Batman and Robin and Howard: Summer Breakdown #1 – Jeffrey Brown, Writer/Artist; Silvana Brys, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: DC is doing something unusual with this book and “Primer”, two of their all-ages graphic novels. Unlike the first volumes, they’re being released in single-issue oversized format before they’re collected into an evergreen OGN. It’s a unique twist on their usual release pattern – and I get to read the sequels to some of my favorite DC graphic novels early! This one is a comedy about what happens when Damian Wayne goes to regular school and gets a rival in the form of an ordinary boy named Howard. After much misadventure, the two wound up becoming friends, and now they’re working together as WayneTech interns – with Howard also secretly working behind the scenes as Robin’s tech guy.
This series has given Damian something that’s hard to come by for him – genuine friends in his civilian identity. It’s also given us one of the most wholesome takes on Batman as a father outside of Wayne Family Adventures, with this version reminding me a lot of the LEGO Batman or Batman ‘66 version. But some dark clouds are gathering in this new volume, as Batman seems distracted by…something. There are mysterious ninjas gathering around Gotham, and Batman is leaving Robin out of his investigations for his own safety. And that, naturally, makes Robin and Howard even more curious about what’s going on. The identity of who’s sending the ninjas was spoiled by covers, and I’m very interested to see how Brown handles this plot.
But that’s far from all that’s going on in this issue. Damian and Howard meet up with a unique group of cosplaying kids who run their own “hero club” trying to help out in little ways around Gotham – and they’re trying to save a park that’s been bought up by a shady corporation. But as the kids look into it, it becomes clear that this isn’t your average corporate buyout. There are also some great roles for Howard’s family, which played a minor role in the first book. It’s all held together by Brown’s expert cartooning, which is minimalist but very expressive in its facial expressions and body language. This is a great intro for kids who want to get into Batman but aren’t quite ready for the thrills and chills of Gotham yet.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
