Batman Adventures: Lost Years by Hilary J. Bader

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What happened between the end of Batman and Robin Adventures and the new Batman Adventures television series as well as the Gotham Knight Adventures comic book series? This book has the answer.

Dick Grayson is approaching college graduation and increasingly, he's locking horns with Batman. He's questioning Batman's judgment and decision making processes. Meanwhile, Batman is feeling more frustrated and less confident in Robin's ability to be there. This leads to the eventual break up of the team as Dick Grayson sets out to find his way in the world.

The story can be, at first, hard to wrap your mind around. One simply doesn't question Batman's judgment. Yet, there's a bigger relational context going on here. Batman is still treating Dick Grayson the way he did at the beginning of their partnership when Grayson was a young teenager. Now, he's a man, a man who is an experienced crimefighter thanks to his years with Batman and Batman can't cope with it.

He's uncertain of Robin and takes Batgirl on as a partner because Batgirl respects him and his decisions. (As an aside the book's treatment of the Batman-Batgirl relationship v. the TV show's which seemed to suggest a romantic interest that began while she was dating Dick.)

At the same time, Dick has to find his own way in the world. In Book 2, he lays down the Robin colors and says that the Robin colors are for a boy, not a man. So, he sets off to find himself leaving Bruce Wayne behind without even saying goodbye and using his Grayson trust fund money to finance the trip.

The journey abroad is only somewhat interesting. Dick is shown as a quick learner who travels from one corner of the globe to the other seeking to learn new skills and quickly exhausting the knowledge of one teacher after another who warn him that he needs to learn about himself. The stories abroad are interesting but not amazing.

Issue 4 has a bit of a break as Batman gets a new Robin in Tim Drake who Batman rescues and takes to the Batcave. Drake quickly uncovers Batman's identity and then puts the old Robin suit on to avenge his father's death. The story seemed odd as the other four books in the collection focused on Grayson, but this was necessary.

The book rises to a higher level because of the pathos of the story. This isn't Marvel where characters are very vocal about their emotions. But there are subtle touches. In Book 3, Dick realizes it's been a year since he left and wonders if he's missed. The comic cuts to Bruce Wayne sitting by the fire and when Alfred reminds him it's a been a year, Wayne feigns ignorance, all while staring at a picture of Grayson. He has a decidedly negative reaction when first seeing Drake in the Robin costume.

Grayson also has these reactions. When he finally returns, Alfred interrupts with word that the Batman signal has been flashed. Grayson responds, "That's all right Alfred. Business always comes first, doesn't it?" Wayne answers yes and they're off. Though in that moment is the great tragedy and sadness of Grayson. He wanted and needed more than work, more than a partner in crimefighting. He needed a deeper father-son relationship that Wayne could never provide.



View all my reviews