Batman and Robin Year One issues number one and two were both fantastic, nearly perfect comics. You can read my recap and review of issue one here and issue two here. In issue three, we see a bit of a dip in quality, but the issue is still a good read.
SPOILERS for Batman and Robin Year One below.
This issue begins with a bang. Right away, we're shown how General Grimaldi is setting the five families of Gotham against each other. He has Maronis attacking Falcones, Falcones going against Maronis and Gazzos, the Gazzos moving against the Falcones and Maronis, and all the other combinations you can think of. How he's doing this is revealed but not entirely. Grimaldi seems to have enlisted someone with shapeshifting powers. Naturally, the mind goes to Clayface when reading a Batman comic, but the description of whoever this is melting like wax in issue two still makes me think it's someone else. We don't know who it is yet. This will be revealed eventually, but where in this twelve issue series is unpredictable.
If Grimaldi's entire plan is to turn the crime families against each other, that would be extremely underwhelming. Two-Face teased something unstoppable coming in the first issue, and I hope this isn't it. This has been done dozens of times before, so hopefully Mark Waid came up with something a little more innovative.
The next scene involves Alfred trying to talk about Dick while Bruce is wrapped up in the case of who set the families against each other. It takes Alfred yelling to pull Bruce out of the trance. That's fine, but the single panel in which Alfred yells is drawn in a way that makes it resemble an emotional outburst in an anime. It seemed very random and not at all like the rest of the comic.
Thankfully, the next scene is much better. Alfred dramatically shows Bruce how Dick completely ignores him by narrating his actions like it's a single act play. It was the perfect amount of sass for an upset Butler.
The issue Alfred and Bruce are discussing is about Dick not using his free time to do something productive. He's watching TV, eating lots of junk food, and not doing any chores. Surprisingly, Bruce is very confused by this. He assumed Dick would act how he did as a child because they share a similar trauma. I get Bruce has no experience raising a child, but he knows what children are, and he's supposed to be a genius. Clearly, just because two people had one similar traumatic experience, they aren't going to suddenly morph into the same person.
Their discussion is interrupted by the batsignal shining through a window in Wayne Manor. We cut to a boat chock full of shipping containers where Batman tells Robin that the Falcone’s found someone they believe could explain what's happening in Gotham: Two-Face. One of the attacks staged by Grimaldi involved his shapeshifter turning into Carlo Falcone and betraying someone else, but Carmine was actually with his son in Metropolis when it happened, meaning he knows someone's pulling the strings. Two-Face gives Grimaldi up after only a few punches, but says Carmine will have to pay for the rest.
The next thing that happens seemed to not make a lot of sense. Two-Face, without knowing Batman and Robin were in the room, says he let the Zuccos into Gotham specifically to kill the Flying Graysons. When Robin leaps out of the shadows, takes down a few goons, and confronts Two-Face, Harvey says he was lying, and Batman declares it was a bluff. But why? Why would Two-Face say that if he didn't see Robin, and, even if he did see Robin, he doesn't know he's Dick Grayson, so it still wouldn't make sense. It seemed like Mark Waid wanted there to be a reason Robin blew their cover and just used the first thing that came to mind.
Robin, still enraged, starts barking orders at Batman, to which, Batman basically doesn't reply at all. Two-Face then opens the ballast tanks of the ship, causing the shipping containers to start to fall. Batman tells Robin they need leave, but Robin completely ignores him and tries to take down Two-Face, but misses, and he gets away. As the ship rocks, Robin almost goes overboard and would have if Batman didn't see him. However, because Batman had to save Robin, he's hit by a shopping container, and is pushed down into the water.
I thought, by the third issue, Batman would have become a little more strict with Robin. I thought it was out of character the first time it happened, but it's continued for three issues now. That, combined with the strange anime styled panel, Bruce's lack of knowledge about children, and Two-Face's poorly placed lie brings this issue down. Overall, it certainly isn't a bad comic, and I'm still excited for the next issue. I give this comic a good 7/10.