Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman: Black and White #5

In the latest issue of DC Comics' Batman: Black and White, a short story confirms that Damian Wayne might be the worst sidekick for the Dark Knight. When Bruce Wayne takes his son on a bike ride, it's also to scope out the site for a criminal meeting taking place that night. Additionally, the Dark Knight wants to prepare and plan all of the minute details that will allow him to strike fear into the heats of criminals. However, Robin doesn't get it at all, and he ends up ruining Batman's plans completely.

The short story is the first one featured in Batman: Black and White #5, entitled "A Father & Son Outing", coming from artist and writer Jorge Jimenez. As previously mentioned, Bruce wants to prep and prepare for the evening to come, and he wants everything to be just right down to the sounds, lights, shadows, and even the angle of his entrance. However, Damian doesn't really understand what all the fuss is about, and questions why he and his father can't just show up and beat them all up. Bruce responds that all the planning is "because he's Batman", and as such he must go the extra step to ensure that his foes experience true and unbridled fear by his presence.

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Batman continues going over the plan with his son, believing that the light (or lack thereof) will be essential in making him and his silhouette absolutely terrifying and the thugs will run, being a "cowardly and superstitious lot". The Batman will appear to be a demon, and justice will be served. However, when the evening does come, Damian ignores the plan completely and just starts punching, hilariously ignoring his father's wishes and being a terrible sidekick as Robin.

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The best part is that while one would expect the Dark Knight to be furious with Robin, he actually can't help but smile, seemingly finding the situation funny as well, though he's feeling this privately. A page or two more, and it's likely that readers would have seen Robin getting in some pretty big trouble despite getting results from his more impetuous and bold methods.

Regardless, it's a thrilling story overall that puts an intriguing spotlight on how far Batman goes to cultivate and engineer how he appears to his foes, ensuring that they become the victims of his terror, becoming "fear incarnate" in their eyes. However, it's just as much a story about Bruce raising his sometimes rebellious son, who still has a lot to learn. Additionally, Batman secretly smiling at Robin's antics show an intimacy towards his son that's rarely shown to readers (let alone to Damian himself), and it's a great cherry on top for the issue from Jimenez and DC Comics. While Robin might not have been the best sidekick in this story, Batman still saw him as a son whom he loved in Batman: Black and White.

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