REVIEW: ‘Robin and Batman: Jason Todd’ Issue 1

Robin and Batman Jason Todd Issue 1 is published by DC Comics. Written by Jeff Lemire, with art and colors by Dustin Nguyen and letters by Steve Wands.

Taking place in the early days of Bruce Wayne adopting Jason Todd, Batman struggles to control the young Robin’s anger. Robin and Batman Jason Todd Issue 1 takes a journey into the past, revealing the beginning of a relationship that has never felt secure. It’s the second chance at Batman and Robin, with Bruce trying to teach Jason how to be a vigilante. But it’s tense and fraught with difficulty.

There are two instances of crime fighting in this bumper-sized Robin and Batman Jason Todd Issue 1, both illustrating how volatile and difficult Jason was as a Robin. He runs off, determined to show off and be on his own. The benefit Lemire has when feeling the story of the second feeling is holding.

The readers know how this story ends, then starts again. He’s the one Robin that doesn’t get the happy ending, branded a failure. Robin and Batman Jason Todd Issue 1 shows the roots of those troubles within the first forays. There is both violence and friction. The violence is tame, considering the boss of Gotham City. But they are just hints at how easily it is to get hurt, like warning shots of what’s to come. The comic gets darker and bloodier as it progresses, until it’s caked in it.

The characters are sensational in Robin and Batman Jason Todd Issue 1. This is an inexperienced selection of characters. Batman is relatively new to being both a hero and a father. There is also Alfred, sorely missed in modern Batman comics. Lemire displays just how crucial Alfred was in helping Bruce raise the boys. He was calm and gentle, but this issue also shows him as a man that didn’t tolerate disrespect and rudeness. It gives him much more grit as a figure.

Batman is a secondary figure in this issue, with Jason taking the helm as the protagonist. Even before his transformation into the Red Hood, Jason had an anger brewing. He’s enraged and has a chip on his shoulder, always trying to prove himself. However, he often makes a mistake that forces Batman into action. Parts of the Boy Wonder remind me of Damian Wayne, the current Robin. His anger is very similar, as is a trigger that can snap.

The art is phenomenal and different. Robin and Batman: Jason Todd Issue 1 has a sketchy feel to it, with rough, faint lines revealing the action. It’s rough and gorgeous, with small details visible everywhere that look unfinished, because the characters themselves aren’t finished. You can see the grains of the paper that the art is drawn on, adding authenticity. Although Nguyen’s style looks like a sketch, every line is authentic, creating incredible faces and expressions. Jason looks terrifically sulky and petulant. His character leaps off the page, as does Alfred and Bruce’s stoicism.

The colors are just as expressive and intriguing as the line art. Nguyen uses watercolor paint on the page, and it makes the characters pop. You can see every individual stroke, especially as you look up into the depths of Gotham’s skyline. This Batman costume is classic, representing the era in which it’s set. It’s got a lot of blue over the cowl and the cape. And Robin’s trio of red, green and gold is even more vibrant when created using watercolor. The lettering is clear and easy to read, along with a striking art style.

Robin and Batman Jason Todd Issue 1 is a wonderful revisit of Robin. Jason is so well-known for becoming the Red Hood that it is easy to forget his time as Robin. And the captivating concept and thought throughout is whether Jason was doomed from the start. Was his destiny always to become a violent vigilante with a malicious vendetta? Was it laced in before he died and was brought back?

The story is told in a thought-provoking, stunning, and expressive art style, making the Robin and Batman Jason Todd Issue 1 stand out.

Robin and Batman Jason Todd Issue 1 is available where comics are sold.