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Batman & Robin Eternal
Batman and Robin Eternal, Volume 1
Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV kick off an epic mystery in the sequel to their blockbuster hit BATMAN ETERNAL, joined by such comics all-stars as Tim Seeley, Genevieve Valentine, Tony S. Daniel, Paul Pelletier and more.
Bruce Wayne may no longer be Batman, but his legacy lives on. When an assassin begins targeting all of Batman's past partners, the former Robins must join forces to untangle a mystery that stretches back to the early days of the Dark Knight's career.
Years ago, Batman encountered a human trafficker known as Mother. Then-Robin Dick Grayson knew nothing of it at the time, but the case was much more complex than he could have ever imagined. Now, without Bruce to guide them, a grown-up Grayson and his allies must rely on the help of the silent, mysterious Cassandra Cain to pick up the trail and stop Mother's deadly plans.
But with Mother's army of sleeper agents all around, they can't trust anyone-even each other!
Collects: Batman & Robin Eternal, plus the eight-page story from Batman: Endgame Special Edition #1.
Bruce Wayne may no longer be Batman, but his legacy lives on. When an assassin begins targeting all of Batman's past partners, the former Robins must join forces to untangle a mystery that stretches back to the early days of the Dark Knight's career.
Years ago, Batman encountered a human trafficker known as Mother. Then-Robin Dick Grayson knew nothing of it at the time, but the case was much more complex than he could have ever imagined. Now, without Bruce to guide them, a grown-up Grayson and his allies must rely on the help of the silent, mysterious Cassandra Cain to pick up the trail and stop Mother's deadly plans.
But with Mother's army of sleeper agents all around, they can't trust anyone-even each other!
Collects: Batman & Robin Eternal, plus the eight-page story from Batman: Endgame Special Edition #1.
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2016
99 people are currently reading
1593 people want to read
About the author
James Tynion IV
1,661 books1,883 followersPrior to his first professional work, Tynion was a student of Scott Snyder's at Sarah Lawrence College. A few years later, he worked as for Vertigo as Fables editor Shelly Bond's intern. In late 2011, with DC deciding to give Batman (written by Snyder) a back up feature, Tynion was brought in by request of Snyder to script the back ups he had plotted. Tynion would later do the same with the Batman Annual #1, which was also co-plotted by Snyder. Beginning in September 2012, with DC's 0 issue month for the New 52, Tynion will be writing Talon, with art by Guillem March. In early 2013 it was announced that he'd take over writing duties for Red Hood and the Outlaws in April.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
October 13, 2023
(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: Starts out hot, in art and plot, then simmers down to mild, it's flashback-filled, insight-instilled: traditions reconciled.
*Progress updates: Prologue ◦ Issues #1-3 ◦ Issues #4-6 ◦ Issues #7-9 ◦ Issues #10-12
Notes: Starts out hot, in art and plot, then simmers down to mild, it's flashback-filled, insight-instilled: traditions reconciled.
*Progress updates: Prologue ◦ Issues #1-3 ◦ Issues #4-6 ◦ Issues #7-9 ◦ Issues #10-12
August 30, 2016
I really wasn't looking forward to this one, but to its credit, it didn't suck as hard as I thought it would.
I apologize, but I just can't muster up any fucks for Batman or the related titles right now, so this is going to be a short review.
The Good: Jason is funny & Dick is awesome.
The Bad: The whole...Batman was possibly evvvvil storyline they're expecting me to swallow? Especially with Bruce and that stupid-ass amnesia thing?
Hahahahahahaha!
No.
Hang on...
Let me check ooooone more time.
Nope. Still got no fucks to give.
I apologize, but I just can't muster up any fucks for Batman or the related titles right now, so this is going to be a short review.
The Good: Jason is funny & Dick is awesome.
The Bad: The whole...Batman was possibly evvvvil storyline they're expecting me to swallow? Especially with Bruce and that stupid-ass amnesia thing?
Hahahahahahaha!
No.
Hang on...
Let me check ooooone more time.
Nope. Still got no fucks to give.
September 28, 2016
Very good to stupendous artwork.
Arguably too many sub-plots in this tale.
Mother is an interesting idea.
Sometimes the plotting and conclusions feel stretched.
OVERALL GRADE: B.
Arguably too many sub-plots in this tale.
Mother is an interesting idea.
Sometimes the plotting and conclusions feel stretched.
OVERALL GRADE: B.
March 23, 2018
I loved this book. The conspiracy involving Mother is fantastic as is the mystery with the Robins. My only complaint would be that editorial could be tighter on the books. The Red Hood's costume reverts back to his original new 52 look midway through the book. Don't get me wrong, the new costume was one of the worst designs I've seen. He looked like Wild Dog. But it appeared that the only reason his costume changed is because someone in editorial forgot to tell some of the rotating artists on the book.
Received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 10, 2016
Years ago Batman & Robin/Dick Grayson worked a case on a human trafficker known only as Mother who “made” children into sleeper agent assassins. Now, Dick learns Mother never went away and that Bruce actually hired her to provide him with an “heir”! But which Robin is the sleeper agent and why would Bruce do this?
Like the current state of the Batman universe, Batman & Robin Eternal Volume 1 is a convoluted mess! Context-wise, this story takes place post-Endgame, around the time of Superheavy/Grayson/We Are Robin. But if you haven’t read those Bat-books, all you really need to know is: Bruce Wayne currently has a beard and isn’t Batman, Jim Gordon is mecha-Batman (and thankfully isn’t in this story), Dick Grayson is a hot secret agent for Spyral, and there’s a group of kids running around Gotham calling themselves Robin.
