Review: BATMAN & ROBIN ETERNAL #1

Story:  James Tynion IV & Scott Snyder
Script:  James Tynion IV
Pencils:  Tony Daniel
Inks:  Sandu Florea
Colors:  Tomeu Morey
Letters:  Tom Napolitano
Publisher:  DC Comics

Last week during Batman Day we got a sneak peak of Batman & Robin Eternal.  There is a deep dark secret that occurred in Batman and Robin’s (Dick Grayson) past.  Batman & Robin Eternal will be slightly different from last year’s Batman Eternal.  With Bruce Wayne no longer Batman, his former sidekicks will take center stage, led by Dick Grayson.

What I Liked

I hadn’t thought of it much, but this is our first chance at seeing Dick Grayson as Robin in the New 52.  Even if it is in brief flashbacks, it’s fun to see Batman and a young Dick Grayson Robin swinging through Gotham.  When Dick was Robin pre-New 52, he wore more flashy attire – Robin Hood hat and shoes, no pants.  This Robin dresses himself from the Tim Drake Robin era.  Which I must say is my favorite Robin era, since it’s the one I grew up with.

Speaking of fun, it always brings a smile to my face to see members of the Bat-family team up.  Grayson, Red Hood, and Red Robin have great chemistry.  Three generations of Robins is amazing to think about, and that’s not even counting Damian Wayne.

The Robins aren’t the only heroes who make an appearance.  The new Robo Batman is out patroling Gotham to keep vigilantism down.  This is a problem for Bluebird, who has found herself carrying on the good fight without a Batman to train her.  She has really come into her own since she was first introduced.  Her tech genius might rival Red Robin’s.  Plus we are given clues as to how important Harper Row is to the overall story.

I hope Batman & Robin Eternal keeps utilizing flashbacks.  I’m sure it will, since everything that is happening in the present is because of something in the past.

Tony Daniel knows his way around the world of Batman.  His style is crisp and detailed.  He can illustrate teens and adults alike, which will come in handy with this expansive cast.  What I also like is how colorful each page is from Tomeu Morey.  Each location pops off the page.  A hologram Batman looks especially impressive.

We were promised the New 52 debut of Cassandra Cain, and we get that here.  The page she shows up on needs to be made into a poster, cause it is one awesome shot.  I know nothing about Cassandra Cain.  I wasn’t reading comic books when she was created.  So I am interested in finding out more about this iteration of her.

I also liked the look of a new character who visually reminds me of Storm Shadow from G.I. Joe.

Oh, and that final page?!?!  There is no doubt it will get fans talking.

What I Didn’t Like

Every couple of years the Bat-family has a falling out with Batman over him keeping secrets.  We just saw this in “Death of the Family.”  If the secret that Batman has kept from Dick is as big as they’re teasing, then count this as another example.

This isn’t a negative regarding this issue, but overall, a weekly comic will be tough for me to keep up with!  Miss one ore two weeks, and falling behind can snowball on a person.  Also, each artist that has to follow Tony Daniel has tough shoes to fill.

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#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE