Writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee are collaborating on Batman and Robin: Year One, a 12-issue series that chronicles the early days of the crimefighting duo. As the series begins, Bruce Wayne has just adopted the orphaned Dick Grayson, and the two are still adjusting to their new situation when a new crime boss appears in Gotham City. The first issue will be released on October 16, 2024, with a main cover by Samnee and variants by Mikel Janín, Matteo Scalera, Karl Kerschl (1:25), and Lee Weeks (1:50).

“While Batman and Robin are the stars of this tale and get most of the panel time, at its heart, this isn’t a Batman/Robin story, it’s a Bruce/Dick story,” Waid said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “It takes place only a month or two after Bruce adopted Dick, and it’s sinking in for Bruce that he has no idea how to be a father to a kid that age. He has no role model—his own father was long dead by the time he was Dick’s age. Nothing he’s ever done has prepared him for this, and Alfred—wise as he is—doesn’t have much experience here either.”

“Dick is everything Bruce is not—impetuous, flamboyant, reckless,” added Samnee. “But he’s also precise; he can stick a landing. He’ll take orders when they make sense to him, but he’s keen to improvise, testing his role within the Dynamic Duo. The first pages you’ll see will showcase how they’ll be acting, and reacting, as they adventure out into Gotham City on patrol together."

Click Gallery below for covers and interior artwork!