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DC Anniversary Celebrations
Robin, The Boy Wonder: A Celebration of 75 Years
So it has been with Batman and his partner in crime, Robin for seventy-five years. The Boy Wonder’s spunk and color balance against the Caped Crusader’s seriousness and gloom to create a perfect partnership, a Dynamic Duo.
Though Batman has always needed a Robin, it hasn’t always been the same Robin. Many different crimefighters have taken up the name and costume, from jovial Dick Grayson to calculating Tim Drake to violent Damian Wayne. Each left his or her mark on the character, and today the Boy Wonder almost as recognizable and beloved as the Dark Knight himself.
Collecting stories from Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Carrie Kelley, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Damian Wayne and more, ROBIN THE BOY WONDER: A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS compiles the best moments from seven decades of the Dynamic Duo. It includes Robin’s first appearance by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, as well as tales from industry legends Jim Mooney, Sheldon Moldoff, Frank Miller, Chuck Dixon, Jeph Loeb, Marv Wolfman, Geoge Pérez, Jim Aparo, Grant Morrison, Andy Kubert and more.
Though Batman has always needed a Robin, it hasn’t always been the same Robin. Many different crimefighters have taken up the name and costume, from jovial Dick Grayson to calculating Tim Drake to violent Damian Wayne. Each left his or her mark on the character, and today the Boy Wonder almost as recognizable and beloved as the Dark Knight himself.
Collecting stories from Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Carrie Kelley, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Damian Wayne and more, ROBIN THE BOY WONDER: A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS compiles the best moments from seven decades of the Dynamic Duo. It includes Robin’s first appearance by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, as well as tales from industry legends Jim Mooney, Sheldon Moldoff, Frank Miller, Chuck Dixon, Jeph Loeb, Marv Wolfman, Geoge Pérez, Jim Aparo, Grant Morrison, Andy Kubert and more.
473 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 19, 2015
6 people are currently reading
645 people want to read
About the author
Bill Finger
645 books105 followersWilliam "Bill" Finger was an American comic strip and comic book writer best known as the uncredited co-creator, with Bob Kane, of the DC Comics character Batman, as well as the co-architect of the series' development. In later years, Kane acknowledged Finger as "a contributing force" in the character's creation. Comics historian Ron Goulart, in Comic Book Encyclopedia, refers to Batman as the "creation of artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger", and a DC Comics press release in 2007 about colleague Jerry Robinson states that in 1939, "Kane, along with writer Bill Finger, had just created Batman for [DC predecessor] National Comics".
Film and television credits include scripting The Green Slime (1969), Track of the Moon Beast (1976), and three episodes of 77 Sunset Strip.
-Wikipedia
Film and television credits include scripting The Green Slime (1969), Track of the Moon Beast (1976), and three episodes of 77 Sunset Strip.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 29, 2017
Touch and go for a while there because some of the issues were bland and just not important, in my opinion. But overall, I definitely recommend this book if you're a fan of the batfam.
I adore just about every one of the Robins and this was a great way to learn about each of them. I will say, I felt like they gave us more on Tim than Jason. I know they skipped a lot of his stuff. The Robin you learn the most about is Dick and sure, he has the most history but they missed out on a lot of Damian and Jason's stuff.
I adored the issue where Damian sent Bruce on a scavenger hunt. I haven't read a lot about Damian and Bruce doing family stuff and Damian was so incredibly sweet in that issue. Adorable!
The issue where Jason died was hard. I actually hadn't read Death in the Family, just everything that comes after. I teared up a little because his mother was awful and Jason still tired to save her.
Also, what is up with the tendency to write Batfam v crowbars. Every one of them has been beaten with crowbars.
I loved seeing Tim's introduction to Batman and Dick. That was great and Tim is such a different type of Robin. He really works at it and he's so kind and genuine.
I can't find Nightwing: Year One anywhere on Midgard but I want to read it so badly. So far, I haven't read a Year One book I haven't loved and the excerpt in this book made me want to read about Dick's transition. Sure, Jason has a complicated relationship with Bruce but Dick's is just so interesting. They have the same struggles sons have with their fathers and holy shit was Bruce an asshole.