Couple things to note before delving into this book: Scott Snyder’s name is on the cover but he only co-plotted the series with James Tynion IV – he wrote no part of this book. And while Batman is in the title, Bruce Wayne/Batman only appears in flashbacks – this is basically a Robins book.
That’s right, the main cast are Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown (all of whom were Robin at some point), and Snyder’s character Harper Row/Bluebird. Cassandra Cain is introduced and there’s no sign of Damian Wayne as he’s off gallivanting with bat dragons (check out Robin: Son of Batman if you want to see that but it’s not a great book)!
The Robins do have good chemistry together that I noticed was similar to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Dick is the natural leader like Leo, Jason is the hot-headed rogue like Raph, Tim’s a techie like Donny, and Steph’s the silly comic relief like Mikey (with Harper as the Casey Jones of the group). Batman didn’t really need to be in this one at all as the Robins carried it just fine themselves.
If only they were in a story worth reading! Bruce was looking for an “heir” when Dick was Robin – what?! It’s such a vague and stupid idea not least because Batman attracts capable young people who could take up the mantle of the Bat all the time – just look at the number of Robins in this story! Then there’s Cass, Babs/Batgirl, Harper/Bluebird – there’s no end of potential “heirs”, Bruce!
The fact that the story centred around child abuse gives the book an unpleasant taste. So why would Bruce associate with a human trafficker/child abuser to “make” him an heir? He wouldn’t really – it’s clear to anyone that he’s using Mother to find out all the branches of her insipid organisation in order to shut them down. That’s the only reason that makes sense but it’s like the writers think the audience are stupid and keep playing up the “Bruce is secretly bad” angle throughout. Also Mother just isn’t a very compelling villain – she’s a bitter, evil old woman. Such an ordinary addition to Batman’s colourful rogues gallery.
And speaking of the writers, DC trot out some of their worst to handle this title. Tim Seeley, the crap Grayson writer, Genevieve Valentine, the crap Catwoman writer, and Steve Orlando, the crap Midnighter writer, all chip in boring pages along with unknowns (for a reason) like Jackson Lanzig and Collin Kelly. James Tynion IV writes a couple of decent issues while Ed Brisson, usually very capable, contributes a couple of very gloomy and uninteresting episodes. Despite the number of writers, the writing is consistent in that it’s really low quality throughout!
Same could be said about the art – Tony Daniel draws the two Tynion issues and Aquaman artist Paul Pelletier draws the Seeley issues before a revolving door of no-name artists takes over. The series is drawn in the usual unexciting DC house style but looks more rushed given the title’s silly weekly release schedule.
The story is a rambling, meandering, unfocused, overlong, and extremely unengaging one. The Robins sort of look into Mother and her organisation while we get dull flashbacks with Batman and Robin also sort of looking into Mother and her organisation. Despite being a longer-than-average Batman book, barely anything seems to happen. Bane and Azrael/Jean-Paul Valley cameo, probably to wake the reader up, though their appearance is pointless.
Some of the Robin interactions are good but even if you’re a Batman fan this series hasn’t got nearly enough on offer to make it worth reading. Like its predecessor, Batman Eternal, Batman & Robin Eternal is a bloated bore of a book.
Like the current state of the Batman universe, Batman & Robin Eternal Volume 1 is a convoluted mess! Context-wise, this story takes place post-Endgame, around the time of Superheavy/Grayson/We Are Robin. But if you haven’t read those Bat-books, all you really need to know is: Bruce Wayne currently has a beard and isn’t Batman, Jim Gordon is mecha-Batman (and thankfully isn’t in this story), Dick Grayson is a hot secret agent for Spyral, and there’s a group of kids running around Gotham calling themselves Robin.
Couple things to note before delving into this book: Scott Snyder’s name is on the cover but he only co-plotted the series with James Tynion IV – he wrote no part of this book. And while Batman is in the title, Bruce Wayne/Batman only appears in flashbacks – this is basically a Robins book.
That’s right, the main cast are Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown (all of whom were Robin at some point), and Snyder’s character Harper Row/Bluebird. Cassandra Cain is introduced and there’s no sign of Damian Wayne as he’s off gallivanting with bat dragons (check out Robin: Son of Batman if you want to see that but it’s not a great book)!
The Robins do have good chemistry together that I noticed was similar to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Dick is the natural leader like Leo, Jason is the hot-headed rogue like Raph, Tim’s a techie like Donny, and Steph’s the silly comic relief like Mikey (with Harper as the Casey Jones of the group). Batman didn’t really need to be in this one at all as the Robins carried it just fine themselves.
If only they were in a story worth reading! Bruce was looking for an “heir” when Dick was Robin – what?! It’s such a vague and stupid idea not least because Batman attracts capable young people who could take up the mantle of the Bat all the time – just look at the number of Robins in this story! Then there’s Cass, Babs/Batgirl, Harper/Bluebird – there’s no end of potential “heirs”, Bruce!
The fact that the story centred around child abuse gives the book an unpleasant taste. So why would Bruce associate with a human trafficker/child abuser to “make” him an heir? He wouldn’t really – it’s clear to anyone that he’s using Mother to find out all the branches of her insipid organisation in order to shut them down. That’s the only reason that makes sense but it’s like the writers think the audience are stupid and keep playing up the “Bruce is secretly bad” angle throughout. Also Mother just isn’t a very compelling villain – she’s a bitter, evil old woman. Such an ordinary addition to Batman’s colourful rogues gallery.
