Comics Korner: ROBIN: SON OF BATMAN VOL. 1 – YEAR OF BLOOD TPB

Robin is back from the dead and on his own personal quest, to atone for his past sins.

I’ve wasn’t a fan of Damian Wayne when he first appeared in Batman #665, but, to be honest, he was created by Grant Morrison and I’m not a fan of Morrison. The more Morrison wrote him, the less I liked him.

The New 52 happened and there was a new Batman and Robin series which featured a father and son team. This series was written by Peter J. Tomasi and drawn by Patrick Gleason. I found myself warming up to Damian. And then Morrison killed him off. Thankfully, Tomasi and Gleason found a way to bring Damian back from the dead.

In Robin: Son Of Batman – Year Of Blood, Patrick Gleason takes over writing and art duties and does an amazing job at it. I’ve been a fan of Gleason’s art for years now, so it’s great to see he doing double duty on this book, quite well.

The story revolves around Robin. Before he became Robin, to become a full member of Ra’s Al Ghul’s League of Assassins, he had to commit atrocious acts known as the Year of Blood. Now back from being dead, Robin decides to atone for all his sins during the Year of Blood. He is joined by a giant mutated Man-Bat like creature called Goliath. Plus he joined by the daughter of Henri Ducard who has taken over the mantle of Nobody. Is she here for revenge on Robin for killing her father, or something more?

Honestly, this series is making me warm up to Damian as Robin. Damian is starting to show some serious growth and not so angry and arrogant all the time. He still thinks he knows better but at the same time he’s starting to realize he still has a lot to learn. And a lot to atone for.

Once again, Gleason’s artwork just knocks it out of the park. The man really has this great flow when it comes to action sequences, as well as portraying emotional scenes. There are also been some subtle tweaks to the costume. Though I still can’t stand the fact there are shoelaces on Robin’s boots. It just looks really stupid compared to the gear the rest of the Bat-family is wearing. But I digress.

Overall, if you’ve been a fan of the Batman and Robin series, this book is for you. It’s a great solo book for Robin.