Batman and Robin (The New 52) # 1

By Mark Rodriguez

The New 52 served as a reboot for many of the DC characters, but in Batman's case it only streamlined his long history. He also had four comics come out at once, Batman, Detective Comics, Batman and Robin and Batman Dark Knight. Before the New 52, Batman was blasted through time by Darkseid (not making this up) so when everyone thought he was dead, Dick took over as Batman and Damian as Robin. When Batman returned, there were actually 2 Batmen running around, but with The New 52, Bruce went back to the being the one and only Batman and Damian stayed as Robin, and we finally get to see them interact as a Dynamic Duo.

We start with “Born to Kill” as the Batman of Moscow is taking down a bad guy. Suddenly a floating gun shoots the man dead, and something hits this Batman. It’s revealed some kind of invisible man is beating the crap out of the MoscowBat and even smashes his mask off. When asked who this new enemy is, he replies with ‘I’m Nobody. And so are you’.

 At Wayne Manor, Bruce decides it’s ‘time for a change’ and gets Damian. They suit up and go to visit Crime Alley, the infamous place where Bruce’s parents were shot dead when he was a child, which of course, led to him becoming Batman. Damian shows little respect for them, and Batman explains that this will be the last time, since the place will soon be bulldozed and remade. Batman will also stop honoring the day of their death and will now begin to honor their wedding anniversary.

It took long enough, but it seems Bruce is finally getting past the death of his parents. Robin doesn’t show much remorse and thinks all this sentimental stuff is for the weak. Bats then takes a Zorro poster (the play he and his parents went to see that fateful night) and folds it into a paper boat, letting it float away. Robin says he can’t just build a boat and hope darkness magically sails away in it, to which Batman says “why not? It’s my boat.”

Just then Alfred informs them via radio that there is crime to fight at the Gotham University. At the University Research Reactor , we see several men in protective clothing stealing irradiated fuel, with dead guards floating in a nearby pool. They plan to get away before the S.W.A.T team shows up, but Batman and Robin bust in to stop them. Batman reminds Robin to maintain the element of surprise, since Robin blurted out their entrance. One of the men activates a bomb to distract the heroes that knocks Robin back. Bats tosses a batarang that gets stuck in the wall, giving Robin something to hold onto and land safely. Robin notices that three of them were escaping.

The men find the um… BatGyro parked nearby and take it. Robin gives chase, but Batman tells him not to follow them without him. However, the previous explosion punctured an inner wall of the research reactor. As Batman deals with the reactor, he tells Robin not to board the BatGyro, but he’s already on it. He cuts a wire that disables the gyro-stabilizer and the vehicle goes up in flames . One of them fires his gun and the gyro is full of liquid. Meanwhile Batman works on fixing the punctured wall. A swimming pool in the area was flooded by the sudden release of water with averts the emergency. As one of Gordon’s men puts it ‘whoever flooded the pool saved two city blocks from being contaminated’.

 Back to the now-destroyed BatGyro, Batman is angry since he doesn’t see the men inside. Robin tells him that he disabled the stabilizer and Batman reminds him that the men were wearing tanks of irradiated fuel. He says they don’t have the license to kill. Robin says he didn’t and compares himself to Dick, Jason and Tim, claiming he’s light years ahead of the past Robins. He asks why Batman doesn’t trust him the way Dick once did. Batman says he’s not a partner, but his son and he has to earn his trust. When asked how long that will take, he says ‘I’ll let you know’.

Back to Moscow, the MoscowBat is being dipped in acid, along with the crook from earlier. Nobody says the Bat will be erased, as if he never existed. He tosses a batarang into the acid pool and says it’s time to end the global circus act (Batman Inc) and will pay Bruce Wayne a visit…

My Opinions

So far we’re off to a good start. Since this was the new 52, people were wondering what remained the same and what changed. This issue confirmed that Dick, Jason and Tim were still Robins, and Batman Inc still happened. I don’t know MoscowBat was ever in an issue of Batman Inc, or if he was just a made-up throwaway character for Nobody to kill. Bruce and Damian argue the way we’d expect them to, since Damian’s crimefighting was always extreme. And it’s funny to see that after all the boasting about him being ‘the son of Batman’ in pre-New 52 stories, he’s finding it hard to adjust to having dad back in his life. “You were easier to look up to when you weren’t around”. No comment on the Bat-Gyro… it’s just… why…??

People wondered how this was going to work out. DickBats and Damian worked because Dick was light hearted while Damian was darker. Would this have worked with both Bruce and Damian being dark and darker? It actually does. Batman, while still a serious bad ass, is trying hard to be a good father, and doesn't kill, so he is still the light to Damian's dark. Just....not too light. Also there is the fact that while Bruce cares about the Robins as if they were his sons back in their heyday, Damian is his actual flesh and blood son, so it raises the stakes for him. Trained by Rah's Al Ghul and all, Bruce still worries about the kid. 

While people argued about 4 Bat-titles coming out at the same time, this was still one of the good ones, and is the one you have to read if you want to see Damian Wayne in action. The other series are more Batman focused, but he does make minor appearances here and there, but not to the degree of this one.