Not every threat in Gotham is a massive one as we are back with Batman and Robin Year One! After Bruce gets robbed while on a date he enlists the help of Robin to go undercover within a mysterious new gang that may just be more than meets the eye.
Creative Team: Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, Mat Lopes, and Clayton Cowles.
This issue is joint reviewed by Nerd Initiative’s Matt and Megan!
The Story:
Matt – It is great to have Waid and Samnee back with our Dynamic Duo once more as I love how they capture the relationship between Alfred, Bruce, and Dick. There is so much snark between the three characters and it perfectly captures the relationship between them. There are moments where you want to strangle Dick Grayson for his sarcastic humor but, at the same time it is endearing because he is still a kid at heart. This issue sets up what will be a fun ride as Robin gets to go undercover and there are a couple of characters introduced that may have a major impact on the story at large.
Megan – You could see that Waid and Samnee had a lot of fun with this issue and it shows in the story. Batman and Robin, the dynamic duo, are doing what they do best, fighting crime and saving the people of Gotham. Things are all going as they usually do until Bruce gets met with a group of unsuspected criminals that leaves him nothing short of confused. There’s a ton of mystery surrounding the whole event, but the dynamic duo will do whatever they can to solve the crime. What I love is that there’s a great set up for Robin to take the lead here, and I can never get enough of Robin. This issue was a blast to read and has me very excited to see what’s next!
The Art:
Matt – There is a real newspaper style of art in this issue that transports us back into the time period of comics where this takes place within. The simplistic design of Batman and Robin’s costumes is perfect and it’s refreshing playing in this box without all of the new age fancy technology. Lopes’ use of colors and the way he shades and shadows makes the emotions within the panels pop out at the reader.
Megan – Mat Lopes, Clayton Cowles, and Chris Samnee really made this comic a fun read from the beginning to end with the excellent work on the artwork. I absolutely loved the old school comic vibe that the artists went out of their way to put into the comic. The characters were drawn beautifully with an excellent use of detailing on every page. The colors were vibrant and striking, practically making the characters pop off the panels. The lettering work was fantastic as you could easily feel the difference in tones when it came to Batman and Robin’s dialogues. Together, the artists deserve all their flowers because this was marvelous work.
Final Thoughts:
Matt – 8.5/10. Batman and Robin Year One Dynamic Duos #1 takes us back in time to a more simplistic feeling Gotham city. It’s full of humor as the team captures the personalities of our main cast while setting up some interesting mysteries that lie ahead. I’m intrigued to see where this goes and will be picking up the next issue for sure!
Megan – 9.1/10. Batman & Robin: Year One – Dynamic Duos #1 was an absolute blast to read! Make sure this one is in your pull list if you like feeling like you’re reading the old school Batman and Robin stories!
Overall Grade: 8.8/10
Let us know how you feel about this issue and check out more reviews by Matt!
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