Batman vs. Robin (2022-) #1

Batman vs. Robin (Single Issues)

by Mark Waid, Mahmud Asrar (Penciller), Nathan Fairbairn (Cover Art)

AN EPIC BATTLE OF ICONS YEARS IN THE MAKING! Spinning out of the events of both Batman/ World’s Finest and Robin, father and son will do battle in one of the single most earth-shattering tales ever told! Deep in the heart of Lazarus Island, the demonic legacy of the al Ghul family line has at last been freed, and the Devil Nezha is out for blood. To reclaim his total domination over planet Earth, Nezha has supercharged magic-anyone who dares use it is overcome by a demonic evil that kills the weaker magicians and drives the more powerful one to madness…before killing them. No one who accesses magic is immune, and this virus is spreading fast. Unfortunately for Batman, Damian-playing with forces beyond his control-was the first to succumb. The Demon has now risen…and this supercharged assassin has just become the deadliest force on the planet. In order to save his son, Batman will be forced to take a perilous journey through the heart of darkness, written and drawn by some of the biggest names in comics! Legendary writer Mark Waid helms the next epic saga in Batman history, while superstar artist Mahmud Asrar makes his triumphant return to DC!

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Batman

43 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2022

About the author

Mark Waid is an American comic book writer widely known for shaping modern superhero storytelling through influential runs on major characters at both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Raised in Alabama, he developed an early fascination with comic books, particularly classic stories featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, whose imaginative scope and sense of legacy would later inform his own writing. He first entered the comics industry during the mid 1980s as an editor and writer for the fan magazine Amazing Heroes, before publishing his first professional comic story in Action Comics. Soon afterward he joined DC Comics as an editor, contributing to numerous titles and helping shape projects across the company. After leaving editorial work to focus on writing, Waid gained widespread recognition with his long run on The Flash, where he expanded the mythology of the character and co-created the youthful speedster Impulse. His reputation grew further with the celebrated graphic novel Kingdom Come, created with artist Alex Ross, which imagined a future DC Universe shaped by generational conflict among superheroes. Over the years he has written many prominent series, including Captain America, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and Superman: Birthright, bringing a balance of optimism, character depth, and respect for comic book history to each project. Waid has also collaborated with notable artists and writers on major ensemble titles such as Justice League and Avengers, while contributing ideas that helped clarify complex continuity within shared superhero universes. Beyond mainstream superhero work, he has supported creator owned projects and experimental publishing models, including the acclaimed series Irredeemable and Incorruptible, which explored moral ambiguity within the superhero genre. He later took on editorial leadership roles at Boom Studios, guiding creative direction while continuing to write extensively. In subsequent years he expanded his involvement in publishing and digital storytelling, helping launch online comics initiatives and advocating for new distribution methods for creators. His work has earned numerous industry awards, including Eisner and Harvey honors, reflecting both critical acclaim and enduring popularity among readers. Throughout his career Waid has remained a passionate student of comic book history, drawing on decades of storytelling tradition while continually encouraging innovation within the medium. His influence extends across generations of readers and creators, and his stories continue to shape the evolving language of superhero comics around the world today through enduring characters imaginative narratives and thoughtful reinventions of familiar myths within popular culture and modern graphic storytelling traditions.

Reviews

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eu havia gostado muito do approuch que Joshua Williamson e equipe deram para o Robin Damian Wayne em sua série solo. Esta minissérie de Batman vs. Robin é uma espécie de continuação daquela fase com a trama inicial de Batman/Superman: Os Melhores do Mundo, que também é cerzida por Mark Waid. Nesta minissérie temos a inexplicável volta da morte de um personagem muito importante da mitologia dos morcegos. Teria isso a ver com os Poços de Lázaro, da família Al Ghul, ou isso teria a ver com uma magia ainda mais poderosa e muito mais sombria? Essa é a questão que essa primeira edição levanta, envolvendo Batman e o Robin Damian com a magia que percorre o Universo da DC Comics. O roteiro de Mark Waid é empolgante e os desenhos de Mahmud Asrar não ficam atrás. Assim, tivemos um ótimo começo de minissérie que, a princípio eu achei que não iria gostar tanto. Que bom que tive de dar o braço a torcer!

