Saturday Issue Review: Robin Year One

Source: Purchased
Publisher: DC
Series: Robin Year One #1-4
Edition: eBook, 200 Pages
Genre: Graphic Novel
Purchase:Amazon / Barnes & Noble/ Book Depository*
*I receive a small monetary kickback from Amazon purchases
Rating: 4/5

For years he fought alongside Gotham City’s greatest protector, the light to Batman’s irrepressible darkness. Against all manner of foe he braved inconceivable odds, ever skirting the line between heroism and death.

His name is Dick Grayson. Before he became Nightwing he was the first to don the mantle of Robin. When his parents fell victim to the machinations of a mobster, millionaire Bruce Wayne, known to a precious few as the Batman, took the young orphan under his wing. For months Grayson trained in the ways of crime fighting, until at last he was ready to patrol the night with his mentor. But the training ground and the threats of the real world are two very different things. For the newly anointed Robin, it would be a baptism of fire.

Batman gave Robin his Direction. The evil of the world would shape his destiny. This is his story.

With some coaxing from my boyfriend I finally decided to read Robin Year One. I’m not all that much of a fan of any of the Robins, I know most of their basic history and what happened to them after the Robin title was dropped but that’s about it. Since I’ve given permission to let one of our future children have the name Grayson I figured it’s high time I actually read his story.

Robin Year One is definitely a must have for any Dick Grayson/Nightwing fan.  It sheds some light on what his childhood was like under the tutelage of Bruce Wayne/Batman, and the subtle tension that begins to grow between them as he matures and takes on more of the crime fighting. It was interesting to see how well he dealt with maintaining a normal life as well as the persona of Robin. I was also a bit surprised at how high Batman’s standards were, which could definitely attest to the fact that Dick Grayson rose the occasion and did more than he had to.

I really appreciated the fact that Alfred is sort of narrating the story and we get to see how his relationship with Dick Grayson fills more of the father-figure role than Batman does. The art-style and script has a sort of classic Batman feel while still maintaining  enough of a modern feel to be enjoyable and relevant.

I’m really glad that I finally sat down to read this. I’ll definitely check out Nightwing Year One and maybe even start on the New 52 storyline.