Batman has always been one of my favorite super heroes, so when I heard that Bruce Wayne was going to be killed (of course, in comics death is not permanent) I wondered what that meant for Batman. After a fierce battle between many of Gotham's heroes and villains, Dick Grayson, the first Robin, has taken the Batman cowl and Bruce Wayne's assassin raised son, Damian Wayne, has taken on the Robin name. I was unsure how good this new Batman and Robin would be, but now, five issues in, I can say that it is amazing.
The reason the new Batman and Robin is so interesting is because it flips the classic Batman persona and relationships. Bruce Wayne was interesting because of his intense obsession with fighting crime. Bruce kept everyone and everything at arm's length so that nothing could get in the way of his lifelong mission. The Batman stories I love most are the ones that expose that Bruce Wayne is just as crazy as the villains he locks up, but he pushes himself to that extreme so that no one else has to suffer like he does.
Dick Grayson is not like Bruce Wayne. Grayson has a sense of humor. While he wants to fight crime, no one could devote their life so entirely to it as Bruce Wayne did. The new Batman may seem the same to villains, but Grayson is struggling to play the part of his mentor.
The classic Batman and Robin relationship is like a teacher and student. Robin is a child who needs to be taught how to fight against the crime that could easily swallow them up. Robin looks up to Batman as a person who can show them how to be something more than they are.
The new Robin was raised by murderers and villains. Damian does not respect Grayson and believes that he is ready to be the new Batman. Damian has been taught to fight since he was born and has shown that he has a brilliant mind for technology. The only things stopping Damian from actually being as great as he thinks he is, is his hair trigger attitude and the fact that he is 12 years old. The relationship between Dick and Damian seems like the exact opposite of the classic Batman and Robin relationship, but the fact that the new Robin still needs to be taught and the new Batman thinks he can save him is part of the relationship that is still alive.
Part 2 will focus on Batman's new relationship with the Gotham Police.
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