Stephanie Brown is the cutest little bean and J adore her! Even knowing how badly the Robin thing turns out for her, I adored watching her become Robin.
The issue with Kon and Tim was unnecessary, in my opinion. As was the robo-Robin. Earth Two was incredibly boring but the rest of the issues on this book were so with it.
Definitely recommend this to fans of the Batfamily.
I adore just about every one of the Robins and this was a great way to learn about each of them. I will say, I felt like they gave us more on Tim than Jason. I know they skipped a lot of his stuff. The Robin you learn the most about is Dick and sure, he has the most history but they missed out on a lot of Damian and Jason's stuff.
I adored the issue where Damian sent Bruce on a scavenger hunt. I haven't read a lot about Damian and Bruce doing family stuff and Damian was so incredibly sweet in that issue. Adorable!
The issue where Jason died was hard. I actually hadn't read Death in the Family, just everything that comes after. I teared up a little because his mother was awful and Jason still tired to save her.
Also, what is up with the tendency to write Batfam v crowbars. Every one of them has been beaten with crowbars.
I loved seeing Tim's introduction to Batman and Dick. That was great and Tim is such a different type of Robin. He really works at it and he's so kind and genuine.
I can't find Nightwing: Year One anywhere on Midgard but I want to read it so badly. So far, I haven't read a Year One book I haven't loved and the excerpt in this book made me want to read about Dick's transition. Sure, Jason has a complicated relationship with Bruce but Dick's is just so interesting. They have the same struggles sons have with their fathers and holy shit was Bruce an asshole.
Stephanie Brown is the cutest little bean and J adore her! Even knowing how badly the Robin thing turns out for her, I adored watching her become Robin.
The issue with Kon and Tim was unnecessary, in my opinion. As was the robo-Robin. Earth Two was incredibly boring but the rest of the issues on this book were so with it.
Definitely recommend this to fans of the Batfamily.
June 6, 2015
i'm robin trash.
it's fair that dick get's the most attention but I would've loved more than 3 issues for jason, tim and damian. steph too tbh.
the selection is pretty good tho, it's a good showcase of how different each robin is and i love them all.
it's fair that dick get's the most attention but I would've loved more than 3 issues for jason, tim and damian. steph too tbh.
the selection is pretty good tho, it's a good showcase of how different each robin is and i love them all.
May 28, 2015
Robin was always my favorite sidekick.
July 22, 2020
This book celebrates the 75th Anniversary of Robin in 2015 by dedicating a section to each Robin. My thoughts on each section below:
1) Dick Grayson:
This section leans heavily into using Robin stories that have been repinted over and over again. Including his origin, the time that Bruce Wayne lost costudy of him to scheming relatives, and that type he behaved like a jerk to a girl who wanted to be a crimefighter, and the bicentenial issue where he teamed up with Batgirl to fight a demonically powered Benedict Arnold. These aren't bad, but I've read them all before. There are two exceptions. The Golden Age Robin Solo story, "The Barton Brothers" is a nice little story where he rounds up three criminal brothers with different hooks and gimmicks. Then there's the "Robin" chapter from Nightwing Year One which is actually kind of dreadful.
2) Jason Todd:
Wa get a look at the start of Jason's post-crisis origin and we get the second half of the comic that ended with a 900 number people would call to vote whether he would die. In between, there's a story where Batman and Robin are dealing with a diplomat's son who has a nasty way of treating women and we're left question how far this Robin might go. It's a bit light and incomplete, but Todd's era was short.
3) Tim Drake:
We get the issue where Drake first put on the costume of Robin, a downbeat Robin story by Chuck Dixon, and a team up between Robin and Nighwing that allows the characters to interact.Then there's a Superboy/Robin team up in the pages of Superman/Batman that's high on action, low on character development. These arent bad, but I think you start to see the challenge of putting modern comics with a book like this. The one-shot is rear and comics are written "for the trade." So of the four stories, we have one issue plucked out of multi-part story, and two other one-shots that aren't particularly remarkable and also written by people who didn't write Tim Drake.
