Batman & Robin: Year One #8

Mark Waid has a great history of taking on a classic origin and finding new spins to put on it, and Chris Samnee is of course perfectly suited for a gritty noir story. I was skeptical that this could work as an ongoing, but I'm being proven wrong in a big way. Read Full Review

With a stellar Clayface moment and genuine emotional weight, Batman & Robin continues to be one of the standout Bat-books on the shelves. Read Full Review

The tables are turned on the Dynamic Duo as trouble comes home. Waids writing spotlights the deeper bond between the two. Samnee and Lopes amplify the tension as the hunt is on! All roads start their path towards the sensational finale in waiting! Read Full Review

It's a very good read! Joyful for the eyes, good for the brain and the heart. It's nice to see a couple of Robins in the spotlight, between this series and Lemire and Nguyen's book. Looking forward to the next one and seeing where this Two-Face/Clayface partnership is going… Read Full Review

Batman and Robin: Year One #8 is another installment of a series that vies for "Best Bat-book with Batman and Robin leaving Detective, Batman and Absolute Batman in the dust. There's a legitimately new approach to the relationship between Bruce and Dick in this issue that we've never seen. Combines with the action and villain plot, it's a truly great series that isn't dropping in quality. I'd like to add an extra 1/2 point to the ratings' scale for an 8.5/10. Read Full Review

While the book has been a solid read, the character development remains frustratingly shallow. However, I am a biased reader. These are my two favorite characters, and that favoritism was built during a time when the industry specialized in a slower, more methodical form of storytelling. Read Full Review

motorik

Jun 18, 2025

The best non Absolute Batman comic by miles.

+ Like • Comments (10)

Show all comments

George - Jun 18, 2025

What about Batman Dark Patterns?!?

motorik - Jun 18, 2025 (edited)

You know what's funny, I thought of that earlier and did consider adding a caveat. Thank you for the nudge my friend. Perhaps let's put it like this? Dark Patterns is the best solo Batman comic and Year One is the best Batman and Robin comic. I must say, it's nice to see Dark Patterns get so much love. It does detective Batman so beautifully that other more recent attempts have really paled comparatively.

George - Jun 18, 2025

I can agree to that…

motorik - Jun 18, 2025

Sweet. What are your top 5 current favourite comics?

George - Jun 18, 2025 (edited)

Absolute Superman Absolute Martian manhunter Dark Patterns Daredevil cold day in hell Batman & Robin year One And you?

daspidaboy - Jun 19, 2025

What is it about Dark Patterns that does detective Batman well compared to other recent attempts?

George - Jun 21, 2025

For me it’s Batman’s attention to detail in crime solving. That’s the best way to summarize it without explaining to much. There is also the point of the three issue arc. For comparison, PKJ detective storu in B&R is going on forever. There are also other problems with that title that are distracting. Then there is the Ram V story in Detective, which wasn’t really a detective story. And the Tom Taylor opening story is more about character than it is detection.

George - Jun 21, 2025

Plus art is great. Same artist as absolute Wonder Woman. Hayden Sherman.

motorik - Jun 21, 2025

George, you nailed it beautifully. To me, it's investigatory nature feels more front and centre than most other modern Batman comics. You make a good point, due to its brevity with three issues - we got more frequent mysteries, resulting in more detective elements. The art is beautiful. It adds a grit that really fleshes out its mystery vibe.

George - Jun 22, 2025

Thanks!

super_rex

Jul 09, 2025

Amazing

Ryan

Dec 07, 2025

Cool cover

BatSledge

Jun 19, 2025

My favorite issue so far. Waid crafts a great chapter that also works well as a standalone story. The relationship between Bruce and Dick (and Alfred) continues to develop and keep my interest, and the villains (Grimaldi, Clayface, Two-Face) are well-written and suitably menacing. This all adds up to a fun chapter as we head into the last act.

daspidaboy

Jun 19, 2025

a hot take is that I prefer this over Batman and Superman: World Finest. Something about Chris Samnee's art works so well in a grounded detective noir series that happens to feature a rebellious teen with bright colors. I also like Mark Waid's writing for how Bruce tries telling Gordon on how to be a good parental figure to Dick Grayson.

Simon DelMonte

Jul 13, 2025

Sokid issue if a bit padded. The scene with Batman asking parenting advice is incredibly unlikely but heartfelt.