[WoB/RR: Event] B&R Eternal + Robin War (Dec. 20- Mar. 20)

Welcome to the first part of the next big event from World of Bats: The Batman Book Club! and the Renegade Robins Club! In the wake of Batman Eternal and Batman: Endgame, DC launched two new series: We Are Robin and Batman & Robin Eternal.

This event topic will be the last one to be hosted on DC Universe, and the follow-up topic (covering Robin War itself) will be appearing on the sequel site, DC Universe Infinite!

Join the Bats and the Robins today! We look forward to thoughts from members of both @WorldOfBatsBookClub and @RenegadeRobinsClub! (If you’re not a member of either club, feel free to contribute anyway! We’d love to hear your thoughts!)

Schedule:
2020-12-27T06:00:00Z → 2021-01-20T06:00:00Z

Reading (14 Issues)

I. We Are Robin

  1. WAR #1
  2. WAR #2
  3. WAR #3
  4. WAR #4
  5. WAR #5
  6. WAR #6

II. Batman & Robin Eternal

  1. BRE #1
  2. BRE #2
  3. BRE #3
  4. BRE #4
  5. BRE #5
  6. BRE #6
  7. BRE #7
  8. BRE #8
Have you read these stories before?
  • Yes, I have!
  • Not yet!
  • Only We Are Robin!
  • Only Batman & Robin Eternal!

0 voters

5 Likes

I read the beginning of we are Robin but never collected all of robin wars and stopped reading it. I didn’t understand it.

1 Like

Cool! I’ve read some of We Are Robin fairly recently, but it’s been a while since I read B&R Eternal, so that should be fun. :smiley:

2 Likes

As I said near the end of the Batman Eternal thread, you might want to read the Endgame arc in Batman #35-40 if you haven’t already. While you’re at it, check out Detective Comics: Endgame and DC Sneak Peak: We Are Robin, which directly tease the We Are Robin solo series.

Meanwhile, the new Batman in the wake of Endgame was revealed in DC Sneak Peak: Batman, and you can catch up with what Dick has been doing lately by looking at the Grayson Fan Club’s coverage of his solo series.

3 Likes

Robin War

Welcome to the all-new DC Universe Infinite! World of Bats: The Batman Book Club! and the Renegade Robins Club are excited to continue the event we started at the beginning of this year by jumping into Robin War and the parallel issues from Batman & Robin Eternal!

@WorldOfBatsBookClub and @RenegadeRobinsClub, we’ll see you here!

Schedule: 2021-01-24T06:00:00Z → 2021-02-20T06:00:00Z

Reading (16 Issues)

I. Robin War

  1. Link to All 9 Issues

II. Batman & Robin Eternal

  1. BRE # 9
  2. BRE # 10
  3. BRE # 11
  4. BRE # 12
  5. BRE # 13
  6. BRE # 14
  7. BRE # 15
Have you read Robin War before?
  • Yes, I have!
  • Not yet!
  • Well, I started it, but…

0 voters

5 Likes

Sweet! I love Robin War!

4 Likes

I actually own the volume that contains the entire thing.

3 Likes

Cool! I did read the prelude stuff (just kept forgetting to post my thoughts) and looking forward to going back to this event. :smiley:

3 Likes

Okay, I’m slow, it took a second to realize that this was the same thread. :sweat_smile: ’

So on We Are Robin #1-6, I liked these issues quite a bit. Lee Bermejo does a great job giving all six teens different voices and giving them something interesting as a part of them. Even the one guy who sacrificed himself, who only had a couple issues worth of story, was a strong enough character that I felt bummed to see him go a bit. Pretty surprising for a guy mostly known for his art – even some of the big writers have a hard time doing that.

Speaking of, the art is something that isn’t what I normally love, but I think works for the kind of story being told. I really liked the art from I think it was James Harvey that focused on Riko and her “relationship” with Batgirl. It had a grungy, gritty, yet uniquely comic book vibe, and not just from the zippotone filters. While I imagine it wouldn’t have been done on a regular schedule, I would have loved to have seen the whole thing done by him.

As for Batman & Robin Eternal, also a really good series so far. I think the shorter amount of issues makes even the early issues feel a little tighter and more compelling. I like how they use this to not just bring back fan favorites like Cassandra, but give more time to the Robins and other side characters like Steph and Harper.