4) Damian Wayne:
We get the issue where Damian comes to the Batcave and thinks he's going to claim his inheritance. He's surly and insufferable, but then again, that's Damian Wayne for you, particularly in the early days. We have an issue from Superman/Batman where there's a team-up with Supergirl, which works quite well. And then we have Batman and Robin Annual #1 from 2013 by Peter Tomasi in which Damian gets Batman to take a vacation in Europe and lays out a trail of clues leading him to reconnect with his family heritage while Damian dons the cowl in Bruce's absence and tries to hide it. I actually love this story the most. It does a great job showing how Damian's developed and the complicated relationship between father and son. It's great work anda reminder that I really need to check out Batman and Robin by Peter Tomasi.
5) Other Robins:
This is a big fault I have with this book. To most people, Robin is either Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, or Damian Wayne. Throwing in some alternate Earth versions is kind of silly and I think it would have been better to feature more stories with these characters.
"The Super-Crisis that Struck Earth-Two" barely features the pre-Crisis Earth 2 Robin and is actually the first of a two part story no tincluded in the book.
"The Dark Knight Triumphant" is a classic dark piece of comic writing from Batman: The Dark Knight by Frank Miller, but the alternate Robin barely features amongst people talking on cable news.
"Head Games" is a throwaway story about some future robot "Robin the Toy Wonder" from the DC One Million Event.
"A Life More Ordinary" is the most defensible story for inclusion in the book as its about Stephanie Brown becoming Robin for a brief time. Even here, I think it doesn't make as much sense or carry as much weith without the context.
Overall, if you've not read a whole lot about Robin, this isn't a bad collection to check out, and there are some good stories in here, but there are also a few stories that are thrown in and some of this that just feels like its being too cute by half with its selction critera.
1) Dick Grayson:
This section leans heavily into using Robin stories that have been repinted over and over again. Including his origin, the time that Bruce Wayne lost costudy of him to scheming relatives, and that type he behaved like a jerk to a girl who wanted to be a crimefighter, and the bicentenial issue where he teamed up with Batgirl to fight a demonically powered Benedict Arnold. These aren't bad, but I've read them all before. There are two exceptions. The Golden Age Robin Solo story, "The Barton Brothers" is a nice little story where he rounds up three criminal brothers with different hooks and gimmicks. Then there's the "Robin" chapter from Nightwing Year One which is actually kind of dreadful.
2) Jason Todd:
Wa get a look at the start of Jason's post-crisis origin and we get the second half of the comic that ended with a 900 number people would call to vote whether he would die. In between, there's a story where Batman and Robin are dealing with a diplomat's son who has a nasty way of treating women and we're left question how far this Robin might go. It's a bit light and incomplete, but Todd's era was short.
3) Tim Drake:
We get the issue where Drake first put on the costume of Robin, a downbeat Robin story by Chuck Dixon, and a team up between Robin and Nighwing that allows the characters to interact.Then there's a Superboy/Robin team up in the pages of Superman/Batman that's high on action, low on character development. These arent bad, but I think you start to see the challenge of putting modern comics with a book like this. The one-shot is rear and comics are written "for the trade." So of the four stories, we have one issue plucked out of multi-part story, and two other one-shots that aren't particularly remarkable and also written by people who didn't write Tim Drake.
4) Damian Wayne:
We get the issue where Damian comes to the Batcave and thinks he's going to claim his inheritance. He's surly and insufferable, but then again, that's Damian Wayne for you, particularly in the early days. We have an issue from Superman/Batman where there's a team-up with Supergirl, which works quite well. And then we have Batman and Robin Annual #1 from 2013 by Peter Tomasi in which Damian gets Batman to take a vacation in Europe and lays out a trail of clues leading him to reconnect with his family heritage while Damian dons the cowl in Bruce's absence and tries to hide it. I actually love this story the most. It does a great job showing how Damian's developed and the complicated relationship between father and son. It's great work anda reminder that I really need to check out Batman and Robin by Peter Tomasi.
5) Other Robins:
This is a big fault I have with this book. To most people, Robin is either Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, or Damian Wayne. Throwing in some alternate Earth versions is kind of silly and I think it would have been better to feature more stories with these characters.
"The Super-Crisis that Struck Earth-Two" barely features the pre-Crisis Earth 2 Robin and is actually the first of a two part story no tincluded in the book.
