This week: Mark Waid and Chris Samnee reunite in the early days of Dynamic Duo Batman & Robin: Year One #1.
NOTE: The following review contains spoilers. If you want a quick, spoiler-free purchase/recommendation of related comics, check the bottom of the article for our final verdict.
Batman & Robin: Year One #1
Common plot: Mark Waid and Chris Sumney
writer: Mark Wade
artist: Chris Samney
Colorist: Matthews Lopez
Engraver: Clayton Cowles and Chris Samney
Cover artist: Chris Sumney and Matthews Lopez
The origins of the Batman and Robin team-up have been explored many times before, from storylines like Batman: Year Three to standalone series like Batman: Dark Victory and Robin: First year. This week, DC releases Twelve’s first album, a fresh take on Dynamic Duo’s early days Batman & Robin: Year One. Acclaimed creative duo create new, clear interpretation of team’s origins Mark Wade and Chris Samneyhe delivers the first issue of a classic superhero fan’s dream.
Wade is no stranger to revisiting the origins of a character or team, with books including JLA: first year and Superman: Birthright in his extensive bibliography. In the series, co-writers Wade and Sumney star Bruce Wayne, who faces a challenge he never expected in life or in his fight against crime: raising children. Wade’s script combined with Sumney’s emotional portrayal reveal a rare vulnerability in Batman. There’s a tenderness to the way he interacts with Robin, and a quiet ferocity to the way he defends the boy to others. Likewise, Wade and Sumney breathe a lot of life into young Dick Grayson as he learns to balance the excitement of superheroing with the gravity of their situations.
Much of the life comes from Samnee’s visuals, which are top-notch as always. Samnee is a wonderful storyteller, from the exciting and accessible page compositions to the characters who all have their own unique personalities. His visual style is combined with highly complementary colors Matthews Lopezgiving the series a Batman: The Animated Series It’s hard not to be drawn into the atmosphere, and his and Wade’s storytelling crosses the line B: Tasmania It is able to attract young audiences while being mature enough to attract older readers. It’s a difficult balance to strike, but Samnee has been doing it for years, dating back to Thor: The Mighty Avengerit’s great to see it being spotted in Gotham again.
interesting to read Batman & Robin: Year One #1 One week after this month’s release other Batman makes his grand debut, Absolute Batman #1. The latter series was an overt attempt to redefine the Bat-mythology, but in many ways this book reads like any other Batman comic. The decor may be different, but the tone of the script and art is essentially the same as in DC’s other mainline Batman books. Batman & Robin: Year Oneon the other hand, Feel Different. Between Waid’s script and Samnee’s art, these characters and the city have a vibrant and vibrant feel that stands out from other series in the best possible way. It’s new and different, yet timeless.
I am documented Because I’ve been wanting DC to deliver more classic Batman and Robin stories for a long time. Batman/Superman: World’s Best Relieves itching well and Batman & Robin: Year One It’s everything a reader could hope for. It’s action-packed, funny and heartfelt, and already has the makings of a classic.
Final verdict: purchase.
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