And speaking of the writers, DC trot out some of their worst to handle this title. Tim Seeley, the crap Grayson writer, Genevieve Valentine, the crap Catwoman writer, and Steve Orlando, the crap Midnighter writer, all chip in boring pages along with unknowns (for a reason) like Jackson Lanzig and Collin Kelly. James Tynion IV writes a couple of decent issues while Ed Brisson, usually very capable, contributes a couple of very gloomy and uninteresting episodes. Despite the number of writers, the writing is consistent in that it’s really low quality throughout!
Same could be said about the art – Tony Daniel draws the two Tynion issues and Aquaman artist Paul Pelletier draws the Seeley issues before a revolving door of no-name artists takes over. The series is drawn in the usual unexciting DC house style but looks more rushed given the title’s silly weekly release schedule.
The story is a rambling, meandering, unfocused, overlong, and extremely unengaging one. The Robins sort of look into Mother and her organisation while we get dull flashbacks with Batman and Robin also sort of looking into Mother and her organisation. Despite being a longer-than-average Batman book, barely anything seems to happen. Bane and Azrael/Jean-Paul Valley cameo, probably to wake the reader up, though their appearance is pointless.
Some of the Robin interactions are good but even if you’re a Batman fan this series hasn’t got nearly enough on offer to make it worth reading. Like its predecessor, Batman Eternal, Batman & Robin Eternal is a bloated bore of a book.
March 23, 2018
I selected this at the library by admittedly judging a book by its cover (and title), thinking it would possibly be a standard 'Batman & Robin' crime / adventure story. It's not - Batman takes a backseat to Dick Grayson and other sidekick and companion characters in a convoluted plot (or plots) with villainess 'Mother' at the center. It was just good enough that I would check out Vol. 2 for the finale.
October 3, 2017
Don't get me wrong, the artwork is doubtlessly good and the story is okay. But I just can't get over how DC restarted the Batman's storyline yet AGAIN (so is this story supposed to be part of The New 52, Rebirth or Reboot? I don't even know!)
As a result, now Red Hood , and Bruce Wayne now Frankly none of this make much sense with me.
Last but not least, I'm pissed by how Red Hood is described in this story, I want my badass murderous Red Hood back! *screams in angry Red Hood fangirl's outrage*
As a result, now Red Hood , and Bruce Wayne now Frankly none of this make much sense with me.
Last but not least, I'm pissed by how Red Hood is described in this story, I want my badass murderous Red Hood back! *screams in angry Red Hood fangirl's outrage*
March 21, 2016
The good thing about a great Batman story - or maybe the great thing about a good Batman story - is you can jump in, in media res, in the middle of the action, and you can get hooked into the story.
But to me, Scott Snyder is kind of hit-and-miss. I like some of his stuff, but not all of it. And it took me a while to get used to us jumping back-and-forth in time.
And there was so much tied to other comics. It really helped that I already knew about Grayson and the BatBot. I'd be a little lost if I hadn't.
And then I really got into the story. The writing got good. And interesting. And even funny.
But I don't understand why Jason is part of this gang. He's just as obnoxious as he was when he died. Do I need to go back and read Hush again?
And they don't know who Cassandra Cain is? And Dick doesn't know who Steph is? Tim's parents are alive?? I forgot - we rebooted for The New 52, didn't we? I don't know the origins now, do I? I hate being confused. And then Poppy brings that weird weapon from the God Garden and that doesn't help. And why does Tim have a gun?!?
I don't know who Bluebird is, but I like her.
Ooh! And the plot thickens as things are explained. That's good. I like where this story is going. And how it ties these criminals both Bruce's past and Dick's past. Though the whole concept is a bit sick.
Funniest quote:
The last I checked, communion didn't turn you into The Flash.
But then, it gets kind of slow again. And the whole storyline? It's a little disturbing. Like they can't create a good story without the abuse of children being a plot point. In this case, a way to allow Batman to reflect on his relationship with his charges.
I don't know. I probably enjoyed this well enough to see how it ends and check out the next volume. Sorry this review was all over the place. But the book kinda was, too.
Thanks to NetGalley and DC Comics for a copy in return for an honest review.
But to me, Scott Snyder is kind of hit-and-miss. I like some of his stuff, but not all of it. And it took me a while to get used to us jumping back-and-forth in time.
And there was so much tied to other comics. It really helped that I already knew about Grayson and the BatBot. I'd be a little lost if I hadn't.
And then I really got into the story. The writing got good. And interesting. And even funny.
But I don't understand why Jason is part of this gang. He's just as obnoxious as he was when he died. Do I need to go back and read Hush again?
And they don't know who Cassandra Cain is? And Dick doesn't know who Steph is? Tim's parents are alive?? I forgot - we rebooted for The New 52, didn't we? I don't know the origins now, do I? I hate being confused. And then Poppy brings that weird weapon from the God Garden and that doesn't help. And why does Tim have a gun?!?
I don't know who Bluebird is, but I like her.
Ooh! And the plot thickens as things are explained. That's good. I like where this story is going. And how it ties these criminals both Bruce's past and Dick's past. Though the whole concept is a bit sick.
Funniest quote:
The last I checked, communion didn't turn you into The Flash.
But then, it gets kind of slow again. And the whole storyline? It's a little disturbing. Like they can't create a good story without the abuse of children being a plot point. In this case, a way to allow Batman to reflect on his relationship with his charges.
I don't know. I probably enjoyed this well enough to see how it ends and check out the next volume. Sorry this review was all over the place. But the book kinda was, too.
Thanks to NetGalley and DC Comics for a copy in return for an honest review.
July 14, 2021
This was quite fun.
