In this review of Batman and Robin: Year One #6, can Batman recuse Robin from the clutches of General Grimaldi before it’s too late?
Batman and Robin: Year One #6 main cover by Chris Samnee (DC Comics)
BATMAN & ROBIN: YEAR ONE #6
Written by MARK WAID and CHRIS SAMNEE
Art and Main Cover: CHRIS SAMNEE
Variant Covers: CLIFF CHIANG, WES CRAIG, GAVIN GUIDRY
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: March 19, 2025
This review contains spoilers
As Batman and Robin: Year One #6 begins, Robin has been captured by Gen. Grimaldi and his men, held captive in his office. Batman tracks down Robin’s abandoned Bat-Cycle, but he knows where Grimaldi’s HQ is.
Distracting the top entrances with a remote controlled flying bat, Batman circles ’round the back to discover a hidden laboratory, with men being experimented on and transformed into giant creatures. The experiment goes wrong and a fire breaks out. Grimaldi and his goons abandon the building while Robin escapes his bonds and is about to walk a makeshift tightrope across to the adjacent skyscraper before Batman finds him.
Back at the Batcave, Bruce scolds Dick for running out on his own, accusing him of not taking their mission seriously. Dick maintains that he’s been in training since the age of three to become the world’s greatest aerialist, and that he remains steadfast of vow to protect the people of Gotham from criminals like Zucco. Relieved at the similarity to himself, Bruce acquiesces in giving Dick more slack.
As Batman and Robin: Year One #6 ends, in an abadoned storage facility, Two-Face has found Grimaldi and insists on offering his stolen goods – files from Commissioner Gordon’s office, which include suspects on the identity of The Batman.
Analysis
With Batman and Robin: Year One #6 I’m a bit torn, as it includes some thing I’ve been yearning for in this series for a while now, and yet I’m still wanting for better execution. At the end of last issue, I’d become so despondent over Waid’s surface-level portrayal of Robin that I’d given up on any nuance or depth into his character. Here, we get a bit more to chew on. Dick easily escapes his bonds and casually is en route to escaping the burning building, being underestimated by Batman the whole time. That’s pretty good, and displays a baseline of skill he should have if he’s out in the suit.
He also sticks up for himself when berated by Batman for going off on his own. This is a scene I’m having difficulty with. Dick is still very new to being Robin, and very young. Let’s say he’s an early twelve years old. He’s going to be defensive and self-assured, and I like that better than him being afraid – which hasn’t been on display much. He is the “laughing daredevil” after all.
My problem is the argument doesn’t reach down to a center point, or at least it doesn’t read like it does. Bruce doesn’t get many words in edgewise before Dick starts talking about himself, so we’re not reminded of the fact that Dick ran away from the house after he was benched, which is indefensible. I like that Waid reminds us of his dedication to the mission, but where’s the give and take from Bruce that how he’s been approaching the job has been problematic. It comes down to essentially “You’re not taking this seriously!” “Yes I am!” “Oh, well that’s good to hear.”
I’m all for the father-son, buddy/buddy Batman and Robin relationship, but I am thinking in this series Bruce should be written a little harsher, a bit more stern to apply that early career anger towards whatever doesn’t go his way. For clarity, in writing Batman there should be different eras of him at different points of his life. He’s not going to be the mega-dark control freak that many writers in the early 21st century depicted him as in this Golden Age-esque story. But he should also evoke some of the Year One grittiness. What it comes down to is this story feels like Dick got away with being a brat, and there were no consequences for it since Grimaldi wasn’t going to hurt him anyway. He doesn’t even want to know his secret identity. I feel that Waid let the suspense of the situation down here.
So it’s with the first half of Batman and Robin: Year One #6 and Chris Samnee’s artwork on display that I take much of my enjoyment, once again. The flying bat used as a distraction is right from Detective Comics #38, and I loved how it was rendered in a scarier Year One-esque vibe, but that is still what it was. The scene of Batman searching through the building in shadows complimenting Robin’s casual escape to the rooftop was nicely tone to set the mood as well. Despite my monthly complaints and wishes, this remains one of the slickest, coolest illustrated books on DC’s shelf to date.
But my confidence in Waid telling this story has been shaken a bit by Batman and Robin: Year One #6. While by no means bad, it feels that it doesn’t go in deep enough for real character exploration besides a two-dimensional angle. The disagreement in the Batcave could’ve been longer and meatier, but the real issue is in how Robin is portrayed.
Although I enjoyed his competence in escaping Grimaldi’s building, I plain do not enjoy Waid’s characterization in this story. The recklessness has gone on too long without consequence, and Dick has learned no lessons. It reads too similar to Jason Todd, presenting him as a wet behind the ears kid who has a lot to learn but still hasn’t. And Batman’s not been looking great by allowing much of this to go on. This was better than I was fearing, but I don’t have much hopes for improvements for issue #7, as what would change that hasn’t changed by now?
