Joshua Williamson and Gleb Melnikov’s new Robin series dropped a major cliffhanger by killing off Damian Wayne in the very first issue. Obviously, no one expected that to be permanent, and Robin #2 brings Damian back to life, revealing the rules of Lazarus Island in the process. But the League of Lazarus is hiding something big and it may have something to do with all the death that’s going around.
**SPOILER WARNING for DC Comics’ Robin #2 by Joshua Williamson and Gleb Melnikov**
The issue opens with Damian’s wound closing up. The young Robin wakes up with a shock to find Ravager / Rose Wilson watching over him. As they walk out onto the island, Ravager explains the rules of Lazarus Island and the tournament to Robin.
All fights on Lazarus Island are to the death, she explains, but each fighter gets three chances to come back to life. Once a fighter has died twice, they can choose to leave the island without facing any consequences. However, if they die a third time, their souls are forfeit.
The last fighter standing once everyone else has either died or left the island will be granted the prize: immortality. awOf course, it’s not a straight-up kill fest either. Fights can only happen during the day and the dormitories where the fighters go to sleep are off-limits for combat.
Realizing that he can finally cut loose without breaking his father’s no-killing rule, Damian goes on a murder spree. In the process, he takes out a number of fellow combatants but the tournament is still just beginning.
Later at night, Damian and Flatline, the girl who killed him in Robin #1, go snooping around the island. They find their host, Mother Soul, talking to some members of her mysterious League of Lazarus over the largest Lazarus pit Damian has ever seen. The League of Lazarus appears to be experimenting on the pit, “feeding” it something. They remark that the pit is still too unstable for their purposes and that they need more of whatever it is they’re using to meddle with it.
Chances are that this experiment, whatever it is, has something to do with all the deaths that the League is encouraging through the tournament. It’s clear that there is more to the Lazarus Tournament than meets the eye but at least now that Robin knows the rules of the island, he can start to find his way around them.
What did you think of this new issue? And have you been keeping track of Batman’s own adventures and (probably) impending doom? Let us know what you think in the comments below!