It starts off with Dick and everyone trying to find whatever is going on with recent attacks on them and meeting Orphan and then teaming up to find who this Mother is and since Bruce is still amnesiac, they cannot take his place. Its a weird turn of events and things go deeper. Red Robin and Red Hood investigate Bane and come to Santa Prisca and meet Azrael and meanwhile Dick and Harper meet with Matron and she tells them of Mother and the things they find out about Batman is shocking and changes their relation forever.
Its a great story and like Batman Eternal has lots of moving parts particularly hinting at things ..dark things that Bruce might have done and changes things forever. I love how this story reintroduces Cass and Azrael with great twist and they are making Mother a really formidable villain and I love the art. Its so gorgeous throughout and each issue is a blast to read through, never slowing down.
It starts off with Dick and everyone trying to find whatever is going on with recent attacks on them and meeting Orphan and then teaming up to find who this Mother is and since Bruce is still amnesiac, they cannot take his place. Its a weird turn of events and things go deeper. Red Robin and Red Hood investigate Bane and come to Santa Prisca and meet Azrael and meanwhile Dick and Harper meet with Matron and she tells them of Mother and the things they find out about Batman is shocking and changes their relation forever.
Its a great story and like Batman Eternal has lots of moving parts particularly hinting at things ..dark things that Bruce might have done and changes things forever. I love how this story reintroduces Cass and Azrael with great twist and they are making Mother a really formidable villain and I love the art. Its so gorgeous throughout and each issue is a blast to read through, never slowing down.
March 18, 2016
Good! So Batman Eternal, was a tv series like comic book, it had drama, multiple side plots, lots of stuff going on. Batman & Robin Eternal however, takes a step back, and mostly focuses on one main story, with flash backs(Which they do in a Arrow Style)! So the main story is a slave trader called Mother, was promised something long ago by Batman, she wants it now, and with batman currently "dead", its up to Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and Tim Drake to stop Mother! What i liked about this, was that it was mainly a robin story, but the three main ones, not that brat Damian! There are some other side characters in here, but the robins are the main focus. Batman appears in flash backs, but its mostly robin orientated.
One thing I liked was the use of Humor, there were a lot of jokes, which made me often laugh out loud, which was nice, compared to Batman Eternal where it was always serious hahaha! But overall this a pretty satisfying first volume!
One thing I liked was the use of Humor, there were a lot of jokes, which made me often laugh out loud, which was nice, compared to Batman Eternal where it was always serious hahaha! But overall this a pretty satisfying first volume!
April 11, 2016
I've missed out on whatever huge thing happened that caused Bruce Wayne to cease being Batman and the uprising of tons of Robins, but I was able to accept that and take this book for what is was. What it is is a bad sci-fi mystery movie where the director keeps showing you the same incomplete flashback sequence, but you know the ending is going to reveal some twist that's different than what they're shoving in your face. But by the end, you just don't care.
The whole Mother analogy is played out to death on almost every page, it's obvious this is another book with Scott Snyder's name on it that's actually scripted by much less-talented writers, and the art style is so inconsistent that I wouldn't have been able to identify several key characters from one issue to the next if it weren't for their costumes.
I'm hoping the major gaps in this plotline will be explained when I get my hands on Batman vol. 8, but if not, I'll just catch the Cliff's notes version of this crappy arc.
The whole Mother analogy is played out to death on almost every page, it's obvious this is another book with Scott Snyder's name on it that's actually scripted by much less-talented writers, and the art style is so inconsistent that I wouldn't have been able to identify several key characters from one issue to the next if it weren't for their costumes.
I'm hoping the major gaps in this plotline will be explained when I get my hands on Batman vol. 8, but if not, I'll just catch the Cliff's notes version of this crappy arc.
March 18, 2017
This one just isn't doing it for me. It's not terrible, as the story is compelling and for some reason I just can't stop reading it. But the story itself just goes against too much history. Batman evil and a murdered? Nah, not buying it. This story introduces a new villain known as Mother who supposedly can mold and shape people into anything desired. Supposedly, Batman had a perfect Robin created by Mother.
This is one of those retcon deals where it just seems silly that this "Mother" character has been behind so many things that's happened in the Batman mythos. Also, some of the characters in this one are a bit unfamiliar to me so I'm playing catch up at times.
The art suffers from the same inconsistency of all weekly comics. The art isn't bad, just not the most cohesive.
Overall I'll finish this series out but it's not a high point of my Batman reading.
This is one of those retcon deals where it just seems silly that this "Mother" character has been behind so many things that's happened in the Batman mythos. Also, some of the characters in this one are a bit unfamiliar to me so I'm playing catch up at times.
The art suffers from the same inconsistency of all weekly comics. The art isn't bad, just not the most cohesive.
Overall I'll finish this series out but it's not a high point of my Batman reading.
June 26, 2023
Good batfamily comic minus some characterization.
February 6, 2017
Okay, so first book of the year!
I really enjoyed this although I have so many mixed feelings about the changes (?) to Cassandra Cain's backstory. In this iteration, she was still trained and manipulated by David Cain to be the perfect weapon but this time, it was partly to prove a point to Mother.
Mother's an interesting villain, I guess? She traumatizes children, kills their parents and all in the interest of raising them to become strong, powerful sleeper agents. That's an interesting plot on it's own but there's a human trafficking element to the whole Mail Order Bride aspect of her life. I don't really understand why that interlude was necessary? It creates a sick feeling in that she abuses children, sells women to rich men and tells herself that she's helping them. Its gross and makes me feel even worse for Cassie.
Batgirl (2008) gives Cassandra back some of her agency. She chose to be a hero and train with Batman to save others. She slowly learns ways to communicate with Babs and Bruce and, later on, Tim, Dick and Stephanie. She has an entire life where she is able to choose for herself. That's why I'm so confused about what's going on with her in this story. It doesn't say "New 52" on the cover so is this an alternate universe? A random one shot? What happened to create a story where Cassandra can't speak anymore, Stephanie (one of her best friends) refers to her as barely human and Dick speaks about her as though she's not even in the room. I don't like it.
