Robin Year One

Each Robin that has been by Batman's side over the years has been an attempt by Bruce Wayne to give something back to the youngsters who have suffered the same pain and trauma that he did when he was a child. Most recently, Damian Wayne was being raised to rule the world by his mother Talia al Ghul; Stephanie Brown has a father who was a C List villain; Tim Drake lost his mother and his father was crippled; Jason Todd was living a life of crime before Bruce took him under his wing. 

Dick Grayson, the first Robin, saw both of his parents murdered before his eyes. In Dark Victory we saw that Dick went through a similar grieving process to Batman. In Robin Year One, we see that 'Master Dick' has had a huge impact on Bruce and Batman. Alfred has noticed a change in the atmophere down in the Batcave, even Commissioner Gordon notes at one point later in the story that Batman is less optimistic when he is not with the Boy Wonder. So in this sense it seems as though Robin represents hope to Bruce - hope that he can improve the life of someone who went through a similar fate to him.

The first issue of this volume sees the dynamic duo go up against Mad Hatter, who is kidnapping girls from the Gotham area to brainwash and sell on to a corrupt politician. Dick attends the local school, and knows the latest victim, which adds an interesting facet to Bruce's crime fighting repertoire. Grayson is his way of getting closer to the younger victims of crime that a man in his 30s could not.

We see that Robin is an accomplished detective as well, which isn't often a characteristic I associate with Grayson. He tracks down Hatter and even apprehends him without Batman's help. Robin expects Batman to be angry about this, but instead he congratulates him on his good work. Alfred is still doubtful that this new partnership is a good idea though, as he worries for the boys safety.

There is an interesting parallel between Batman/Robin and Hatter/Alice. Even though their methods are different, they offer one viewpoint on the way Batman takes in these vulnerable young boys and teaches them to fight crime - in a sense brainwashing or indoctrinating them to follow the path he has chosen. Several people voice these concerns in the first issue, and indeed throughout, reminding Batman that Robin is only a child. In some peoples eyes Batman is just as bad as Hatter - Hatter brainwashes young girls to be like Alice in the same way that Batman 'brainwashes' young boys to be like a smaller version of himself.

So, the newly formed team bring down Hatter. Next up is Killer Moth - although he doesn't last long. Robin is incredibly disdainful of Killer Moth (with good reason) and asks Batman if the villains keep getting 'lamer and lamer'. Batman replies asking if Robin wants to hear another Joker story - reminding us of the darker villains that he has to face. Robin states that the last one gave him nightmares, reminding us that he is still a child and that he is not ready to face the major Bat-villains yet.

Unfortunately Gotham and it's villains don't take into account when someone is 'ready' and Batman/Robin are soon drawn into a conflict with Two Face. Two Face captures Batman and Robin after Grayson disobeys Wayne's order to 'sit this one out'. Two Face plays into the fear which is at the centre of the Batman/Robin dynamic - will one cause/witness the death of the other?

Robin comes out of the situation badly beaten and in need of medical assistance. Bruce sees the sense of what others have been warning him about - that he is corrupting this innocent and putting him in harms way - and tells Robin that 'it's over'. Despite this, Grayson is determined not to be beaten, and he takes on Mr Freeze by himself, through tactical fighting and sheer luck (when Freeze falls through some weak ice). 

Bruce returns home to discover Alfred with a letter from Dick to say he has gone. Quite chillingly on his way through the Batcave, he walks past the glass display case with the Robin costume in, an eerie image which foreshadows the eventual tribute to the fallen Jason Todd. Considering the near miss Grayson had, it's a wonder that Batman continued to pursue the concept of 'Robin'.

Meanwhile, Grayson falls in with Shrike - a member of the 'League of Assassins', whose leader has not yet been introduced in the timeline yet. So this is an interesting hint at later events and a major Batman villain. These assassins are in Gotham to enact a hit on Two Face, which obviously provides motivation for Grayson to stay involved with these less than savoury characters. When it comes to the crunch though, Grayson can't go through with the hit. 

This leads to repercussions, what with the League of Assassins code of honour, and it is only Batman's intervention that stops Grayson being punished for not going through with the murder.

We end the story with some narration from Alfred, explaining that Robin has brought light into Batman's life. And perhaps vice versa, as we saw a hint of what could become of Robin if he channeled his rage into the wrong endeavour.

Fantastic art, fantastic writing and an interesting story make this one of my top five so far. The colours and artwork had a lighter feel to them, which reflected the lighter atmosphere Robin brings into Batman's life. I liked the parallels with Year One as well - the dual perspective this time being Alfred and Grayson. In a similar way we saw Grayson overconfident, injured and then refreshed and ready to fight crime in a similar way to Batman's journey in Year One.

Next up - Full Circle