

it’s interesting to get more in depth with how Damian is affected when he “loses” a civilian on his watch - even worse that she’s a child, and Damian mentioning that he was mean to her augh 😭

it reminds me of how much responsibility Damian takes when he feels that he's failed people, like Sasha/Scarlet and ofc Pennyworth. not to mention the entire Year of Blood

Batman and Robin (2009) #6

with Sasha, it was briefly explored. Damian expresses his feelings to Dick, who replies with a joke. Damian helps Sasha against Flamingo and ends up getting shot, but it's not clear whether he calls it even for taking the bullets to his back or just for the save. alternatively, she did leave Damian with Flamingo to run away, kinda like how Damian left her with Pyg. either way, that inner conflict's quickly resolved!

Batman: Alfred Pennyworth R.I.P. (2020) and Robin (2021) #8

with Alfred...what a mess asdfg but disregarding Bruce/Alfred being the ones at fault, Damian's guilt spans over so many titles from 2020 to finally having a resolution just this year

all this to say again!! that this Batman and Robin run is an amazing jumping-on point for new and old readers to read a complete arc with this kind of conflict for Damian!! very invested in how he's been trying to deal with it, along with the ensuing drama with his father!! even though we're not getting Damian's full thoughts yet, the image of Emma lying on the ground replaying in his mind has been so impactful 😭

speaking of Alfred, this!! cheering!! Williamson's made an attempt to show it was Bruce's mistake but still ended up making Damian the instigator. so it's nice to see PKJ continuing to make it clear!!

Shadow War: Alpha (2022) and Robin (2021) #14 the way i cheered in Shadow War then sighed at Robin 14 hhh it's like Damian can only make jabs at blaming Bruce in the heat of the moment. is it a rule not to say that Bruce made a wrong call back then and got Alfred killed...

Dr. Bashar lol we can count him out based on him being too obvious a suspect like the classic finger pointing of “it’s the doctor!!”. he was supposed to be trapped in the ballroom with Damian and the guests which should've been in flames. he's also just been v nice with Damian 🥺 OR SLAPPING MY CONSPIRACY BOARD Bashar could be part of the Nicodemus Crow cult/Mementist/Memento 🤔

a friend of the late Waynes and met Bruce as a child? introduced along with a new villain that’s themed around reenacting past tragedies? HUH

some headscratchers in issue #16!

Damian's learning more about Sacred Heart from Thomas's journals, so could there be more to the restored hospital? and then there's the convenient mistake in scheduling Damian during the setup at Arkham, putting Bruce at a disadvantage and a lack of a rebreather

clearly we need to wait for further issues to know more about what went down between Bruce/"Jack" and Memento, but just funny how Bruce says this while Damian is probably with Bashar at this moment lol

it also doesn't help that the Jack flashbacks are being paralleled to Damian in the present day, so whatever's the final flashback could mean big trouble or big reveal

extra details i'm squinting too close at, like really reaching here:

Bashar and Memento are both mr. worldwide...

if Bashar's aware he has people against him, he could've been the "supposed sympathizer" supplying weapons to the thugs to encourage a break-in. if Bruce hadn't gone down to the lower levels to deal with them, he wouldn't have had that face-off with Memento in the boiler room

Emma’s mother as a nurse recently stationed at Sacred Heart? could even see a possible interaction with Damian

EDIT: i was so caught up on Bashar, i failed to mention Lautrec LMAO (i even missed reading an entire panel about her until Nico mentioned it hsjddj BLESS) but she seems to be a big player just based on the fact that PKJ and Mendonca are selling the issue as a “first appearance” for her!

GODD THIS RUN IS FUN every issue is meaty, and always leaves us hungry for more like woah!! potential character development!! family drama!! engaging mysteries and detective work!! DAMIAN!! i rambled more than i thought haha I'D LOVE TO HEAR MORE BATMAN AND ROBIN (2023) BABBLING!! OR ANYTHING DAMIAN!!

THANK YOU FOR THE ASK LADEL, I HOPE YOU'RE WELL TOO!! ☺️

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I was reading some of your tags and I love the idea of Damian adding on layers of clothes to appear bigger lol because in my head Damian becomes more lithe and lean as he gets older so him doing that just makes perfect sense to me

it’s an idea that came from Damian’s fashion choices for some of his suits! he kinda gives off the vibe of wanting to appear bigger LOL

Batman (1940) #666 cover and Batman and Robin (2011) Annual 1

especially his Batman 666 suit’s flared collar and padded shoulders!! his child-sized version… he’s barely taller than Titus 😭

Batman Incorporated (2012) #4

his Redbird suit’s a bit of a stretch but the feathery neckpiece kills me, i like to think it fluffs up 🥺

Batman (2016) #106 backup

and then the pointy shoulders of his “Demon suit”! look at his lil cape flare 😭

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damian: i volunteer at a hospital.

bruce: what is wrong with you?!

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multilingual brainrot...

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Damian and his pet sidekicks ready to take on the night

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Damian this week 121224 2

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Heirs of The Demon

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"Take that back" 🧍‍♂️

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AAAAHHH IT'S HORRIBLE I LOVE IT

So I found this goofy Ra's doll on Amazon and now I'm obsessed help me 😭

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Batman and Robin #18 (DC, February 2025) variant cover by Ariel Olivetti

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Jon strongarms Damian into an awkward family photo for their families' Christmas present. Damain gives in but he's not wearing the obscene matching jumper don't be ridiculous- Ref

Inspired by Batbabydamian's amazing Jon & Damian designs

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I'm finally home and I love my graphics tablet so much

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Damian and Damimite art by Daniele di Nicuolo

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Think I’m developing a serious issue all I can think about is drawing Damian he is in my dna know like I drew zuco once but other than that I’ve been drawing Damian it’s becoming an issue

Anyway igrnoe the fact that he looks like he’s about to rizz someone up (sry it’s the fate of an artist bordering gen alpha age)

Inspired by @batbabydamian plsplspslsps go check their post and just all the art very yummy

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If Ugly Ra's Doll wants to stay in my house, he can entertain my children like a court jester 😤

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It's Bruce's love language ☺️