However, I did enjoy Harper's friendship and protectiveness over Cassie. That was great to see. I don't know much about Harper or Bluebird aside from what I read in DC Bombshell's Vol. 2 but I loved her in the book. She's pretty damn kick ass and she did look better than Dick in his tux. She clearly cares about Cassie and watching her watch Cassie at the ballet was adorable! I'm no sure how old she is but I kind of ship it. Also, I love, love, LOVE, that Cassie was taken to the ballet. That was a pretty cool thing because of course she'd get a lot of enjoyment out of that. Also, the fight against Mother's ballerinas was amazing! The art was gorgeous and I loved seeing Harper and Cassie kick ass! Totally worth reading just for that fight!
Stephanie was barely in this book which was sad. Babs popped up for a few seconds and it was pretty cool but seemed tacked on unnecessarily. I enjoyed the Robin brigade. That was really cool! I'd love to read more about them.
There was a lot of Dick being the leader in this book and I loved seeing that as well. Dick has always been the Batfam's big brother and I liked that everyone followed his lead. Admittedly, some more willingly than others. He works with the entire team throughout this book.
Tim is paired with Jason for a lot of this and that was interesting. Tim is such a goody-two-shoes but he can get dirty when need be and Jason was perfect to bring out that side of him. The Bane story kind of went no where for me, unfortunately.
Anyway, the most moving part of this book was the interlude where Dick listens to Batman's audio files on the Mother. There's a part when Bruce wonders if he's not using Dick's tragedy to turn him into Robin for his own benefit. Bruce wonders if he's not just as guilty as Mother. It was a really interesting parallel and it gave this book some much needed depth.
4 stars because some of it lagged in places but overall, it's a recommend.
I really enjoyed this although I have so many mixed feelings about the changes (?) to Cassandra Cain's backstory. In this iteration, she was still trained and manipulated by David Cain to be the perfect weapon but this time, it was partly to prove a point to Mother.
Mother's an interesting villain, I guess? She traumatizes children, kills their parents and all in the interest of raising them to become strong, powerful sleeper agents. That's an interesting plot on it's own but there's a human trafficking element to the whole Mail Order Bride aspect of her life. I don't really understand why that interlude was necessary? It creates a sick feeling in that she abuses children, sells women to rich men and tells herself that she's helping them. Its gross and makes me feel even worse for Cassie.
Batgirl (2008) gives Cassandra back some of her agency. She chose to be a hero and train with Batman to save others. She slowly learns ways to communicate with Babs and Bruce and, later on, Tim, Dick and Stephanie. She has an entire life where she is able to choose for herself. That's why I'm so confused about what's going on with her in this story. It doesn't say "New 52" on the cover so is this an alternate universe? A random one shot? What happened to create a story where Cassandra can't speak anymore, Stephanie (one of her best friends) refers to her as barely human and Dick speaks about her as though she's not even in the room. I don't like it.
However, I did enjoy Harper's friendship and protectiveness over Cassie. That was great to see. I don't know much about Harper or Bluebird aside from what I read in DC Bombshell's Vol. 2 but I loved her in the book. She's pretty damn kick ass and she did look better than Dick in his tux. She clearly cares about Cassie and watching her watch Cassie at the ballet was adorable! I'm no sure how old she is but I kind of ship it. Also, I love, love, LOVE, that Cassie was taken to the ballet. That was a pretty cool thing because of course she'd get a lot of enjoyment out of that. Also, the fight against Mother's ballerinas was amazing! The art was gorgeous and I loved seeing Harper and Cassie kick ass! Totally worth reading just for that fight!
Stephanie was barely in this book which was sad. Babs popped up for a few seconds and it was pretty cool but seemed tacked on unnecessarily. I enjoyed the Robin brigade. That was really cool! I'd love to read more about them.
There was a lot of Dick being the leader in this book and I loved seeing that as well. Dick has always been the Batfam's big brother and I liked that everyone followed his lead. Admittedly, some more willingly than others. He works with the entire team throughout this book.
Tim is paired with Jason for a lot of this and that was interesting. Tim is such a goody-two-shoes but he can get dirty when need be and Jason was perfect to bring out that side of him. The Bane story kind of went no where for me, unfortunately.
Anyway, the most moving part of this book was the interlude where Dick listens to Batman's audio files on the Mother. There's a part when Bruce wonders if he's not using Dick's tragedy to turn him into Robin for his own benefit. Bruce wonders if he's not just as guilty as Mother. It was a really interesting parallel and it gave this book some much needed depth.
4 stars because some of it lagged in places but overall, it's a recommend.
November 21, 2016
55th book read in 2016.
Number 262 out of 548 on my all time book list.
Review Pending:
Number 262 out of 548 on my all time book list.
Review Pending:
March 14, 2021
Im not sure I know exactly what’s going on just yet it seems like everything is still in the air but this feels like Dick Graysons best story in a long time so that’s why it’s getting the rating is has.
June 25, 2016
[Read as single issues - this review covers both volumes]
Batman and Robin Eternal comes hot on the heels of the hugely successful (and very enjoyable) Batman Eternal. At half the size (only 26 issues compared to Eternal's 52), this one is a lot tighter and focuses a lot more on the characters involved.
The idea of this story is to look at the legacy of Robin, and how each of the different Robins has affected Batman. In a time where Batman himself is out of action (currently 'dead' at the hands of the Joker), Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne have to step up to defeat Mother, a human trafficker who specializes in brainwashed children. Also in on the action are Stephanie Brown and, making their New 52 first appearances, Cassandra Cain and Azrael.