"The Dark Knight Triumphant" is a classic dark piece of comic writing from Batman: The Dark Knight by Frank Miller, but the alternate Robin barely features amongst people talking on cable news.
"Head Games" is a throwaway story about some future robot "Robin the Toy Wonder" from the DC One Million Event.
"A Life More Ordinary" is the most defensible story for inclusion in the book as its about Stephanie Brown becoming Robin for a brief time. Even here, I think it doesn't make as much sense or carry as much weith without the context.
Overall, if you've not read a whole lot about Robin, this isn't a bad collection to check out, and there are some good stories in here, but there are also a few stories that are thrown in and some of this that just feels like its being too cute by half with its selction critera.
March 8, 2018
Robin, The Boy Wonder: A Celebration of 75 Years is a compilation of some of the best Robin stories over the years to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary debut of one of the most famous sidekicks (2015). Over the years, there were many who took up the mantle of Robin – in the main continuity alone, prior to the Universal Reboot, there were five Robins, each one of them distinctive and lovable in their own way.
Dick Grayson, the progenitor, is my favorite character – maybe not as Robin, but he was my Robin. Growing up, I read my grandfather's old comics and I connected with him the most. Since then I have followed the Robin through all their incarnations. With each new Robin, after a brief mourning period, I found different reasons to love the person behind the mask.
This anthology is divided into five sections, one for each of the Robins in the main continuity (sans Stephanie Brown) and the last one for the selected Robins from other continuities and timelines. Each section is given a short blurb of each Robin before the selected issues the editors thought best emphasize that particular Robin. For the most part, the issues selected for each character was great and exemplifies what makes each Robin great.
However, I have two gripes: the first is that Stephanie Brown didn't have her own section. Instead she was relegated to one issue in the fifth section entitled Other Robins. Stephanie Brown became Robin in the original continuity – the first and only female Robin in fact. Granted that she didn't last very long in the role and her tenure of Robin was erased during the reboot, but I could think of other stories of her being Robin that exemplifies wonderfully.
Which brings me to the second point, the compilation seems really unbalanced of the twenty-four stories featured, nearly half were about Dick Grayson as Robin with ten, Tim Drake had four stories, Jason Todd and Damian Wayne had three stories each, and bringing up the rear are Richard Grayson of Earth-Two, Carrie Kelley, Robin 1,000,000, and Stephanie Brown with one story each.
Granted Grayson has been around longer and after all, it is his seventy-fifth anniversary too, so I have no problem with showing him more love. Furthermore most of the population when you mention Robin they think of Dick Grayson. However this anthology could have inform the populace to the other Robins and maybe they'll find a new favorite. By adding a Stephanie Brown section, shortening Dick Grayson section by half and raise each section to four issues, you get twenty stories and add the stories from the Other Robin section and you can get the same length as the original.
All in all, despite of the imbalanced of the anthology and the nearly neglected Stephanie Brown as Robin, it was in the end, a wonderful collection of most things Robin.
Dick Grayson, the progenitor, is my favorite character – maybe not as Robin, but he was my Robin. Growing up, I read my grandfather's old comics and I connected with him the most. Since then I have followed the Robin through all their incarnations. With each new Robin, after a brief mourning period, I found different reasons to love the person behind the mask.
This anthology is divided into five sections, one for each of the Robins in the main continuity (sans Stephanie Brown) and the last one for the selected Robins from other continuities and timelines. Each section is given a short blurb of each Robin before the selected issues the editors thought best emphasize that particular Robin. For the most part, the issues selected for each character was great and exemplifies what makes each Robin great.
However, I have two gripes: the first is that Stephanie Brown didn't have her own section. Instead she was relegated to one issue in the fifth section entitled Other Robins. Stephanie Brown became Robin in the original continuity – the first and only female Robin in fact. Granted that she didn't last very long in the role and her tenure of Robin was erased during the reboot, but I could think of other stories of her being Robin that exemplifies wonderfully.
Which brings me to the second point, the compilation seems really unbalanced of the twenty-four stories featured, nearly half were about Dick Grayson as Robin with ten, Tim Drake had four stories, Jason Todd and Damian Wayne had three stories each, and bringing up the rear are Richard Grayson of Earth-Two, Carrie Kelley, Robin 1,000,000, and Stephanie Brown with one story each.