[Lucas Savio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vim de robin do joshua para cá e fico sem entender como o damian mudou da agua para o vinho veremos o preludio com melhores do mundo depois volto para a história de batman vs superman para ver se entendo algo

[Kastie Pavlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This arc is off to a solid start and reads more like a regular Batman title than what we've seen in the Robin series before. I didn't like that Damian reverted back to basics after all the character growth that we saw, but it makes sense given what's actually happening. Still, it's tiring to see the same argument yet again - even with the addition of magic, it feels too well worn to really enjoy and I'm not sure if there is a fresher way to do what's been done to death. Still, I really enjoyed reading this. I love the twist of adding in JLD - magic has been broken for some time and they never really got to deal with the upside down man before the title got canceled, so DC's magical system has been wonky ever since. And that ultimately works to this title's advantage.

[Edward Covington · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 🦇’s. I think this might be 5🦇’s, but I just don’t like Damian. At all. But apparently this storyline is going to involve hating Damian, so maybe I’ll love it 🤔. I definitely love Mark Waid.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a big disconnect coming into this as a regular reader of the Robin title because the sudden heel turn of the boy wonder came out of nowhere. It is kind of explained by the end but, that aside, this was a really good first issue... and absolutely worth it for the return of a certain person (and it completely made sense in the context of the story)

[Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damian was a bit one-note in here but it's worth reading for the return of a beloved character.

[Annemarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Coming from the 2021 Robin series, which I absolutely loved, this felt very weird. There's a big disconnect between Damien's characterization in that series and in this one, which is a pity, as I absolutely loved him in Robin 2021. This can definitely be solved as the series progresses and we find out more about what happened, but so far, this isn't really doing it for me.
The plot feels very... basic, I guess, so far, and I'm not actually all that interested in it, which is weird because I was super hyped for this series after Robin ended. (I know I mention it a lot, but I really loved that series a lot, okay xD).

I'll probably continue this series, but so far it isn't really enticing me. I did really love the art.

[Parker J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming out of Williamson's amazing 2021 Robin series I was deeply skeptical of this book. I was really not in the mood for another Bruce V. Damian story, I mean how many of those have we had at this point? And I loved the characterization and development that Damian had received throughout that run. However, after reading the January and February 2023 solicitations and learning about how this series directly ties to the Lazarus Planet event (which I'm dying to read) I knew I had to give in and check this out.

And! I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this first issue. There was a lot to enjoy here and a lot to look forward to for the rest of this mini. I mean Alfred is FINALLY back from the dead . And I was happy with how Waid handles the Bat v. Robin story. While I'm still not cheesed to see the boys fighting once again, I'm glad that it's because Robin is being magically possessed rather than his character development being back tracked. I've seen a lot of people complaining that his character is going backward but I think they may have skipped a few pages lol. I'm also really jazzed to see the different character cameos throughout this and I hope some of these smaller characters continue to pop up throughout!

Mark Waid is quickly becoming one of my favorite current DC writers. This book is far from the level of greatness that is his World's Finest book, but it was so fun! Waid knows how to pace a comic. He perfectly balances mystery, action, story beats, and reveals to make his issues feel like a fully formed story/chapter of a story rather than just a slice of something. I'm loving the way he is continuing the story threads from Williamson's Robin run and connecting them directly to his own work on World's Finest (and whatever the hell is happening over in Monkey Prince). I'm such a sucker for when comics build off each other like this and grow into something even bigger (Lazarus Planet please don't let me down!).

[Marius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Resurrection

"Batman vs. Robin" really is a surprise find for me. When I first heard about this I was skeptical as I'm not the biggest Damian-fan. It turned out so much better than expected and really reminded me of the Doctor Strange storyline "Last Days of Magic". The story is very innovative and shows the return of a fan favorite character. The whole atmosphere is mysterious and breathtakingly dark. The art in this is top tier and shows a lot of extremely well-done magic effects. I can't wait to read the next issues after catching up on the "Robin" comic series. 5/5

[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

i read this because of it's tie in into the world's finest, and i'm lowkey disappointed.
it was okay enough, the pacing I felt was just off, and I don't love damien's characterization. bruce's characterization also felt different than it was in the world's finest, which is too bad cuz i liked it when he was less gritty and emo.
I was happy to see alfred again, and some lines/panels indivdually I liked, but alltogether this issue didn't really stick out or entertain me, so i probably won't continue this series.

