Batman & Robin: War of the Robins

"And this is to prove what exactly?"

"That I am the best Robin, of course."

The 'War of the Robins' is a sort of mini-event that began in issue "Batman & Robin #10," where young Damian declares that he is the best Robin.  He promises to best Nightwing, Red Robin, and the Red Hood at their own game by taking something precious of theirs.

The current Robin has some major shoes to fill,  having his father as Batman and three prior Robins, but Damian, the tough assassin, ends up outsmarting both Tim Drake and the Red Hood; however, at the end of issue #12, Nightwing is no match for Damian.  Instead of fighting him, Nightwing merely gives Damian his Escrima Stick and a few words, essentially stopping Damian in his tracks, making him rethink his purpose of defeating the Robins at all--as Nightwing implies Damian is already apart of the legacy.

This is incredibly understandable when considering that Nightwing used to be Batman and Damian was his Robin.  Even in the new DC continuity, their relationship is unique, and represents one of the few instances that falls outside of the Wayne legacy.  The respect that these two share for one another straddles that line between father and son, as well as brothers.  Nightwing inevitably puts Damian in his place, but what Damian failed to realize beforehand is that he had already come into his own--he is a Robin.

I really enjoyed Patrick Gleason's panel in #12 (above), featuring the four Robins looking to the left in a "40's Aviation, Howard Hughes, looking to the future" sort of way.  It was what sprouted my excitement to do this post, and show a few of my other favorite panels.

Along with the art, writer Peter Tomasi does a great job of bringing the four Robins together, without disconnecting the reader from the primary plot.  I would have preferred more focus on the Robins, but if the rumor mill holds true, we may just be seeing a glimpse into the plans for a new reoccurring series titled, "The Robins."

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Master Wayne's Keep

What is a bat without his Alfred? 

Who in the world would wear;

a purple outfit? 

A man bent to scare.

Someone dressed to the nines;

with tails and all. 

Someone who thought that the world;

was real small. 

The two tangled and mingled,

but never the cowl, nor the tails

ever became wrinkled. 

One for the win, one for the jails.

And, with the two there was always support. 

One from each camp that would always report. 

The Joker’s mistress, Harley was her name.

At the Dark Knight’s side, Robin was his.

She a demented queen with a wicked reign. 

He a young squire; a martial arts whiz.

From this spurred a tried and true legacy.

Four Robins in all; a full flock for the nest.

Gotham City’s pride, joy, and regency.

Three for the righteous, and one for the test.

The man in purple began the exam,

But the one called Lazarus would decide.

The boy called Todd was reborn to plan.

Broken then mended his mind begets Hyde.

With the first four, only the true son one would remain.

But the others would transform, leaving just Gotham’s reign.

Traveling tents filled with laughter and flight

A colorful family born into the show

Then, one day tragedy would strike

Taken under the wing of the bat…signal aglow

The first of four, one day, became…

Confident, assured, R.I.P. the day

He became the second Bat to bear the name

Out with the old, in with the new, but still Gray

Another son colored in red

Quick as a whip; founded in truth

Tried and tested, he globe trotted, and bled

For the cowled Father, he gave his youth

Not last, maybe not least, the youngest of four

Deserves proper mention to complete Robin’s lore

The League came calling for the Crusader

One worthy to lend the armies of the ghoul.

However, the Dark Knight declined, denying the Maker

Like the youthful dragon the Bat was no fool

The beautiful daughter of the assassin’s immortal

Would fall…in love with her Father’s would-be protégé.

The two would sire the last of four, a lover’s quarrel

Would commence.  Eventually the Bat would fall prey.

The blood of the Bat marked as A positive

Trained well, but tormented; Wayne’s little gift and curse.

The World’s Greatest Detective would fall victim to his own causative

With a lot to learn Damien is blinded and hungers for thirst

There is of course more to this story, but for now we’ll sleep.

Because within these sleepy walls resides Master Wayne’s Keep.

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