Granted Grayson has been around longer and after all, it is his seventy-fifth anniversary too, so I have no problem with showing him more love. Furthermore most of the population when you mention Robin they think of Dick Grayson. However this anthology could have inform the populace to the other Robins and maybe they'll find a new favorite. By adding a Stephanie Brown section, shortening Dick Grayson section by half and raise each section to four issues, you get twenty stories and add the stories from the Other Robin section and you can get the same length as the original.
All in all, despite of the imbalanced of the anthology and the nearly neglected Stephanie Brown as Robin, it was in the end, a wonderful collection of most things Robin.
September 15, 2019
What a great collection of the Robins!
My favorite out of this collection from the Dick Grayson section was "Robin's Last Stand" from Nightwing Year One. The Golden Age stories were good, especially as I haven't read a lot of Golden Age stories for any character, but were a bit too silly for my taste. Plus, I very much liked the art in "Robin's Last Stand."
My favorite story in the Jason Todd section was "The Diplomat's Son," the story with Gloria Stanson and the rapist that Jason denied murdering. I've heard about this story in other media, so I was very pleased to find it included in this collection. I was rather disappointed that the Jason section was only three stories long, though; one was the obligatory origin, then "The Diplomat's Son," then one of the stories from A Death in the Family.
My favorite story in the Tim Drake section was "The Boys," the story where Dick and Tim are bonding by with blindfolded train surfing, and end up ruining the day of the guys robbing the train cars. It was adorable, the art was great, and I really wish I knew what trade paperback the other issues are in so I can read the rest.
My favorite story in the Damian Wayne section was "Fright Knight," where Damian and Supergirl team up to solve a mass murder and end up taking down Scarecrow. The "Batman Impossible" is a close runner up and I love them both, but I really liked Damian's interaction with people other than Batclan members. It's for pretty much the same reason that I like "Batman Impossible," and as a bonus that story illustrates that Damian - for all that he can be an abrasive monster of a spoiled child - can be a sweetheart deep down. It's really deep down, as evidenced by the story from Batman and Son, but it's there.
My favorite story from the section on other Robins was definitely Stephanie taking the mantle of Robin. I don't care that DC retconned it into being a boys-only club, Steph is a canon Robin and really should have gotten her own section.
Overall, though, this 75 year celebration of Robin was wonderful. It is something that I would recommend or gift to someone.
My favorite out of this collection from the Dick Grayson section was "Robin's Last Stand" from Nightwing Year One. The Golden Age stories were good, especially as I haven't read a lot of Golden Age stories for any character, but were a bit too silly for my taste. Plus, I very much liked the art in "Robin's Last Stand."
My favorite story in the Jason Todd section was "The Diplomat's Son," the story with Gloria Stanson and the rapist that Jason denied murdering. I've heard about this story in other media, so I was very pleased to find it included in this collection. I was rather disappointed that the Jason section was only three stories long, though; one was the obligatory origin, then "The Diplomat's Son," then one of the stories from A Death in the Family.
My favorite story in the Tim Drake section was "The Boys," the story where Dick and Tim are bonding by with blindfolded train surfing, and end up ruining the day of the guys robbing the train cars. It was adorable, the art was great, and I really wish I knew what trade paperback the other issues are in so I can read the rest.
My favorite story in the Damian Wayne section was "Fright Knight," where Damian and Supergirl team up to solve a mass murder and end up taking down Scarecrow. The "Batman Impossible" is a close runner up and I love them both, but I really liked Damian's interaction with people other than Batclan members. It's for pretty much the same reason that I like "Batman Impossible," and as a bonus that story illustrates that Damian - for all that he can be an abrasive monster of a spoiled child - can be a sweetheart deep down. It's really deep down, as evidenced by the story from Batman and Son, but it's there.
My favorite story from the section on other Robins was definitely Stephanie taking the mantle of Robin. I don't care that DC retconned it into being a boys-only club, Steph is a canon Robin and really should have gotten her own section.
Overall, though, this 75 year celebration of Robin was wonderful. It is something that I would recommend or gift to someone.