The only bit I thought was kind of off to me was the whole sequence with Tim and his parents. Like I get that they needed to cause some friction with what they’re starting to learn, but it almost felt more like an excuse to…not exactly retcon, but massage out the idea in the Lobdell origin of Tim Drake being an assumed identity.

1 Like

When are we supposed to be done?

Isn’t this only two issues?

1 Like

There are two issues that begin and end the story, with issues from other issues of books in the middle. Here’s a link to the whole event.

Anyway, right now I’m reading via a digital trade I got a while back and never read, and what’s interesting is that they so a slightly different reading order, maxing in the tie-ins more with the official parts of the crossover. It orders the event as so:

  • Robin War #1
  • Red Hood/Arsenal #7
  • Grayson #15
  • Gotham Academy #13
  • Detective Comics #47
  • We Are Robin #7
  • Robin: Son Of Batman #7
  • Teen Titans #15
  • Robin War #2

I’m sure the order in which you read the tie-ins won’t matter THAT much, but it’s an order to consider.

2 Likes

I really enjoyed Robin War. I thought there were a lot of strong issues out of the crossover. I think Duke was written really well. The Grayson and Gotham Academy issues were my two personal favorite issues.

2 Likes

Only read a few issues so far, and I have to say that a story involving political elites, police brutality and teens, many of them minorities being damaged by the police…this story feels almost more modern than it did when it came out.

3 Likes

I completely agree!

1 Like

Welcome to the final chapter in this event from World of Bats and the Renegade Robins Club! We’re wrapping up the remaining issues of Batman & Robin Eternal and We Are Robin!

We’d love to hear from you, @WorldOfBatsBookClub and @RenegadeRobinsClub!

Schedule: 2021-02-21T06:00:00Z → 2021-03-20T05:00:00Z

Reading (16 Issues)

I. Batman & Robin Eternal

  1. BRE #16
  2. BRE #17
  3. BRE #18
  4. BRE #19
  5. BRE #20
  6. BRE #21
  7. BRE #22
  8. BRE #23
  9. BRE #24
  10. BRE #25
  11. BRE #26

II. We Are Robin

  1. WAR #8
  2. WAR #9
  3. WAR #10
  4. WAR #11
  5. WAR #12
Have you enjoyed these series?
  • Yes, I have!
  • They’re fine.
  • Sorry. I nodded off there.

0 voters

5 Likes

I’m a little behind on the Robin War stuff, but really enjoying what I’ve read so far. :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Okay, I’ve been meaning to share my thoughts on the Robin War event but kept getting distracted by other stuff. :sweat_smile:

One thing I have to say in relation to this story is that I remember when this story was coming out, there was an interview by Tom King about it and saying how this story is very much inspired by X-Men events in the late-80s and 90s like The Mutant Massacre and X-Tinction Agenda, and I think that definitely shows, for good or ill.

Overall I thought it was a fun ride. It had some great character moments that highlighted what made each of the classic Robins great, and it shows off the new characters in interesting ways. I really liked the moments like Dick teaming up with Jim Gordon as the new Batman, and Riko being shuffled off to Gotham Academy and getting involved in their Scooby Doo-meets-Harry-Potter hijinks.

I guess if I can find a mark against it, it’s that I think as an event where things stick, not much really happens. The Court get used as villains but nothing really happens to them – in fact they kind of win in a way, but not in one that really feels like much of an effect (though that could be because I need to finish reading Grayson). I guess if you look at an event as something where huge change has to happen, it can feel a bit empty. But if you’re looking for some fun interactions you wouldn’t normally get otherwise, this delivers pretty well.

1 Like

Well, except for that whole “bringing Jean Grey back to life” nonsense. I still haven’t forgiven you, Marvel! I still haven’t forgiven you for ruining the Phoenix Saga! :stuck_out_tongue:

1 Like

I really like the three issues of Robin War that Tom King wrote. I disliked the Ray Fawkes fill-in issues for other series. The Gotham Academy issue was really fun, and I wish we’d gotten a bit more about Maps and Riko. :slight_smile:

I was pretty mad that Lee Bermejo was not a good enough writer to make his series both setup Robin War and setup his new team of characters very well. That series had tons of potential, but was just not managed very well by a relatively new writer who started as an artist. We needed more issues like #4, and fewer “this just exists to setup our conflict for the crossover”.

1 Like