Review of Teen Titans: Robin

12/26/2024

OTHER REVIEWS IN THIS SERIES: Raven | Beast Boy | Beast Boy Loves Raven | Robin | Starfire

Here we are... on the fourth book in the Kami Garcia / Gabriel Picolo Teen Titans series — ROBIN! This is one of my favorite books so far, but I fully admit that's because I'm a huge Damian Wayne and Dick Grayson fan and both characters figure prominently in this edition.

If you have read any of the previous Batman / Damian Wayne literature, you know that the youngest Robin and the oldest Robin have had a checkered past. Understandably, when Damian was first introduced to Wayne Manor, he was shocked to find that Bruce already had a son "occupying" his place there. And that initial shock gave way to a seething resentment.

Nevermind that Bruce adopted Dick long before he even knew Damian existed. Nevermind that Bruce went out of his way to extract Damian from the League of Assassins, its leader (and Damian's grandfather) Ra's al Ghul, and give him a purpose beyond killing innocent people. Never mind that Dick, who is generous and empathetic by nature, went out of his way to welcome Damian into the family. Because Damian is overly confident, insecure and narcissistic in equal measure — taught from birth that attachment and reliance on other people are profound weaknesses.

In time, however, Dick's compassion wins over Damian and they become very close. (You can see a lot of this fomenting in Batman & Robin Vol. 1: Batman Reborn, when Bruce is out of action and Dick has to take up Batman's cowl with Damian as his sidekick.)

However, in Garcia's version Dick and Damian are very much at the beginning of their association, having only met each other a few months previously. When the youngest Wayne heads out on his own to assess Slade Wilson's motives and ends up saving Raven and Garfield from a H.I.V.E. laboratory (see Beast Boy Loves Raven), Dick decides to follow him using a tracker secretly hidden in Damian's clothing. Having his unwanted big brother show up uninvited only makes things worse — especially because Dick inadvertently keeps cramping Damian's style in front of his new friends and the girl he likes (Max).

It's Max and the others who point out that Dick not only seems sincere about wanting to build a brotherly relationship with Damian, but has skills and experience that are genuinely useful to them as they try to stay ahead of Slade. This is something Dick demonstrates several times when he fixes their mistakes or covers their tracks. Ultimately however, Damian's not convinced until Dick narrowly bests him in a series of physical and mental competitions... and rather than gloating is gracious in victory.

While it's safe to say that there will be more friction between Damian and Dick in the volumes ahead, Teen Titans: Robin brings the brothers together at the end. More importantly, it introduces Dick Grayson, the guy who actually FORMED the Teen Titans in the first place into the mix.

RELATED: Comics Collections | Teen Titans Fans Collection | Damian Wayne Collection | Nightwing, Batman and Adoption Problem