The Dynamic Duo Takes Shape in “Batman & Robin: Year One”

The Dynamic Duo Takes Shape in “Batman & Robin: Year One”

Each Friday, we’ll be letting a different DC.com writer share what they’ll be reading over the weekend and why you might want to check it out. Here’s this week’s suggestion for a perfect Weekend Escape!

It’s September, which means we’re celebrating all things Batman—but let’s be honest, here at DC.com we don’t really need an excuse to celebrate the Dark Knight. Regardless, it’s well past time that we spotlight the excellentBatman & Robin: Year One,a limited series that explores the early days of the Dynamic Duo’s partnership and recently spawnedan in-progress sequelfrom the same creative team.

THE PREMISE:

Before Batwoman, before Red Hood, before the Signal and before the Bat-Family was big enough to fill every seat on a city bus, there was the Dynamic Duo. Batman & Robin: Year One is set during the first weeks of Batman and Robin’s partnership. Dick Grayson has just moved into Wayne Manor and he and Bruce Wayne are still trying to figure out their new arrangement. Bruce isn’t sure what the line is between crimefighting partner and parent, putting him in uncharted territory and forcing him to learn on the job. As most parents could likely predict, mistakes are made, and boy, does Bruce make some big ones.

As Batman and Robin are finding their footing as partners, they face challenges in both their personal lives and their masked identities. Social services have their eyes on Bruce, waiting for any excuse to remove Dick from his care. Meanwhile, a mobster named General Grimaldi has made his way to Gotham and is looking to start a gang war between the city’s various crime families. Did I mention Dick Grayson is also starting school? Needless to say, the Dynamic Duo have their work cut out for them.

LET’S TALK TALENT:

Batman & Robin: Year Oneis co-plotted and scripted by Mark Waid, one of DC’s most notable and consequential creators. Waid is responsible for iconic storylines such as Kingdom Come, JLA: Tower of Babel, The Return of Barry Allen and other classics(as well asthe weirdest crossover in recent history).There have been lots of stories about Dick Grayson’s early days as Robin, but Waid is still able to find a fresh angle on that era and tell a dynamite story with high emotional stakes.

The limited series is co-plotted and penciled by Chris Samnee, an Eisner Award-winning artist best known for his work on Checkmate, Adventures of Superman and more. Samnee’s work feels like a fusion of Darwyn Cooke and Tim Sale with a dash of Bruce Timm. There are also some cool visual Easter eggs, like Dick Grayson wearing the red sweater vest that was his signature outfit during the Golden Age.

I also need to gush about the beautiful and cinematic storytelling in Samnee’s art. There’s a moment inissue #1where we see the headlights of the Batmobile slowly approaching as if they were Batman’s eyes. The first few pages ofissue #4contain a scene where Robin tries to save Batman from drowning. The scene has absolutely no dialog and relies on Samnee’s art to do all of the storytelling, which it does spectacularly. (I found myself flipping through it multiple times.)

A FEW REASONS TO READ:

• Make no mistake, Batman & Robin: Year One isn’t a retread. It’s not a retelling of Dick Grayson’s origin. Instead, it picks up after Dick has been Robin for a few weeks. Waid and Samnee cover new ground, giving readers a fresh perspective on Dick’s early days as Robin. Plus, since the series was written in 2024, it has the opportunity to look at things through a modern lens in a way the original Golden Age comics never could, likd highlighting Dick’s grief and Bruce’s growing pains as a parent.
• I know I already gushed about Samnee’s artwork, but I need to bring it up again because it’s that good. His pencils and inking give the book a grounded noir feel, evoking Batman: The Animated Seriesor the newer Batman: Caped Crusader.

• The story is set during the early days of Batman’s career, meaning it’s completely divorced from modern continuity and its various ongoing storylines. You don’t need to know anything about Batman’s current status quo to enjoy Batman & Robin: Year One. In fact, it could be your very first Batman comic.
• Clayface has a heavy presence in this story, and he’s used in a creative way. I won’t spoil everything, but there are some true body horror moments and a twist that literally made me gasp aloud and put my comic down to take a breath. If you’re looking forward to the Clayface movie this October, this comic is the perfect way to whet your appetite.

   

WHY IT’S WORTH YOUR TIME:

If you enjoy good Batman comics, it doesn’t get much better than Batman & Robin: Year One. This is the Caped Crusader at his finest, fighting crooks, being a detective and working to be a better mentor and father figure to Dick Grayson. The action sequences are gripping, the emotional stakes are high, and there are countless moments in the book that will take your breath away.

Beyond that, at its core it’s a great story about Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson’s relationship. It asks hard questions,such as what does it mean to be a father?And is it irresponsible for Batman to take on a kid partner?It’s a fresh angle on a comic book relationship that has been around since 1940, and it might leave you looking at Batman and Robin in a new way. Batman & Robin: Year One is a wonderful story and a worthy choice for your next Weekend Escape.

Batman & Robin: Year Oneby Mark Waid, Chris Samnee and Matheus Lopes is available in bookstores, comic shops, libraries and digital retailers as a hardcover graphic novel. It can also be read in fullon DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.

Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, “Gotham Gazette.” Follow him on Bluesky at @joshualapinbertone and on X at @TBUJosh.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.

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