With only half as many issues, the pacing of this book is quite quick. We still get the smaller mini-arcs as in Eternal, but there are fewer of these and the action bounces around quite quickly. There aren't any lull issues or 'picking up the pieces before something else happens' issues like Eternal, and the character work is a lot more focused.
The artwork, despite having a lot of different artists involved, is fairly consistent overall, as is the writing. Some writers stick out more than others, such as series leader James Tynion IV, whilst Genevieve Valentine and Tim Seeley also turn in some of the better issues.
Batman and Robin Eternal is a worthy follow-up to Batman Eternal, and a story that could only be told at this point in time. With no Batman around, all the Robins have to prove just why they were given their title in the first place, and unravel the mystery of Mother at the same time.
[Also for fans of the Grayson series, there are quite a few big developments involving Spyral that are worth checking out here]
Batman and Robin Eternal comes hot on the heels of the hugely successful (and very enjoyable) Batman Eternal. At half the size (only 26 issues compared to Eternal's 52), this one is a lot tighter and focuses a lot more on the characters involved.
The idea of this story is to look at the legacy of Robin, and how each of the different Robins has affected Batman. In a time where Batman himself is out of action (currently 'dead' at the hands of the Joker), Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne have to step up to defeat Mother, a human trafficker who specializes in brainwashed children. Also in on the action are Stephanie Brown and, making their New 52 first appearances, Cassandra Cain and Azrael.
With only half as many issues, the pacing of this book is quite quick. We still get the smaller mini-arcs as in Eternal, but there are fewer of these and the action bounces around quite quickly. There aren't any lull issues or 'picking up the pieces before something else happens' issues like Eternal, and the character work is a lot more focused.
The artwork, despite having a lot of different artists involved, is fairly consistent overall, as is the writing. Some writers stick out more than others, such as series leader James Tynion IV, whilst Genevieve Valentine and Tim Seeley also turn in some of the better issues.
Batman and Robin Eternal is a worthy follow-up to Batman Eternal, and a story that could only be told at this point in time. With no Batman around, all the Robins have to prove just why they were given their title in the first place, and unravel the mystery of Mother at the same time.
[Also for fans of the Grayson series, there are quite a few big developments involving Spyral that are worth checking out here]
March 24, 2016
Splendidly captivating! I couldn't stop reading; I just wanted it to go on and on and on. I really enjoyed the two story lines switching between the past and present. The plot is excellent and maintains a solid detective with a highly intelligent and intricate plot. The authors have tempered that with just the right amount of battle scenes creating a fine balance between action and story. I can't get enough of the Robins and it was pure delight for me to have the first three all together here with such witty dialogue referring to their individual histories and attitudes. Also, a lot of fun was a guest star appearance by an anti-hero, and a couple of Batfamily cameos. I must also comment on the art. For a book with so many illustrators contributing work, the book has a very even feel to it as a whole which rarely happens in these cases. Awesome trade!
March 23, 2018
Okay this was just not very good. This book's title is a lie it should be Dick Grayson's Eternal Angst. Batman is gone save for flashbacks and Grayson is the driving personality behind this story which really is a convoluted mess. Not worth reading 12 issues of
January 21, 2017
Very slow start, and then it falls into the typical "everything you know about the past is WRONG" trope.
April 29, 2018
Hmm.
Maybe a 2.5 stars.
I'm really digging James Tynion IV's Detective Comics, Volume III series (starting with: Batman: Detective Comics, Vol. 1: Rise of the Batmen), so I was surprised with how many faults I found with this.
Mother is an interesting villain, and I think I would appreciate her more as the big baddy of this story if it didn't take so friggin long to get to her!
Now, I don't mind the back and forth with Dick (flashbacking to his time as Robin with Batman), but there are just too many characters in this story, too many side plots with not enough connecting panels, and overall it's just too damn long.
And Dick is right. We're being introduced to too many heroes here with not enough context or character development (Bluebird, Spoiler, Casandra Cain, Azrael, + the "We Aer Robin" kids). JT IV definitely tries to create character development (especially with Bluebird & Casandra), but I just don't think it was strong enough. Also, Tim and Jason were super weird and out of character in this. Tim trying to give Cas candy to make her talk & his whole house thing with his parents was the weirdest and angriest Tim I've ever read. (If it's true that Tim never told Dick that his parents were in Witness Protection, wouldn't it make sense for Dick to have gone to check out Tim's past? Am I being too callus here? Dick's actions made sense to me...)
This fat book of a story took me about a week to finish. And I would skip reading Vol. 2 if I found a comprehensive review of plot details for it, but I haven't...so I guess I'll read that too to get some closure on this whole Batman/Mother relationship.
Mostly what I liked about this volume was Dick as Robin.
He's adorable.
Dick's fear of not being a good enough partner to Batman was heartbreaking & the real motivator of this whole story. The emotional trauma of Dick thinking he's inadequate & Bruce thinking he's just as bad as Mother for manipulating and shaping Dick into Robin (aka: a tiny Batman) is honestly the best (and the most well-written) thing about this volume.
The idea that Batman could and would kill a child's parents to manufacture another Batman/Robin Origins is ridiculous, and obviously, we don't believe it. I'm sorry that Dick has any doubt of that... but then if Dick didn't have to solve the mystery of the deleted files then we wouldn't have this story then, would we?
The splitting of Batman and Robin (depicted here over only two pages) was very well done. Short & to the point, with good/emotional writing from JT IV. See, I know he can write that way, which is why this whole thing is so disappointing!