June 6, 2017
I'm not a Robin fan. I unfortunately first came across Robin in whichever cinematic disaster Mr. Freeze was in. I despised Chris O'Donnell even before he appeared as Robin, and from then on I've associated Batman's sidekick with O'Donnell. I only picked up a collection of his stories because the collections I really wanted to read from my Batman recommended reading: Nightwing: Year One, A Death in the Family and A Lonely Place of Dying were all unavailable at my library. This collection has a selection from each of those, and I thought it was better than nothing.
So. Surprisingly, I like Nightwing. My favorite issue was Nightwing and Tim Drake's Robin bonding on top of a moving train. I also don't mind Tim Drake himself. I think Dick Grayson as Robin was slightly manic in his youthful enthusiasm. Jason Todd wasn't Robin enough, and I didn't figure out if I liked him or not in the very few of his stuff collected here. I don't think I'll have access to any of his Robin comics anytime soon. There's quite a bit of Tim Drake, and I also started Knightfall, and what I read I liked. I'm reserving judgment on Damien Wayne, until I can get hold of more stuff. I liked Stephanie Brown, but that maybe more because I like Bill Willingham that anything about the character herself. (She also seems a little manic, so).
Dick Grayson as Robin is in it a lot though, and for me that makes the collection only so-so.
So. Surprisingly, I like Nightwing. My favorite issue was Nightwing and Tim Drake's Robin bonding on top of a moving train. I also don't mind Tim Drake himself. I think Dick Grayson as Robin was slightly manic in his youthful enthusiasm. Jason Todd wasn't Robin enough, and I didn't figure out if I liked him or not in the very few of his stuff collected here. I don't think I'll have access to any of his Robin comics anytime soon. There's quite a bit of Tim Drake, and I also started Knightfall, and what I read I liked. I'm reserving judgment on Damien Wayne, until I can get hold of more stuff. I liked Stephanie Brown, but that maybe more because I like Bill Willingham that anything about the character herself. (She also seems a little manic, so).
Dick Grayson as Robin is in it a lot though, and for me that makes the collection only so-so.
July 26, 2017
This is a wonderful compilation of all the Robins from the main Batman continuities. I already knew the backgrounds -- and to some extent the histories -- of the various Robins, with the exception of Stephanie Brown. I was most interested to find about about her, but unfortunately, she is covered the almost the least.
It's interesting to note the various light/dark, playful/brooding changes in the characters, with the light/playful being arguably the most popular. I really love Dick Grayson's various incarnations. If you want some real derring-do swashbuckling adventure, check out the "Grayson" series where Dick is a super-spy for the Spyral organisation. It really showcases Dick as a super competent and highly likeable character in his own right.
I really dislike Damian Wayne, as I guess I'm supposed to. Arrogant, vicious, insufferable, he seems to be everything Robin isn't. I'll never forgive Grant Morrison for creating him -- or rather, pulling him from a one-shot series.
All-in-all, a fun and fond look back at 75 years of Robin. Highly recommended.
It's interesting to note the various light/dark, playful/brooding changes in the characters, with the light/playful being arguably the most popular. I really love Dick Grayson's various incarnations. If you want some real derring-do swashbuckling adventure, check out the "Grayson" series where Dick is a super-spy for the Spyral organisation. It really showcases Dick as a super competent and highly likeable character in his own right.
I really dislike Damian Wayne, as I guess I'm supposed to. Arrogant, vicious, insufferable, he seems to be everything Robin isn't. I'll never forgive Grant Morrison for creating him -- or rather, pulling him from a one-shot series.
All-in-all, a fun and fond look back at 75 years of Robin. Highly recommended.
June 18, 2018
Decent
A history of Robin, whose been part of Batman from the beginning. As with most anthologies, the stories and art vary. It would have been nice had they included justice league 56, rather than leave the reader hanging!
A history of Robin, whose been part of Batman from the beginning. As with most anthologies, the stories and art vary. It would have been nice had they included justice league 56, rather than leave the reader hanging!
February 1, 2020
A nice tour of Robin history. Obviously the newer material is easier to read from a modern perspective, but it’s always worth getting a chance to see what the older material was actually like.
