Batman and Robin #1

History

Morrison had been building toward this series across their entire Batman run — from 'Batman and Son' through 'Batman R.I.P.' and Final Crisis — so the launch of the new ongoing was the direct editorial sequel to those events rather than a fresh start. The series debuted as the flagship title of DC's 'Batman: Reborn' line-wide publishing initiative, which reorganized the entire Batman family of books around Dick Grayson and Damian following the conclusion of Tony Daniel's 'Battle for the Cowl' miniseries. Morrison reunited with Frank Quitely — their collaborator on All-Star Superman and WE3 — for the opening 'Batman Reborn' arc, with the creative team announced publicly by March 2009, roughly three months before the June 3, 2009 on-sale date (cover-dated August 2009). While Morrison wrote this series, they were simultaneously developing the Return of Bruce Wayne miniseries, framing Batman and Robin as one interlocking strand of a larger five-volume narrative they had been constructing since 2006.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Cover date: August 2009; on-sale date: June 3, 2009. Written by Grant Morrison, art and standard cover by Frank Quitely, colors by Alex Sinclair, lettering by Pat Brosseau, edited by Mike Marts and Janelle Asselin.
• First in-continuity, present-day appearance of Professor Pyg (Lazlo Valentin), who had previously appeared only as a corpse in an alternate-future storyline in Batman #666 (July 2007). His Dollotrons and the Circus of Strange gang members Mister Toad and Phosphorus Rex also make their first appearances in this issue.
• First issue to feature Dick Grayson as Batman and Damian Wayne as Robin working as an ongoing partnership — marking Damian's official debut in the Robin role in a monthly DC continuity series.
• The issue inverts the classic Dynamic Duo formula: Morrison and Quitely present Dick as a lighter, more agile Batman and Damian as a colder, more deadly Robin, a deliberate reversal of the traditional personality arrangement.
• The issue shipped with three distinct cover editions: a standard cover and a 1-in-25 variant cover, both by Frank Quitely, and a 1-in-250 sketch variant also by Quitely. A separate 1-in-25 variant by JG Jones was also available.
• The issue received at least four printings, indicating strong initial retail demand and reorder activity.
• Professor Pyg subsequently appeared in the animated series Beware the Batman (Cartoon Network, 2013), the video game Batman: Arkham Knight (2015), the live-action series Gotham (Season 4, 2017–2018, portrayed by Michael Cerveris), and the live-action series Batwoman (Season 3, 2021).
• The issue is reprinted in the trade paperback Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn, the deluxe hardcover of the same name, and the Absolute Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn slipcased edition (2013 and a 2026 reprint), as well as the Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus Vol. 2 (2019).

Key issues in Batman and Robin

Other variants of Batman and Robin #1 (4)