Is there a more consistent dynamic duo in comics than Mark Waid and Chris Samnee? Their work on Daredevil brought the fun and joy back to the character while putting him through his paces. Black Widow was a transformative work, full of jaw-dropping visuals and action scenes. And now, they’re working together once again on DC Comics‘s Batman and Robin: Year One #1. And in the non-shocker of the year, it’s pretty darn great.
Per the name, this picks up with Dick Grayson still reeling from the deaths of his parents, but already in the suit as Robin. Batman is early in his career, but a seasoned veteran compared to the younger sidekick. What Waid and Samnee smartly do here is have the deaths (in Dick’s case) and being a new parent (In Bruce’s case) weigh heavily on them both, without weighing down the proceedings with yet another origin story. It’s the duo, early in their career as partners — how it affects both of them individually, and together.
It also leads to the softest, warmest Batman in years. He’s still the Dark Knight, but versus the usual scolding mold that characterizes the early years of the partnership, here he takes that more fatherly role. And it makes him nervous. This isn’t Batman the strict teacher we usually see with, say, Damian Wayne. This is Batman the new Dad. He already knows Dick can handle himself. But can Batman trust himself to let Dick do what needs to be done?
It’s no surprise that Samnee in particular shines best with Robin. The earnest, tiny vigilante jumps, poses, and charms his way through an otherwise dark and shadowy noir Gotham that would feel at home next door to the classic Batman: The Animated Series. The look is — for lack of a better word — dynamic, and while Batman is drawn as more solid, Robin is lithe and nimble.
The story, too, is surprising. It’s tough to imagine finding something fresh to mine in a period that has been revisited time and again for decades. But if anyone can find something surprising without completely retconning Batman and his origin, it’s Mark Waid. I won’t spoil who the villain of the series is, because that’s part of the the mystery. But it offers an intriguing start to the next chapter in one of comic book history’s most legendary partnerships.
I’m talking, of course, of Waid and Samnee. Here’s hoping they keep working together, forever.
Batman and Robin: Year One #1 Rating:
Batman and Robin: Year One #1 Official Synopsis:
REUNITING THE ACCLAIMED TEAM OF MARK WAID AND CHRIS SAMNEE! While Bruce Wayne adjusts to the realities of adopting orphan Dick Grayson, a mysterious new crime boss called the General has come to Gotham to claim the city by disrupting and destroying its other mobs. But what is his connection to Two-Face? Batman and his new sidekick, Robin, are out for answers, but it’ll take everything they have to navigate both sides of their relationship as father and son and dynamic duo, with Dick Grayson’s present and future hanging in the balance!
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