I don’t know how Robin, The Boy Wonder: A Celebration of 75 Years slipped past my radar back in 2015. I’ve always been a Batman fan. I started reading comic books back in the 1950s. I loved the style and stories of DC Comics in the early 1960s. But, by the 1970s, I pretty much stopped reading comic books and switched almost exclusively to paperbacks. That’s one reason why Robin, The Boy Wonder, in full color, provides so much fun! Most of the stories in this collection are new to me. Robin has gone through several metamorphoses. DC Comics finally allowed Robin to “grow up” in the 1980s and he became NIGHTWING. For a character to stay viable and interesting over 75 years is quite a feat. A Celebration of 75 Years series includes volumes on Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash, The Joker, Wonder Woman, and Green Arrow. It’s an impressive series! If you’re a fan of Batman and Robin, you’ll find hours of enjoyment between these covers! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
PART ONE: DICK GRAYSON 6
Detective Comics #38 – “Robin, the Boy Wonder” (1940) 9
Batman #20 – “Bruce Wayne Loses the Guardianship of Dick Grayson!” (1943) 22
Star-Spangled Comics #82 – “The Boy Who Hated Robin!” (1948) 34
Star-Spangled Comics #86 – “The Barton Brothers!” (1948) 44
Star-Spangled Comics #103 – “Roberta, the Girl Wonder!” (1950) 54
Batman #107 – “The Grown-Up Boy Wonder” (1957) 64
Batman #156 – “Robin Dies at Dawn” (1963) 73
Detective Comics #342 – “The Midnight Raid of the Robin Gang!” (1965) 91
Batman Family #1 – “The Invader from Hell!” (1975) 106
Nightwing (Volume 2) #101 – “Nightwing: Year One – Chapter One: Only Robins Have Wings” (2005) 125
PART II: JASON TODD 148
Batman #408 – “Did Robin Die Tonight?” (1987) 150
Batman #424 – “The Diplomat’s Son” (1988) 160
Batman #428 – “A Death in the Family Chapter 5” (1988) 183
PART III: TIM DRAKE 2O6
Batman #442 – “A Lonely Place of Dying Chapter Five: Rebirth” (1989) 208
Robin (Volume 4) #46 – “Dark at Dawn” (1997) 231
Nightwing (Volume 2) #25 – “The Boys” (1998) 255
Superman/Batman #7 – “Protege” (2004) 278
PART IV: DAMIAN WAYNE 302
Batman #657 – “Batman & Son Part 3: Wonderboys” (2006) 304
Superman/Batman #77 – “Fright Knight” (2010) 327
Batman and Robin Annual (Volume 2) #1 – “Batman Impossible” (2013) 351
PART V: OTHER ROBINS 390
Justice League of America #55 – “The Super-Crisis That Struck Earth-Two!” (1967) 392
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #2 – “Dark Knight Triumphant” (1986) 416
DC One Million 80-Page Giant #1000000 – “Head Games” (1999) 445
Robin (Volume 4) #126 – “A Life More Ordinary” (2004) 456
As a kid, I followed Robin closely. I could relate to him more than Batman. I am glad they allowed him to be an adult. We already have one Peter Pan.
Patti, there was also a female Robin called Roberta. That story is included in this collection, too.
I have almost no recollection of Batman and Robin from my youth – maybe they weren’t as popular with German kids as Superman (though I didn’t see too much of him either).
We had a few originalGerman comics – sometimes cheap copies of US series, but these were too stupid/low level for me – I was reading all day.
Wolf, Batman and Robin were very popular in America. The campy TV version of BATMAN increased the popularity of the two characters.
I’ve already voiced my dislike of kid companions!
Bob, BATMAN has worked solo many times over the last 75 years. Apparently, many of the writers of BATMAN share your distaste for kid sidekicks!
George, as a kid I don’t remember reading standalone Robin comics. I always read about his adventures along with Batman and Superman. He doesn’t come across as a superhero. I’ll have to check out his more recent comics.
Prashant, Robin is a key figure in the TEEN TITANS.
A good friend of mine had a letter printed in BATMAN comics in the late 1960s , about Robin’s hair style.