Batman and Robin: Year One #4 – Mark Waid, Writer; Chris Samnee, Artist; Matheus Lopes, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: The creative team of Waid and Samnee, who have worked magic on many characters, continue to find new depths to explore in the early days of Bruce and Dick’s partnership. The opening of this issue is a darkly brilliant silent segment as Dick tries to get Batman out of a sinking ship after a confrontation with Grimaldi’s army that saw things go horribly wrong. I like seeing a more reasonable version of Bruce, one who realizes he’s working with a child and whose instinct is to teach rather than punish. It’s a breath of fresh air – but it’s not like this Batman has gone soft. When he encounters Anthony Grimaldi one on one, he reveals how much he knows about him and sets the stakes high. This story wouldn’t work nearly as well if it didn’t have an equally ruthless adversary, though, and Grimaldi provides some brilliant tension in a standoff with his elderly father.
One of the best things about this series is the way the out-of-costume segments are just as compelling as the superhero ones. Bruce and Dick are doing a tight balancing act, with Bruce being a barely-authorized foster father who has to fend off the interrogations of a well-meaning social worker who can tell that there is something odd going on here. It often falls to Alfred to wrangle them both to ensure all appearances are what they should be – complicated by the fact that Dick is becoming more and more willful. This is probably the first time I remember Dick actually acting like a kid, especially once he finds out he’s going to have to go to school next issue. The idea of a rebellious, chaotic circus kid as Robin was always full of potential, but it’s never really been taken to its logical conclusion until now – and this creative team is giving us what might be the defining version of this era of the character.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
