There have been plenty of comics about Dick Grayson’s early days as Robin. Aside from Detective Comics #38, I can think of Batman: Year Three, Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet, 1995’s Robin Annual #4, and the Robin: Year One miniseries, just to name a few offhand. Batman & Robin Annual #2 joins their ranks with a story that focuses on the first week of the Dynamic Duo’s partnership. It’s not a revolutionary story – in fact, you pretty much know what’s going to happen if you’ve ever read any of the other comics mentioned above – but it’s still an entertaining one.
Writer Peter Tomasi gets to spend some time with a different Robin other than the late Damian Wayne. His Dick Grayson is impatient and eager to earn his metaphorical wings, as one would expect anyone in his situation to be. Bruce is also in expected form – gruff, grumpy, and generally not ready to put up with Dick’s disobeying his orders. To say they’re working the kinks out is an understatement. If I have a complaint about the issue, it’s that there’s not enough of Bruce/Batman in it. Don’t get me wrong – Dick Grayson is a wonderful character, and one of my favorites. But it also seems that stories about early Batman & Robin adventures always focus on Robin and less on Batman. Tomasi has a really strong ability to get into characters’ heads, and it would have been nice to see him put that to use on a relatively young Batman who is dealing with and adjusting to having a partner for the first time.
Doug Mahnke provides art for a majority of the book, with Pat Gleason drawing the framing sequence around Mahnke’s flashback. Their styles complement each other seamlessly, to the point that one might not notice that there are two different artists on the book without looking at the credits page. Mahnke returns to Batman after having drawn the character’s core title nearly ten years ago, and it’s a reminder of what a good fit he was on the book. There’s a good variety of scenes for him to draw here, from the tedium of high school, to tense confrontations in the Batcave, to acrobatic aerial action, and he handles it all with equal skill.
Overall, Batman & Robin Annual #2 is a fine comic. There’s nothing particularly exceptional about it, but it’s also not badly done. It’s an enjoyable, well-crafted comic that probably won’t change anyone’s life but also won’t make anyone want to burn their comic collection.
