Batman & Robin 2024 Annual #1 is written by Joshua Williamson and published by DC. Artwork is by Howard Porter, colours by Rain Beredo and letters by Steve Wands. Main cover art (left) is by Porter and Beredo.
Batman & Robin 2024 Annual #1 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your copy from Comixology right here.
Synopsis
FATHER-AND-SON ROAD TRIP! Batman and Robin have gone through hell the last few months, so Bruce decides to take Damian on a camping trip to bond. But as they try to enjoy the great outdoors, they find a different kind of hunting ground…one that hunts the most dangerous game! Trapped and cut off from their weapons and backup, Batman and Robin must use their surroundings to hold off and take down some of DC’s deadliest mercenaries!
Review
It’s annual time once again. This week Joshua Williamson’s Batman & Robin drops its first annual of 2024 as Bruce and Damian head out in to the wilderness for some father and son bonding time. Batman style of course.
I’m always on the fence when it comes to annual issues. Sometimes they are fun side quests. Others interrupt the narrative of their respective series without adding anything meaningful. Batman & Robin 2024 Annual #1 is thankfully the former rather than the latter. Having series writer Joshua Williamson stay on for this book is instrumental in that.
The main Batman & Robin series is as much an exploration of the relationship between Bruce and Damian as it is an action-adventure. So by design, so is this annual. Kicking off during a typical rainy night in Gotham as Batman and Robin stop a robbery being carried out by Double Dare. On the surface it feels like any other straight up Batman and Robin street level story. It’s only when Damian quips “What’s a road trip?” that the other shoe drops. Williamson doesn’t full play it for laughs. But it’s not hard to interpret this like a Family Guy cutaway moment. Cut to… Bruce and Damian go on a family camping trip!
Here’s where the book becomes a prime example of how an annual can work. It doesn’t attempt to tell a story adjacent to the main arc of Batman & Robin. It fully embraces something different, packing them off in to the woods for an adventure which doesn’t even see them suit up. It’s the purest definition of a side quest and for that I was really grateful. The story unfolds with an air of mystery as father and son head out in to the woods, only to find that things aren’t what they seem. There are a couple of clever twists which keep the reader guessing. But it always comes back to the idea of the relationship between our two leads and how each approaches the other.
Howard Porter’s artwork brings an incredible sense of fluidity to the book. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what it is but teamed with Rain Beredo’s fantastic colours, there’s just something about Batman & Robin‘s first annual of 2024 which looks delectable. It’s so smooth and silky. The sense of movement in these pages is absolutely palpable, it’s almost like watching the ink slide around the page to create these images.
Verdict
A great annual for Batman & Robin to kick off 2024. It’s fun to see father and son focussing on their relationship for a moment, even if it does turn out to be in the middle of a life-or-death mission…
⭐⭐⭐⭐
