'Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular' #1 Review: A perfect tribute to Robin's unique legacy
Spoilers for 'Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular'
Between 80th Anniversary celebrations and milestone comic renumberings. DC Comics have been celebrating the legacy of a fair number of their characters in recent months. The legacy of Robin, however, is something quite different. There has never been another character who is as iconic while still having gone through as many iterations as the Robin identity has. Not counting out-of-continuity stories, or the gang of Robins in 'We Are Robin,' there are five people who have donned the green boots and yellow cape as Batman's sidekick and each one of them are worthy of celebration. In a fitting tribute to Robin's history, all five of them get the recognition they deserve.
It is, perhaps, one of the most well-ordered anniversary anthology that DC's put out. It's neatly divided into five sections, for each Robin in chronological order of when they donned the cape. Each section then tells a story from the significant periods in that character's life - sometimes even with the original creators from that period returning for one final story. It's a brilliant way to do an anthology and whatever version of Robin you first connected with, there's a story for you.
Dick Grayson, naturally, gets the lion's share of the special. Not only is he the first Robin, but he's also got one of the most storied histories of any character. Robin, Nightwing, Agent 37 and back again, he's had a lot of very significant eras.
The story that opens the issue is a powerful one. 'A Little Nudge,' written by Marv Wolfman, with pencils by Tom Grummett, inks by Scott Hanna and colors by Adriano Lucas, tells the story of how Dick Grayson made the choice to leave his Robin identity behind. It was a game changing moment for the Robin legacy, opening the door for Jason Todd and all the other Robins that followed, while setting up Grayson's own growth into Nightwing. It's the perfect way to start the issue, as one sequence perfectly highlights the essential difference between Batman and Robin.
The next two stories are Nightwing related but it's the reuniting of Grayson's team - Tim Seeley, Tom King, Mikel Janin and Jeremy Cox that truly stans out. Grayson's time as Agent 37 was one of the highlights of his career. Though his time as a secret agent is all but forgotten in the current comics, a return to that world is truly wonderful to see. The story once again highlights the differences between Grayson and Batman, while also showing why Robin gets to be such a unique character in every iteration. Every Robin might have the same mentor, but Batman has always allowed them the freedom to find their own ways of being Robin.
Judd Winick, the writer behind Todd's resurrection, teams up with Dustin Nguyen and John Kalisz for 'More Time' - a surprisingly quiet, touching story for Batman's most violent Robin. It's Todd's only story, but it packs quite a sentimental punch.
Both of Tim Drake's stories focus on the characters potential as Robin - focusing on the brightness of his future, rather than the darkness also in his way. As a bonus, 'Boy Wonders' also sees Tim catching up with three of the other Robins in the days before the 'Rebirth' relaunch of 'Detective Comics,' in a brilliant showcase of what makes each Robin unique.
Not to worry, Stephanie Brown isn't forgotten. Written by Amy Wolfram, the art sees the return of Damion Scott (with colors by Brad Anderson), who drew Brown in her original, albeit brief, stint as Robin. It feels like it has been pulled right out of a deleted scene in Robin #126, although Batman certainly treats her a lot better in this story than he originally did.
Last, of course, we catch up to the present, with two stories of Damian Wayne - one told adorably by a much younger Jonathan Kent, highlighting the Super-Sons era, while the other finishes the special, bringing things squarely up to current canon as Damian and Batman have an awkward and uncomfortable father-son villain fight.
Bringing back artists and writers for this special was a brilliant move, allowing for a sampler of every significant Robin era of the modern age. The art, especially, pulls you back to different moments in comic book history, bringing those times right back to life again. It's an issue that not only celebrates Robin, but also the continuity that has grown ever since Grayson first decided he wanted to do something more with his life.
If you're a fan of Robin, or if you've ever just wanted to see the best of Robin through history, this issue has everything you could hope for.
'Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular' is on sale now, wherever comics are sold.