Comic Info
Comic Name: Batman and Robin (Volume 1)
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Frank Quitely/Philip Tan
# of Issues: 6
Release Date: 2011
Batman and Robin (1) #2
Reprints Batman and Robin (1) #1-6 (August 2009-January 2010). Batman is dead…and Dick Grayson and Damian have to pick up the pieces. Dick finds himself burned with the mantle of Batman and fighting off the eager Damian to keep the cowl. With the arrival of a new enemy named Pyg, Batman and Robin discover that a new crime syndicate is making is move in Gotham. With the return of Jason Todd as the Red Hood, Dick faces his replacement and Robin confronts his predecessor.
Written by Grant Morrison and spinning out of Final Crisis, Batman and Robin 1: Batman Reborn is the story of the substitute Batman while Bruce Wayne is “dead”. The collection features the three issue “Batman Reborn” storyline (Batman and Robin (1) #1-3) with art by Frank Quitely and “Revenge of the Red Hood” (Batman and Robin (1) #4-6) with art by Philip Tan. The story was collected in a standard edition and a deluxe edition.
Some of Grant Morrison’s Batman was awful and some was inspiring. Batman and Robin falls into the more inspiring category. The fresh idea of Dick Grayson actually having to give up his Nightwing persona to finally become Batman was almost like an Elseworlds storyline…plus, you get the fun of the psychotic Damian!
Batman and Robin (1) #6
The first story of Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn was better than the second half of the collection. Most of Morrison’s Batman run felt rather chaotic and this storyline is no different in that sense. The Pyg storyline is creepy and fun, but I don’t know that I every really understood the whole plot with the gang and the dominos. It is a story that stretches beyond this volume, but it just isn’t really fleshed out…but there is something fun about it.
“Revenge of the Red Hood” is not as fun. I never was a big Jason Todd fan, but thankfully the dynamic between Damian and Dick does keep this volume from being bad. The Flamingo is stupid and goes out like a chump for all the build-up. Frank Quitely only did the covers for these issues, but I do think Tan is a good substitute.
Batman and Robin has its ups and downs, but it is still more enjoyable to me than probably 60% of Batman’s continuing run. As Batman and Robin ran, the abysmal Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne was also running telling Bruce’s rebirth story…Batman and Robin was scores above this series and shows how one writer can be all over the place at the same time. Batman and Robin 1: Batman Reborn is followed by Batman and Robin 2: Batman vs. Robin.
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Related Links:
Batman and Robin 2: Batman vs. Robin
Batman and Robin 3: Batman & Robin Must Die!
Batman and Robin 4: Dark Knight vs. White Knight
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