February 11, 2017
This was, hands down, the best compilation I've ever read. Robin has been one of my favorite superheroes since I was in the fifth grade. I first met him in the 1960s Batman TV show. It wasn't until I was much older and really started reading and collecting comic books that I learned more than one person has donned the Robin mask. I always knew Dick Grayson as Robin, and he'll probably always be my favorite for that reason. As for the others.... I only knew Jason Todd through the "Death in the Family" story line, Tim Drake from a couple episodes of "Young Justice," and Damian Wayne from his appearances in the New 52 Batman series. But this compilation changed all of that. It was a great introduction to those other characters that I didn't really know, and an even better tribute to the Robin that started it all. My personal favorite story lines were "The Boys" and "Batman Impossible." I'll definitely be looking for more Damian Wayne stories. In fact, right after reading this collection's excerpt from the "Batman and Son" story line, I ordered that graphic novel through the library. In addition, it was also fun to see the "other" versions of Robin (Earth-2, DC 1,000,000, etc.). I was surprised to find that I even really enjoyed Stephanie Brown's Robin (because, to me, Robin has just always been a guy--probably because he was sort of my first crush). But this compilation gave me enough information to finally make a truly educated list of my favorite Robins. So, just for fun, my top 5 favorite Robins: (1) Dick Grayson (Come on, he was the first!), (2) Damian Wayne, (3) Tim Drake, (4) Stephanie Brown, and (5) Jason Todd. (Sorry, Jason.) In addition, this collection is a great example of how comics have changed through the decades, compiling samples from the 1940s all the way through the 2000s. The added notes at the beginning of each section were also very interesting reads into the the creative conception of each Robin. All in all, a must-read for any Robin fan.
February 4, 2016
Like the Batman and Joker volumes before it, this another great hardcover reproduction of classic Batman stories. Robin is a character with an interesting history, because he's had so many different secret identities. Each of them reflect the times in which they were created.
In this volume, you get a bunch of classic tales, including "Robin Dies at Dawn" (he doesn't really) and the "Death in the Family" issue where the Joker kills Jason Todd, the second Robin (he really does). The collection kind of loses steam as soon as Tim Drake comes onto the scene, which was a bit surprising because I always liked the character in the '90s. Maybe it's because his issues tend to deal with teenager life stuff and I'm no longer a teen.
It's definitely worth reading if you like the character, and there's plenty of Dick Grayson here, but I would recommend some supplemental reading to get a better feel for the other Robins. For example, there's only single issues here from the larger story arcs Batman: A Death in the Family, Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying, and Batman and Son. It's worth checking out these other books to get a better feel for Jason Todd, Tim Drake and Damian Wayne.
You should also check out the excellent Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn, in which Dick Grayson is Batman and Damian Wayne is Robin.
In this volume, you get a bunch of classic tales, including "Robin Dies at Dawn" (he doesn't really) and the "Death in the Family" issue where the Joker kills Jason Todd, the second Robin (he really does). The collection kind of loses steam as soon as Tim Drake comes onto the scene, which was a bit surprising because I always liked the character in the '90s. Maybe it's because his issues tend to deal with teenager life stuff and I'm no longer a teen.
It's definitely worth reading if you like the character, and there's plenty of Dick Grayson here, but I would recommend some supplemental reading to get a better feel for the other Robins. For example, there's only single issues here from the larger story arcs Batman: A Death in the Family, Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying, and Batman and Son. It's worth checking out these other books to get a better feel for Jason Todd, Tim Drake and Damian Wayne.
You should also check out the excellent Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn, in which Dick Grayson is Batman and Damian Wayne is Robin.
February 11, 2017
This was great! I've only ever read Tim and Damian as Robin so it was fascinating to see all the others lined up here for their greatest hits. Honestly, most of Dick and Jason's art was almost physically painful. I really cannot stand the old art but the stories were still interesting. I'm also really glad that there were little peaks to Stephanie and Carrie Kelly too. I've only known about them as Robin in references before and it's good to see it for real. I think the art is the only thing I can fault and as it's from the 40s I think we can let it slide
June 6, 2015
This was an interesting collection and a good way to show the evolution of Robin. This is a book for existing comics fans (particularly collectors), since it selected single issues here and there which often led to cliffhangers or were mid-arc stories.
