DC’s new Batman and Robin series, starring Jason Todd, has just released a nine-page preview, and it wastes no time setting a dark and ominous tone for the second Boy Wonder. This «Year One» retelling quickly establishes Jason as a deeply troubled child, already grappling with an inner darkness that’s steering him away from the heroic path.
…fans shouldn’t expect the ball-of-sunshine version of Jason’s Robin, but rather a broken child…
With a release date set for June 11, 2025, the full issue of Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen’s Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #1 is nearly here. However, fans hoping for a light-hearted retelling of the Dark Knight and the second Boy Wonder’s time together as the Dynamic Duo will be sorely disappointed.
Lemire makes it clear he is not holding back on the emotional gut-punches of this new series, as he sets out to explore the broken child Jason Todd was before returning as a broken man. The opening pages also suggest that the Red Hood persona was always beneath the surface, even during Jason’s time as Robin. Red Hood was not created after Jason’s death; he was set free.
Jason Todd’s First Days as Robin Were Fueled by Pain, Not Justice
Comic Pages Come from Jeff Lemire’s Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #1 (2025) — Art by Dustin Nguyen
Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #1 immediately kicks off with the Boy Wonder’s internal monologue, revealing his feelings about becoming Robin. To say the least, those feelings are shrouded in darkness and violence. Jason remarks that he can finally get revenge, fight back, and that he will “get to hurt someone else,” implying that his new role as Robin gives him ability to act on those urges. These are exceptionally dark motivators that would certainly not earn approval from either Batman or Nightwing. This moment offers particularly startling insight, as it is essentially Jason admitting that he is glad to move from the role of victim to that of victimizer.
It becomes clear that Jason doesn’t even view himself as a hero. Instead, he declares, “I am a weapon.” These early pages make it obvious that his heart is not in the right place. Rather than wanting to help others, Jason is more focused on inflicting pain. While he channels this anger toward criminals rather than innocents, it’s still unsettling to see how far he’s willing to go to hurt them, even beyond what is necessary. Overall, these opening pages set the tone for a series that won’t be filled with light-hearted heroics. Instead, it aims to explore the psyche of a deeply wounded boy who has begun turning his pain outward, using it as fuel for violence rather than healing.
DC's New Robin Series Skips Jason Todd's Light Years, And Heads Straight Into the Darkness
Cover B Jeff Lemire Variant for Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #1 (2025)
Jeff Lemire’s characterization of Jason is most definitely not out of character, especially when it comes to the rift that began to form between Jason and Bruce in their latter days as Batman and Robin before Jason’s death. In fact, Jason’s hostility, ultra-violence, and his overall dynamic with Batman feels eerily similar to what was seen in Jim Starlin’s Batman #424 (1988). This issue is one of the most notable in Bruce and Jason’s time together, as it put the breakdown of their relationship on full display after Bruce suspected Jason had pushed and killed the rapist Felipe Garzonas.
However, the main, and perhaps most startling, difference between Lemire and Starlin’s portrayals of Jason’s Robin is that Starlin’s darker take didn’t emerge until later in Jason’s career, when he was older and more jaded. Lemire, by contrast, introduces a newly minted Robin who is already ultra-violent and disillusioned. As a result, some fans will likely be disappointed to miss out on the more lighthearted depictions of Bruce and Jason’s early relationship, where Jason is often shown as a bright light rather than a festering vessel of rage.
One of the most notable examples comes from Doug Moench’s Batman #385 (1985), where Jason famously expressed his joy in being the next Boy Wonder by saying, “I’m Robin and being Robin gives me magic.” Another notable portrayal of Jason as a sweet, hopeful, and optimistic child appears in 2020’s Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular, where Jason repairs Thomas Wayne’s watch and gives it to Bruce for his birthday. Hence, if the rest of the series s the tone Lemire sets in the opening pages, fans shouldn’t expect the ball-of-sunshine version of Jason’s Robin, but rather a broken child whose inner demons clearly foreshadow his eventual turn toward the villainous, and later anti-heroic mantle of the Red Hood.
Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #1 is available June 10, 2025, from DC Comics!
Batman
One of DC's most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world's leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
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Robin
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Red Hood
Jason Todd is a complex figure known for his tumultuous journey as Batman's second Robin. Initially impulsive and rebellious, he's resurrected after a tragic death, becoming the vigilante Red Hood. Armed with intense combat skills and a moral ambiguity, he challenges Batman's methods, navigating a path between heroism and anti-heroism in Gotham's unforgiving streets.
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