And, another sad point was that I was so done with the We Are Robin storyline & pretty bummed to learn that Batman & Robin Eternal takes place at the same time.
+100 points of use of Bat-Shark Repellent.
Maybe a 2.5 stars.
I'm really digging James Tynion IV's Detective Comics, Volume III series (starting with: Batman: Detective Comics, Vol. 1: Rise of the Batmen), so I was surprised with how many faults I found with this.
Mother is an interesting villain, and I think I would appreciate her more as the big baddy of this story if it didn't take so friggin long to get to her!
Now, I don't mind the back and forth with Dick (flashbacking to his time as Robin with Batman), but there are just too many characters in this story, too many side plots with not enough connecting panels, and overall it's just too damn long.
And Dick is right. We're being introduced to too many heroes here with not enough context or character development (Bluebird, Spoiler, Casandra Cain, Azrael, + the "We Aer Robin" kids). JT IV definitely tries to create character development (especially with Bluebird & Casandra), but I just don't think it was strong enough. Also, Tim and Jason were super weird and out of character in this. Tim trying to give Cas candy to make her talk & his whole house thing with his parents was the weirdest and angriest Tim I've ever read. (If it's true that Tim never told Dick that his parents were in Witness Protection, wouldn't it make sense for Dick to have gone to check out Tim's past? Am I being too callus here? Dick's actions made sense to me...)
This fat book of a story took me about a week to finish. And I would skip reading Vol. 2 if I found a comprehensive review of plot details for it, but I haven't...so I guess I'll read that too to get some closure on this whole Batman/Mother relationship.
Mostly what I liked about this volume was Dick as Robin.
He's adorable.
Dick's fear of not being a good enough partner to Batman was heartbreaking & the real motivator of this whole story. The emotional trauma of Dick thinking he's inadequate & Bruce thinking he's just as bad as Mother for manipulating and shaping Dick into Robin (aka: a tiny Batman) is honestly the best (and the most well-written) thing about this volume.
The idea that Batman could and would kill a child's parents to manufacture another Batman/Robin Origins is ridiculous, and obviously, we don't believe it. I'm sorry that Dick has any doubt of that... but then if Dick didn't have to solve the mystery of the deleted files then we wouldn't have this story then, would we?
The splitting of Batman and Robin (depicted here over only two pages) was very well done. Short & to the point, with good/emotional writing from JT IV. See, I know he can write that way, which is why this whole thing is so disappointing!
And, another sad point was that I was so done with the We Are Robin storyline & pretty bummed to learn that Batman & Robin Eternal takes place at the same time.
+100 points of use of Bat-Shark Repellent.
May 23, 2023
Team up with the BOYS! And an amazing introduction to Cassandra Cain, with a little extra spice from Bluebird/Harper Row thrown in.
Cassandra Cain approaches Grayson with a file from Batman, talking about a supervillain named Mother who "crafts" perfect humans after abducting them. It all apparently ties back to a mission Dick and Bruce were on when he was still Robin, where Bruce may have requested the perfect sidekick to be crafted for him - the Robin boys have to team up to figure out what the hell is going on with Mother.
I loved seeing all the guys interact with each other. Dick always manages to inhabit too much of Bruce when he has to lead others on a mission, and I think the tension between all the Robins works pretty well. Harper Row is pretty hit or miss for me, but once she's accepted into the team and starts working properly with Grayson, she was pretty entertaining. Cassandra is amazing, I loved her brutality, but there's also a lot of innocence and love in her too. I didn't ever see her in the continuity before New 52, so this is is fine with me, I like her a lot.
The plot has a bit too much going on. While I loved to see Jason and Tim working together, they don't really do anything important to the story? Just kind of have a weird, convoluted side adventure. I never bought into the whole "Batman bought a Robin from Mother" thing, because obviously he wouldn't and didn't, but it was interesting to see the story play out.
Cassandra Cain approaches Grayson with a file from Batman, talking about a supervillain named Mother who "crafts" perfect humans after abducting them. It all apparently ties back to a mission Dick and Bruce were on when he was still Robin, where Bruce may have requested the perfect sidekick to be crafted for him - the Robin boys have to team up to figure out what the hell is going on with Mother.
I loved seeing all the guys interact with each other. Dick always manages to inhabit too much of Bruce when he has to lead others on a mission, and I think the tension between all the Robins works pretty well. Harper Row is pretty hit or miss for me, but once she's accepted into the team and starts working properly with Grayson, she was pretty entertaining. Cassandra is amazing, I loved her brutality, but there's also a lot of innocence and love in her too. I didn't ever see her in the continuity before New 52, so this is is fine with me, I like her a lot.
The plot has a bit too much going on. While I loved to see Jason and Tim working together, they don't really do anything important to the story? Just kind of have a weird, convoluted side adventure. I never bought into the whole "Batman bought a Robin from Mother" thing, because obviously he wouldn't and didn't, but it was interesting to see the story play out.
March 6, 2018
3.5 at least, maybe deserves a 4, I rounded up for young Dick Grayson flashbacks, but I didn’t love all the changing artists and some of their takes on Boy Wonders. I love young Robin stuff, plus the art for that always seemed the prettiest, so if the story only focused on that it would’ve been 5 stars for me. Red Robin and Red Hood’s side adventure seemed kind of pointless but maybe they found some important information for next volume. I’m not a fan of Harper, I’m glad she’s Bluebird instead of another Robin (who’s idea was it to make dozens of new Robins?), but I don’t think she’s necessary anyway. Overall I think this book’s main purpose is to reintroduce all the bat characters they neglected to add to the New 52. I was happy to see Cass and Stephanie, I couldn’t care less about Azrael. Mother was an interesting bad guy, I don’t know if she’s the same Mother from Apokolips and that explains her advanced technology or if she’s someone else. I enjoyed Dick being in charge and trying to figure out what he’d missed as a young Robin. I’m looking forward to seeing what Batman really had up his sleeve for this whole situation.
