Review: ‘Batman Vs. Robin’ #1 Changes The World Of The Dark Knight

Since Batman Vs. Robin was announced, it promised to change the world of the Dark Knight, if not the DCU. With the first issue, it looks like that promise is about to pay off, not just for Gotham but for an entire portion of the DCU.

Mark Waid, Mahmud Asrar, Jordie Bellaire, and Steve Wands chronicle this huge change for Batman, and kick off this massive event series.

WARNING, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD

One of their greatest allies has returned from the dead. Bruce Wayne would already have his hands full with that alone. However, a supernatural evil has been freed, and has made promises to Robin that will set him on a path that will drive father and son apart and may destroy the entire DC Universe.

So, right away, Waid sets the stakes for this adventure, and in the first five pages, Alfred Pennyworth is back.  It’s not just a huge shocking reveal though. It would be a simple, everyday maybe even forgettable event comic otherwise.

This is a story that’s largely action and ensures we know it’s about something much bigger. It’s an exploration of family but it’s about a family being torn apart not one being drawn together. It’s an angle that doesn’t get explored often, but Waid makes it work, especially in context. He’s able to make a comic about a brawl between two superheroes into a symbolic battle of a father and grandfather for their son’s soul. Yes, it’s the caped crusader versus the boy wonder, but that emotional depth is not lost throughout.

I’m so glad to see Asrar here. He’s grown so much as an artist since his last work at DC, and is really one of my favorites. He’s an artist who’s always recognisable but also changes what he’s doing depending on the story. 

That adaptation even shows and progresses through the issue, as it starts as a dark and gloomy Batman story and shifts into supernatural horror with a page turn into a terrifying splash page (this one I won’t spoil). Bellaire is an equally adaptable color artist, which makes for a great moody book, with vibrant splashes of color at important beats.

This is the DC event book to watch through the end of the year. It’s eerie, action packed, and hits all the emotional beats. In other words, a must-read.

Batman Vs. Robin #1 is available now from DC Comics.