Batman and Robin: Year One #3 – Mark Waid, Writer; Chris Samnee, Artist; Matheus Lopes, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Waid and Samnee’s reinvention of the early days of Batman and Robin’s partnership continues to deliver some great storytelling, with Gotham in flames as the five families prepare to go to war. The culprit is General Grimaldi, a soldier from the old country who has been using subterfuge to turn the families against each other. Crimes are pulled off, with a master of diguise appearing to represent a member of the family declaring war on another, and reprisals soon follow. This sinister tactic baffles even Batman, who finds himself brooding in the Bat-cave as Alfred desperately tries to get his attention – because Batman is now a father, even if he doesn’t seem to realize it, and his kid demands attention from someone other than Alfred. Dick is tearing the house apart, driving Alfred nuts – and the butler has had more than enough, in a rare segment of flappability from Pennyworth.
This is an interesting take on Dick – he’s definitely heroic, but he’s also a child, and one who hasn’t had the chance to process his trauma nearly as much as Bruce did before he became a hero. Pretty much the only thing that calms him down is crime-fighting, and it’s a great way to get the tension out of his system. There’s just one problem with that – he hasn’t been tested emotionally in the same way Bruce has, and can lose it much more easily. And that’s exactly what happens when the Batman and Robin team intersects with Two-Face, who has been captured by one of the Five Families and is being blamed for the attacks. When Harvey lets one little detail slip about his role in the accident at the circus, Dick completely loses it – and sets off a chain of events that threatens Batman’s life. The last third of this issue is a masterclass in tension and a great spotlight for Samnee’s art.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
