Mark Waid and Chris Samnee have just wrapped up Batman & Robin Year One, a twelve-issue story recounting the first year of the titular Dynamic Duo. And can I tell you something? They NAIL IT.

The general plot — a newcomer to Gotham launches an intricate scheme to suck up the city’s wealth and power — is good on its own, but truly where Waid’s tale shines is in the nascent relationship between the Darknight Detective and the Boy Wonder. For decades, fans and critics alike have taken potshots at the notion of a wealthy playboy taking on an orphan as a ward, to varying degrees of deviance. Well, the Waid/Samnee team makes it work in no uncertain terms, with wit, style, and pathos. The series just finished, but a collected edition is forthcoming.

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