Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen made waves with Robin and Batman, and now they’re back with the follow-up Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #1. The former series was about Dick Grayson’s turn as Robin, but now the decidedly different Jason Todd is the focus. Filled with rage, the first issue reveals the difficult time Batman had mentoring Jason, as well as the troubled memories and emotions Jason was experiencing during it.
Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #1 is an extra-sized issue, which allows Nguyen’s art to breathe and for the story to wash over you. The issue opens with Jason’s captions revealing rage and intensity. He wants revenge and seeks to enact justice as quickly and painfully as possible. You can feel his anxiety and emotion in the captions, which draw you into the opening chase sequence.
The chase sequence is well-choreographed, hammering home the danger for Robin, he is just a boy after all, and the worry of Batman. You see it in Batman’s face when Robin can’t handle letting a perp get away, or when Robin’s motorcycle topples over while driving. You never forget Robin is just a kid, which puts the relationship of these characters into focus.
That’s never more clear than back at the Batcave, where Alfred won’t allow Jason to talk back. In a short scene, Batman asks Alfred’s opinion. These two older men, Alfred is older, of course, but younger in the timeline we are familiar with, are just parents trying to deal with child angst. The humanity of the situation is drawn out, and it’ll make you ponder whether Batman really should pull Jason from duty.
The energy in the opening page is palpable.
Credit DC Comics
Key scenes with Jason’s memory and dreams add to his trauma and anger. One can see he’s not simply raging from hormones, but from real pain and loss. That makes his actions hard to track and puts into question what he’ll do next.
This boils over in the final sequence, tying into Jason’s rage and his seeking revenge. He wants to take his trauma out on a goon who got away, and it ends up turning for the worse. If you thought Jason had trauma before, two sights’ll send him even further down that road.
Art by Nguyen is as pretty as ever, with watercolors that match the moodiness. The bar scene near the end has a red glow, for instance, and Jason’s dreams have a heightened sense of weirdness. The acting is spot on, though, particularly Batman and his reactions to Jason’s anger.
Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #1 is a poignant, gorgeously illustrated exploration of pain, parenthood, and the emotional landmines of mentoring a boy molded by grief. Lemire and Nguyen deliver a stunning, introspective take on the second Robin that feels every bit as essential as their first collaboration.
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