The selection was pretty spot-on. Personally, I had a hard time reading Dick's collection because I didn't like the art work. Jason's reminded me of how much I didn't like him as Robin (he's much more interesting as Red Hood). Tim's collection was a flashback to the Robin of my childhood, and Damian's reminded me of what a horrible brat he was when he first started. I wasn't particularly fond of any of the "Other Robins" although Stephanie's reminded me of what a bastard Bruce Wayne is.
My rating's due to the fact I only enjoyed about half the stories (my favorite was "The Boys" which was really exposition/character based - it was fun seeing the characters just enjoy each other). For a Robin collection, it was pretty spot on, although I think slightly inhibited by trying to show a "balanced" number of stories for each Robin. Dick Grayson was Robin for 40 years, Tim Drake for over 15 (and he had his own series), so I think a lot was left out in favor of trying to balance the collection.
The selection was pretty spot-on. Personally, I had a hard time reading Dick's collection because I didn't like the art work. Jason's reminded me of how much I didn't like him as Robin (he's much more interesting as Red Hood). Tim's collection was a flashback to the Robin of my childhood, and Damian's reminded me of what a horrible brat he was when he first started. I wasn't particularly fond of any of the "Other Robins" although Stephanie's reminded me of what a bastard Bruce Wayne is.
My rating's due to the fact I only enjoyed about half the stories (my favorite was "The Boys" which was really exposition/character based - it was fun seeing the characters just enjoy each other). For a Robin collection, it was pretty spot on, although I think slightly inhibited by trying to show a "balanced" number of stories for each Robin. Dick Grayson was Robin for 40 years, Tim Drake for over 15 (and he had his own series), so I think a lot was left out in favor of trying to balance the collection.
August 16, 2015
Collects 24 comics from throughout the 75 years of Robin's history in DC Comics. Split into five parts, each part begins with a page or so of text talking about the next character to be Robin.
Part I: Dick Grayson
Part II: Jason Todd
Part III: Tim Drake
Part IV: Damian Wayne
Part V: Other Robins
While there are no continuing storylines in this collection, I found it to be an entertaining look at the history of the character. I especially enjoyed the very early Dick Grayson material, as well as the Tim Drake issues. These are my two favorite Robins, while I am not that fond of Jason Todd or Damian Wayne.
Part I: Dick Grayson
Part II: Jason Todd
Part III: Tim Drake
Part IV: Damian Wayne
Part V: Other Robins
While there are no continuing storylines in this collection, I found it to be an entertaining look at the history of the character. I especially enjoyed the very early Dick Grayson material, as well as the Tim Drake issues. These are my two favorite Robins, while I am not that fond of Jason Todd or Damian Wayne.
November 19, 2015
Cover, paper: hard cover with very good quality paper. Every pages are in color.
Content: Dick (the first Robin) has the most chapter in the book. The others Robins have pretty equal chapter. Jason Todd fans may be disappointed since his chapter stopped at his death, no mention of Red Hood.
Overall this book is still great! Robin's fans will love it, especially Dick Grayson's fans. The book has great quality and great content. And if you want to know more about Robins, this book is a good start to help you figure out each Robin's characteristic before exploring deeper down in Batman's life.
Content: Dick (the first Robin) has the most chapter in the book. The others Robins have pretty equal chapter. Jason Todd fans may be disappointed since his chapter stopped at his death, no mention of Red Hood.
Overall this book is still great! Robin's fans will love it, especially Dick Grayson's fans. The book has great quality and great content. And if you want to know more about Robins, this book is a good start to help you figure out each Robin's characteristic before exploring deeper down in Batman's life.
July 5, 2015
Nice selection of stories from Robin's beginning to the New 52. Clearly, more Dick Grayson stories than the other Robins, but all get a chance. A Jason Todd selection might be the most haunting story in the book.
January 21, 2019
this is a must have for any fans of robin batman's partner it explores the history of robin the boy wonder over the years a definite must have for any batman and robin fans to have in their collection a very entertaining read
October 6, 2015
wonderful!!!
January 10, 2016
A retrospective of all of the Robin incarnations for the last 75 years.
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