[Paransis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual score: 3.5

After reading the first arc of Sup/Bat World's Finest, this was the one recommended to be read next. I was curious about the epilogue at SBWF, so I was excited to read this. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations only for a teensy reason: It didn't tell why Robin was MAD. Not angry mad, like MAD.

I still enjoyed tho. :)

[Renan Fontes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid start and I do like that we're tying Robin & World's Finest together, buuuuuuut... I don't love the Alfred stuff and I almost never care for Justice League Dark. We'll see how this plays out. I think I was too excited going in.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably 4.5, i really like it when Damian is a bit of a cunt and batman knowing it is so funny. I just wish that robin still had the og costume. The magic aspect is really interesting though cause its a bit different from justice league cosmic threats and batmans street level threats.

[Parash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked right from the beginning. So much mystery and suspense from the start. After finishing reading this issue I am still not 100% clear as to what exactly is going on, but the story was so well written that I am thoroughly engaged.

[sweetcheeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing writing, great storytelling, beautiful art, this volume grabs you by the neck and doesn't let go. Fleshed out Damian well, I didn't enjoy him that much before this. But now I'm giving him another chance.

[Jennifer Baratta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg!

Damine Wayne what happened to you?
Alfred is back yay!
All magic comes with a price.
The artwork is outstanding and the writing is awesome.

[Z8BOT]

Nao entendi muito

[Lovisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

read this for alfred. please stop demonizing damian wayne thanks…

[Joseph Antero · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

[nat ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

DONT DO THIS TO ME DC DONT TRICK ME WITH ALFIE

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent start but even with the twist, seeing Damien revert back to basics is ehhh

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

[Mariano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too bad Lazarus Planet is in the middle of this do we don't get a proper ending to the main storyline. But it's good nonethelees

[Dorian · Rating 5 out of 5]

🗣‼️‼️‼️

[An Duong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love batfam idc if it makes me gimmicky

[Amy Walker - Trans-Scribe Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's no way to really talk about this book without spoiling something big, even though it's on the cover, and it's been in preview pages, but still, if you don't want something hug spoilt, don't read this review.

Okay, now that that's out of the way... Alfred is back. Maybe. The reveal that the showy figure making their way towards Wayne Manor was Alfred, apparently returned to life, was not one that I was expecting. And I honestly don't know what to feel about it. I want this to be real, but I don't completely trust it. There's nothing that's said or done in this issue that even hints that this isn't completely 100% on the level; but until I know how this has happened I can't fully believe it.

But if this is real, if he is back, I'm happy about that. Alfred has been a constant for the entire Bat Family, he's the father they all gather around, the man who they can all turn to, and who loves them all dearly. And his death has been a huge thing for them all. They've all suffered through that pain. They deserve to have him back.

But before we can examine the source of this apparent miracle, Bruce has to deal with Damian, who has come to the Manor to kill his father and take his place as Batman. And he's brought some magic powered friends with him. Using Jakeem Thunder and Tim Hunter, Damian chases Bruce and Alfred through the cave, throwing magic and attacks at them, slowly wearing them down, before shooting Bruce and sending him and Alfred into a chasm.

Luckily, they survived, and they turn to Zatana for help. This is where we learn that something awful has happened to magic, and that the worlds magic heroes are all under attack. Following Damian, we see him in the Tower of Fate, picking out mystical weapons to use to kill his father, as he'e encouraged to do so by Mother Soul and the Devil Nezha.

Having read Batman/Superman: World's Finest, it's not really a surprise that Nezha is back, and it points towards him either being in possession of Damian, or having used magic to twist him into this killer version of himself. Which is a relief, as I honestly don't want an evil Damian. I like the version we have.

This issue lays out a lot of groundwork, and it's not entirely clear where the story is going to go next. There are a lot of options, and if the cover holds any hints we could end up going to see Talia al Ghul next, or possibly even Flatline. Both of them feature on the cover, and have yet to appear in the story. But considering how important they are to Damian, I'm sure they're going to end up playing important roles in the story.

For those that like Damian, this is a pretty decent first issue and it looks like this is going to be a very interesting story; one that could have huge, lasting effects on the Bat Family.

[danny · Rating 3 out of 5]

realized this is after the lazarous tournament. follows damian after getting in contact with mother soul again !!

[Andras Budib]

My boy damien out there being a menance (as usual)