February 27, 2021
A very intriguing read and I think it nails the dynamics between Robins. Robins Eternal would be a more fitting name because it is very focused on the concept of Batman having a sidekick. The art was pretty good and I thought the rotating artists worked well with the tone and each was very fitting to their issues. I especially liked the stuff by Alvaro Martinez, some really stunning two page spreads by him.
Over all this is one of the more interesting New 52 Batman stories I've read so far, and I don't feel like I'm missing a bunch of information because I didn't read the first Batman Eternal series. Excited to read the rest of it.
Over all this is one of the more interesting New 52 Batman stories I've read so far, and I don't feel like I'm missing a bunch of information because I didn't read the first Batman Eternal series. Excited to read the rest of it.
August 25, 2025
Despite the title this is very much a Dick Grayson book. More precisely during his time as a Spyral agent.
Started a bit slow but picks up towards the end of the volume. Feels like a fairly decent mystery / story with pieces beginning to fall into place through the use of flashback sequences. These flashbacks are where the batman and robin title really kick in featuring Bats and Dick Grayson in his time as Robin. They give some backstory and more information to what's going on in this book.
The main villain is a woman known as Mother and she basically commits unspeakable crimes to orphan children and altering them in order to raise them as her own as part of her "army" I guess you could call it. Her right hand man is The Orphan and he's proving to be a thorn in the heroes side and is just a brutal character.
I'm intrigued to see where this one goes.
Started a bit slow but picks up towards the end of the volume. Feels like a fairly decent mystery / story with pieces beginning to fall into place through the use of flashback sequences. These flashbacks are where the batman and robin title really kick in featuring Bats and Dick Grayson in his time as Robin. They give some backstory and more information to what's going on in this book.
The main villain is a woman known as Mother and she basically commits unspeakable crimes to orphan children and altering them in order to raise them as her own as part of her "army" I guess you could call it. Her right hand man is The Orphan and he's proving to be a thorn in the heroes side and is just a brutal character.
I'm intrigued to see where this one goes.
February 6, 2018
I can’t see why this story needed to be as long as it is. Two volumes to tell something that could have been covered in a standard six issue arc? There’s some good stuff here; I’m always a sucker for the Robins interacting and I like the growing bond between Harper and Cassandra, but the story is still heavily padded to the point that it’s kind of ridiculous. And I’m really just over the whole Batfamily questions whether Bruce is secretly evil plot DC keeps recycling.
July 7, 2017
I am in love with Nightwing. I think Dick is a suave character. The story revolves around mind control and nature vs,. nurture. It also shines a light on the ethics of Robin. All in All I really enjoyed the interactions between the Bat Family and how that dynamic helps them solve the cold case.
August 22, 2018
I don't think I can go on with this. Not when Jason's appearances are smol, Tim is annoying and.. oh, the whole Mother thing is confusing. Though, Cassandra's apparition is gorgeous. I liked very much the strength-mind-heart scene with the Robins.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2017
review soon
April 5, 2016
My feelings can be summed up as 'disappointment'. Not even just a little disappointment- a lot of disappointment. For one of the biggest current titles featuring the entire batfamily, the plot line is fairly weak (and almost directly comparable to Marvel’s Black Widow Red Room storyline) and the characters don’t even resemble themselves. On top of that, there’s this nonsense about Bruce ‘designing’ his Robins, only for there to be no conclusion (or even a hint) at who the Robin is at the end of the volume. Everyone is a hollow caricature of themselves, and Jason probably couldn’t fight a mouse and win, apparently.
A shortened version of my review on babsreadsbadreads: Cassandra Cain's storyline is heavily watered down (and in almost direct parallel to Natasha Romanoff's older story, instead of her own), she's treated as a 'wise, silent Asian' stereotype, complete with Meaningful Hand Gestures about who you really are, Jason Todd (despite being written in almost all other pre52 and new52 titles differently) is a misogynist that takes Tim, a minor, out for a drink (the same guy that said he would decapitate anyone selling drugs to children), Dick Grayson is little more than a ball of insecurities (that he's never had before, even in the new52) and a nice ass (though I'm honestly not seeing it), Tim was basically the emotionless computer guy until he got upgraded to Ultimate Asshole where he tells Jason 'no wonder you're everyone's least favorite Robin' and pokes fun at him for dying.
Honestly, you're better off reading source material like Red Robin, Nightwing, or Under the Red Hood, because Snyder obviously didn't
A shortened version of my review on babsreadsbadreads: Cassandra Cain's storyline is heavily watered down (and in almost direct parallel to Natasha Romanoff's older story, instead of her own), she's treated as a 'wise, silent Asian' stereotype, complete with Meaningful Hand Gestures about who you really are, Jason Todd (despite being written in almost all other pre52 and new52 titles differently) is a misogynist that takes Tim, a minor, out for a drink (the same guy that said he would decapitate anyone selling drugs to children), Dick Grayson is little more than a ball of insecurities (that he's never had before, even in the new52) and a nice ass (though I'm honestly not seeing it), Tim was basically the emotionless computer guy until he got upgraded to Ultimate Asshole where he tells Jason 'no wonder you're everyone's least favorite Robin' and pokes fun at him for dying.
Honestly, you're better off reading source material like Red Robin, Nightwing, or Under the Red Hood, because Snyder obviously didn't
Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews