Warning: Spoilers for Batman and Robin #1 forward!
Batman Past launched many iconic parts and foes in its Neo-Gotham. Now, one explicit future Batman Past risk seems to have emerged to problem Batman and Robin within the current: the scourge of “splicing” and the vicious human/animal hybrids it creates.
Batman and Robin #1 by Joshua Williamson, Simone Di Meo, and Steve Wands picks up within the wake of the Gotham Conflict that has ripped Catwoman and the Bat-Household aside. This leaves Bruce and Damian now on their very own in Bruce’s brownstone constructing. As the 2 work to comprise a sequence of crimes comitted by varied animal-themed villains, they discover that every occasion is linked to the DNA analysis of 1 “Dr. Kafira.” When Batman and Robin try to rescue Dr. Kafira from being kidnapped by Orca, Man-Bat, Killer Croc, and the Horrible Trio, Damian knocks Fox’s masks off — solely to seek out the villain’s human options have been changed with the snout of an precise fox.
The remainder of the Horrible Trio take away their masks to disclose that they, too, now have the heads of the animals they emulated. Within the confusion, Man-Bat carries Dr. Kafira away and Batman is struck by a chemical pellet that causes a swarm of bats to assault him.
There’s a lot right here that appears to pay homage to Batman Past‘s depiction of splicing. Making their formal debut within the Season 2 episode “Splicers,” splicers are the product of Dr. Abel Cuvier’s makes an attempt to introduce “splicing” — injecting oneself with animal DNA to achieve animalistic options — to the general public (whereas secretly utilizing his military of splicers to violently silence naysayers, in fact). Splicing has made its method into Batman Past‘s comedian continuity as effectively, with Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Max Dunbar, Sebastian Cheng, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s Batman Past: Neo-Gothic miniseries that includes “catbois“: people spliced with cat DNA who revere and title themselves after Selina Kyle.
The Horrible Trio’s transformation in Batman and Robin #1 is an ideal instance of splicing, with the Trio retaining their human physiques whereas gaining the animalistic properties of their respective masks. Moreover, the similarity between the names of Dr. Kafira and Dr. Cuvier, whereas not good, is to not be dismissed. Lastly, Batman is dosed with an odd chemical that causes bats to assault him; Terry McGinnis suffers an analogous bat-related mishap in “Splicers,” when Cuvier injects him with a concentrated dose of vampire bat DNA.
Taken all collectively, this sequence of occasions means that this storyline is able to set up the bottom analysis for splicing within the “current day” DCU. Maybe the prevalence of splicing will develop into the scourge it turns into within the animated sequence’ Neo-Gotham. Splicing offered Batman Past with certainly one of its most putting and iconic threats; by laying the groundwork for it now whereas Bruce and Damian Wayne are Batman and Robin, Batman Past secures yet one more ingredient of its future-noir legacy.
Batman and Robin #1 is now accessible from DC Comics.