Batman & Robin Year One is the story of the first year of Batman and Robin's adventures together. The first issue was released back on October 16, 2024, but I'm playing a bit of catch up. I heard good things about the series from friends and decided to give it a go. I bought all three released issues and don't regret it one bit.
SPOILERS for Batman & Robin Year One below.
When looking at the front cover, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the art. Chris Samnee's style isn't my favorite style for comics (I'm a big fan of Clay Mann, Lee Bermejo, Jim Lee, and Greg Capullo) but it works well with the story being told. The dark, thick lines are reminiscent of Batman: The Animated Series and fit with the lighter tone of the story so far.
The issue begins with Bruce and Alfred discussing the efficacy of allowing Dick Grayson to become Robin. Bruce’s main concern is that he has no experience being a parent, and Alfred points out he also has no real experience being a child. Obviously, Dick still suits up as Robin within a few pages.
The dialogue between Batman and Robin immediately creates a juxtaposition between a Dick's childlike view on crime fighting and Bruce's grizzled, cautious perspective. Robin is ecstatic to go out and be a hero while Batman wants quiet in the Batmobile to mentally prepare himself for battle. This pattern continues when Gordon meets Robin for the first time and appropriately notes how young he is. Batman replies to this by saying, “Name a war that spares the young.” I don't know how sound that logic is but it's on par for Batman.
Gordon tells the Dynamic Duo that Two-Face has stolen a file from GCPD, just one, not two, that Gordon needs them to bring back without either of them viewing it. It’s odd and ominous for Gordon to request Batman bring back a stolen file without knowing the contents of the file, but Batman doesn’t actually agree to not view it. After getting a bit more information from Gordon about the thief, Batman and Robin leap off the building and swing from their grappling hooks. There is a large, whole page panel that screams heroism and classic Batman and Robin antics.
On the next page, there was a bit of confusing dialogue. Robin asks Batman where they’re headed and Batman tells him there is a tool in their arsenal they’re going to use: street informants. But it’s unclear if Batman is saying he has street informants or if he’s going to interrogate the street informants of criminals. Regardless, they’re interrupted by the criminal they’re searching for and a grenade. As they’re chasing the criminal, we see the Batmobile, which is perfectly designed and almost resembles a bat themed VW Bug, can drive straight up buildings. I have no idea how, and a little explanation would have been nice, but this is a comic book. Batman and Robin ditch the car, then chase the crook, but Batman accidentally distracts Robin, allowing the criminal to get a few shots off. Robin, however, listens to Batman’s instruction, and blocks them with his Waynetech kinetic energy absorbent fabric.
Eventually, the chase leads them to Two-Face, but Robin’s recklessness puts them in a trap and at the mercy of Harvey Dent. The theme of the conversation between Batman, Robin, and Two-Face is that the villain has abandoned his usual theme of doing things in twos. It seems like Harvey has dropped the gimmick because something is coming to the city that is singular and definitive. It won’t bring a fifty fifty chance with it; it’s an absolute. Two-Face, in true comic book villain fashion, tells Batman and Robin he doesn’t need to kill them on the spot. Whoever is coming will guarantee their deaths. Of course, Batman and Robin escape fairly easily as Batman tells Robin to mimic his movements exactly. When the building explodes, Robin gets his first taste of Gotham City from Batman’s perspective, and he’s looking much less hopeful the last time we see him.
The last two pages of the comic introduce us to a new character named General Grimaldi. The name sounded familiar, so I googled it and found that he truly is a new character. He doesn’t seem very imposing; he’s just a guy in a suit that looks almost identical to someone like Carmine Falcone or Salvatore Maroni, but he arrives with his father who is in a wheelchair and cannot speak. He doesn’t seem very threatening, but we’ll have to see where it goes.
This comic was phenomenal. The dynamic between Batman and Robin is perfect. We see Batman speak and act in a much less hardened manner as Robin brings out a hope in him that only a Robin can do. So far, Batman seems a little bit too soft on Robin, something that felt a bit out of character to me. Maybe we’ll see this change as Robin makes mistakes and encounters more challenges. I imagine we’ll see a little bit of that childlike view on crime fighting mature as well. Overall, this comic was an excellent read and I highly recommend it to anyone but especially Batman fans. I give it an amazing 9.5/10.