SYNOPSIS: The General’s search for Batman and Robin’s true identities comes to Wayne Manor’s doorstep! Can the Dynamic Duo find a way to repel the General’s forces and still keep their identities secret?!
The issue opens strong with an attempted hit on suspects who may be Batman and Robin! Of course, the real Dynamic Duo jumps into the fray, but things go awry when Robin turns a gun on one of the assailants!
Obviously, characterization is a strong suit with writer Mark Waid, who delivers a tense moment, not just between Robin and a criminal, but between Boy Wonder and Dark Knight. Of course, Batman is suitably angry, and Samnee sells the moment completely with his visuals. From Batman’s quivering fist to the desperation in the gunman’s eye and the interspersed flashbacks to the night Bruce’s parents were killed, this is a powerhouse of a sequence, guaranteed to thrill even the most seasoned Bat fan!
Waid isn’t done there. After the…incident, Batman confronts Gordon at his office. He tries to measure the trust they have for each other, and instead of “poofing” away mid-conversation, drops his guard for a personal question. It’s just another moment of what makes this series so good and how even familiar scenes can have new life.
Bruce Wayne later finds himself under the protective custody of the GCPD, but it is no match for when Clayface strikes again! Action ensues, with the villain getting closer to discovering the secret of who is underneath the cowl!
This scene, like all the others, looks magnificent under the art provided by Chris Samnee. His noirish stylings recall the retro pulpy feel of Darwyn Cooke, with a splash of David Mazzucchelli thrown in, but he is no clone. You feel the impact of the car crash, you want to cower under the menace of Clayface, and he puts the “dynamic” in Dynamic Duo whenever they spring into action.
Broken record time-Batman & Robin: Year One is a phenomenal look back at the nascent partnership of the Caped Crusaders, with top-notch visuals and pitch-perfect characterization. Can you call yourself a Batman fan if you don’t read it? – Javier E. Trujillo
GRADE: A+
