Review: Batman and Robin: Year One #8
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Plot: Mark Waid and Chris Samnee
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Chris Samnee
Colors: Matheus Lopes
Letters: Clayton Cowles w/ Chris Samnee
Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
Batman and Robin’s everyday identities are under attack from Two-Face, Grimaldi and Clayface, but will they be able to maintain their secrecy?
Positives
Since issue #1, this series has been great and it’s nice to see that there’s no let up as Batman and Robin: Year One hits issue #8. Like it’s modern story telling counterpart, Batman and Robin, Year One provides exciting action adventure paired with a compelling mystery and some interesting and thoughtful character work. Perhaps, the most interesting thing in Batman and Robin: Year One #8 is the interaction between Batman and Jim Gordon when the Dark Knight asks the Commissioner a question about parenting. This is something I can’t ever recall seeing. It makes sense that Bruce would have questions about raising a child, and for the most part we only ever get an exploration of his training and how Dick develops in that respect. With this issue, Mark Waid touches on how Dick is developing as a person and has Batman as Gordon about how things went with his daughter, Barbara at the same age. It’s a perspective that makes one think about the situation in a different manner. It’s especially interesting considering this issue also contains the “gun lesson;” Dick learns the hard way whey they will “NEVER” use guns. “NEVER.”
That’s an expected story beat Dick would learn somehow in the first year of their partnership and it fits. It can sometimes to be difficult to work in the expected elements, but the paneling with Samnee’s images works exceptionally well for this moment. It takes that expected quality and gives it a deeper resonance. It takes something that could be trite and turns it into something with genuine impact as it takes the reader right back to Batman’s origin and connecting the dots visually and emotionally.
The action in this issue is also quite good as Bruce and Dick must defend themselves against Clayface all while not revealing the truth about their identities. Waid comes up with a fun scenario that allows Samnee to execute some of the surprises with the art instead of relying on the words.
Negatives
If there’s anything that isn’t working, Grimaldi as the villain isn’t nearly as fun or interesting as Clayface and Two-Face. It would also be nice at some point to see Waid reference Robin: Year One in order to see how these two stories fit together, if indeed they do.
Verdict
Batman and Robin: Year One #8 is another installment of a series that vies for “Best Bat-book” with Batman and Robin leaving Detective, Batman and Absolute Batman in the dust. There’s a legitimately new approach to the relationship between Bruce and Dick in this issue that we’ve never seen. Combines with the action and villain plot, it’s a truly great series that isn’t dropping in quality. I’d like to add an extra 1/2 point to the ratings’ scale for an 8.5/10.
