Batman & Robin: Year One Dynamic Duos #1 Review

 

Batman & Robin: Year One Dynamic Duos #1 Review

Co-Plot: Mark Waid & Chris Samnee

Writer: Mark Waid

Artist: Chris Samnee

Colorist: Mat Lopes

Letterers: Clayton Cowles & Chris Samnee

Cover Artists: Chris Samnee & Mat Lopes

Variant Cover Artists: Marc Silvestri & Arif Prianto; Dustin Nguyen; Hayden Sherman

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: August 12, 2026

 

When Bruce Wayne became a foster parent, the authorities in Gotham objected. No one took the apparent abuse of power more personally than Laura Lyn from Gotham City Child Protective Services. Then, Gotham's criminal justice system labeled the "irresponsible" billionaire playboy a criminal, and the authorities took Dick Grayson away from Bruce. But after Batman and Robin prevented Clayface and Two-Face from unleashing a devastating attack on the city, Bruce convinced Laura that he had Dick's interests at heart.

 

As the Dynamic Duo help the Gotham City Police Department safeguard their city, will Laura Lyn remain satisfied with Bruce's ability to care for the orphan? And will Batman continue to dress his young sidekick like "a basketful of Bell Peppers?" Let’s race to the Batcave, leap into Batman & Robin: Year One Dynamic Duos #1, and see!

 

Story

As his acolytes chant, Scorpio clutches a knife. He orders his victim to say his name, as if to acknowledge his power over her. The Alchemical Bishop explains his position in the cosmic hierarchy. Then he beseeches his god to accept this sacrifice and allow them to assist him as Barbatos rains down destruction on the Earth.

 

In Batman & Robin: Year One Dynamic Duos #1, Bruce Wayne's life has settled down. He may not be a conventional parent to Dick Grayson. Yet he wants the former circus performer to invest in his education. But Dick Grayson yearns for more time as Robin, keeping Gotham's streets safe.

 

Mark Waid's story shows how much Bruce Wayne has grown since becoming a parent. It also contrasts Bruce and Dick's differing views on what they do and how they do it. Bruce may not wear a red cape. Still, he suffers from the same desire to hurt criminals as Dick. That anger has not grown so toxic that, like Scorpio, they seek the world’s destruction. But when criminals threaten people he cares about, Bruce struggles to remember that while he fights crime, he is not responsible for punishment in Batman & Robin: Year One Dynamic Duos #1.

 

Art

A 9-panel grid opens in darkness, as tears fall from a bound woman's eyes. She gazes up at the hooded faces of her captors as they tie her to a platform. Then, the robed priests suspend the platform on chains over a pit as Scorpio raises his knife. Her blood pools on the wood and drips into the pit. Then Scorpio notices a dark figure arise from the circular, stone-lined pit filled with skeletons.

 

Mat Lopes drenches Chris Samnee's opening scene in reds as heroes and villains fight for what they believe in. A statue that glows red in one setting amid hatred turns indigo among more balanced individuals in Batman & Robin: Year One Dynamic Duos #1. While yellow, orange, and brown shine in the darkness, green-adorned threats arise, banishing Bruce’s calm assuredness and contorting his features.

 

Clayton Cowles and Chris Samnee fill white balloons with black uppercase letters. The words shrink for lowered voices, enlarge for raised voices, and grow bold with intonation. Shouts deform balloons, while giant letters seem like a wake-up call. Sound effects enhance a battle with a death cult and on the dangerous streets of Gotham. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

When Bruce decided to foster Dick, he sensed a core of anger in the boy over his parents’ deaths. So, he trained Dick to direct that anger in a positive direction. But other children aren’t so fortunate. And there are not enough people like Laura Lyn to ensure that all of Gotham’s young are provided for. So, when he discovers other children who didn’t receive the advantages Dick did, Bruce Wayne ponders how best to care for them while preventing them from hurting others in Batman & Robin: Year One Dynamic Duos #1.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Batman & Robin: Year One Dynamic Duos #1.

 

For how the previous series began, see my Batman & Robin: Year One #1 Review.