This article is part of the DC Database Recommended Reading project, a series of articles written by our editors. They are meant as a guide to help both new and old readers, either getting into comics for the first time or looking to read more on their favorites. These should not be taken as a definitive guide; obviously you can start wherever and with whatever you want, but they're some general suggestions that we think you might find useful and enjoyable.
This is serious shit.
Robin is mostly known as Batman's sidekick, but there are a lot of great Robin solo comics. If you're into Robin it can be a little tricky knowing where to start. There have been five Robins in regular continuity: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Damian Wayne. That's not counting random Elseworlds, alternate universes, the popular Carrie Kelley in The Dark Knight Returns, and the "We Are Robin" street movement. We're gonna assume you already know which Robins you like and just break it down by character.
Dick Grayson[]
- Batman: Year Three (1989): Dick Grayson's entire history as Robin happened before the modern age of comics, so if you want contemporary stories you're pretty much limited to flashbacks and origins like this one. Year Three, written by Marv Wolfman to follow the stories Year One and Year Two, is the first official Post-Crisis origin of Dick Grayson. Wolfman was the writer largely responsible for maturing Grayson into the adult Nightwing in New Teen Titans, so it's interesting seeing his take on Grayson's origins. The story mostly focuses on his relationship with Tony Zucco.
- Batman: Dark Victory (2000): This story by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale is a direct sequel to their previous work The Long Halloween and it retells Dick Grayson's origins as Robin, completely ignoring Year Three.
- Robin: Year One (2000): This story by Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty bypasses Dick Grayson's origins and just focuses on his actual first year on the streets as Robin. It's a fun story with Two-Face as the major villain.
- Batgirl: Year One (2003): This story obviously does not focus on Robin, but he's an important supporting character to Barbara Gordon as she becomes Batgirl. It's by the same team that did Robin: Year One so it's sort of a sequel.
- Nightwing: Year One (2005): Dick Grayson is only Robin in the beginning of this story, but it retells the end of his career as he left Batman and decided to become Nightwing. It's by the same writers as Robin: Year One and Batgirl: Year One.
- Teen Titans: Year One (2008): This story is written by Amy Wolfram and Karl Kerschl. It retells the Silver Age origins of the Teen Titans.
- Batman & Robin Eternal (2016): This 26-issue series involves all of the Robins, exploring a mystery from Dick Grayson's past that begins to unravel in the present. Dick Grayson is the adult Agent 37 at the time of this story, but there are frequent flashbacks to his time as Robin.
Jason Todd[]
- Batman: The Cult (1988): Most of Jason Todd's Robin years have not been reprinted in collected edition. This four-issue story by Jim Starlin and Bernie Wrightson is an absolute classic though, and it features hot-headed Jason at his very best.
- Batman: A Death in the Family (1988): Nobody thought DC would really do it, but this is the story where readers voted for Robin to get killed by the Joker. It's also the conclusion to the excellent Batman run by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo. In his last adventure Jason Todd proves that he's a hero to the very end.
Tim Drake[]
- Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying (1989): This is the story that introduces Tim Drake. It was written by Marv Wolfman and crosses over with his work on New Titans, where he was also writing Dick Grayson as Nightwing. Tim Drake proves his mettle as Robin by deducing Bruce Wayne's secret identity and showing him why Batman must always have a Robin.
- Chuck Dixon's Robin (1991): This is really a pretty huge collection of comics that spans several different series, but it's the run that most people think about when they think about Tim Drake. Dixon didn't create Drake but he's probably Drake's definitive writer.
- Robin: A Hero Reborn is the first-ever Robin series, a five-issue story mostly testing out whether or not Robin would be viable as an ongoing series.
- Robin II: The Joker's Wild! is the sequel, focusing on Tim Drake's first encounter with the Joker.
- Robin III: Cry of the Huntress is the third installment in the trilogy, focusing on Tim Drake teaming up with Huntress.
- Robin (Volume 2) is where Dixon was finally given an ongoing series. His run lasted for several years, beginning with issue #1 and ending with issue #100.
- Young Justice (Volume 1) (1998): This series by Peter David is where a lot of people have their best memories of Tim Drake, focusing on his friendships with other teen heroes like Impulse and Superboy. The series is notably much more light-hearted, humorous, and fun than a lot of Drake's other appearances.
- Teen Titans (Volume 3) (2003): Geoff Johns completely retooled the Young Justice characters into a new group of Teen Titans beginning in the story A Kid's Game. The characters have matured a little, and it's still fun and very funny at times, but there's a little bit more serious superhero drama with the growing teens.
- Red Robin (2009): This is cheating a little since I'm supposed to just focus on Robin stories, but he still has Robin in the name dammit! Battle for the Cowl saw a lot of Gothamites changes roles as the death of Bruce Wayne left a huge power vacuum. Dick Grayson became Batman, Damian Wayne became Robin, and Tim Drake took the identity Red Robin to travel the world and prove that Bruce Wayne was still alive. The series, initially written by Christopher Yost and later Fabian Nicieza, really sees the evolution of Tim Drake as he grows up and decides what kind of hero he wants to be.
Stephanie Brown[]
- Batman: War Drums (2004): Stephanie Brown's tenure as Robin really only lasted a couple of months before she got fired. It was more like a brief hiatus in the middle of Tim Drake's career. The stories involving her were really great though.
Damian Wayne[]
- Batman and Son (2005): Damian isn't officially Robin at this point, and he won't be for several years, but this is really where he was first introduced as a character. Plus he does beat the shit out of Tim Drake and briefly usurp the costume, so it technically counts! He's still kind of a bastard at this point and wouldn't be properly redeemed for several years.
- Batman and Robin (Volume 1) (2009): Spinning out of Battle for the Cowl and Batman Reborn, this series is where Damian Wayne first becomes Robin alongside Dick Grayson as Batman. The first sixteen issues can be read individually, but they're really heavily connected to the long complicated saga that is Grant Morrison's Batman. After #16 the book was handled by rotating teams of writers and artists doing short fun arcs until it ended at issue #26.
- Batman and Robin (Volume 2) (2011): Probably the best Damian stories that aren't written by his creator Grant Morrison, the New 52 relaunch of Batman and Robin is entirely written by Peter Tomasi with art by Patrick Gleason. Damian is finally partnered with Bruce Wayne as Batman instead of Dick Grayson, and the series has a lot of heartwarming tender moments as they struggle to figure out how to relate to one another.
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 2) (2012): Finishing the saga that began with Batman and Son, Grant Morrison tells the epic conclusion to the Batman Incorporated story. This is also the story where Damian Wayne is killed in a heroic sacrifice. Morrison figured that leaving Batman with a son would age the character too much and be unfair to other writers, but Damian proved so popular that they resurrected him within two years anyway.
- Robin: Son of Batman (2015): This ongoing series written by artist Patrick Gleason tells the story of Damian as he's just returned from the dead in Robin Rises. It is revealed that part of Damian's training with the League of Assassins was a "Year of Blood" where he committed horrible crimes across the world. He sets out on a "Year of Atonement" with several new companions to redeem himself by setting right what he once set wrong.
- Super Sons (Volume 1) (2017): Peter Tomasi returns with artist Jorge Jiménez to continue Damian's journey as Robin. In this series, he teams up with Jon Kent as Superboy, son of Superman, and they became Super Sons. In the earliest issues, those two didn't get along very well but as time goes on they learn to be friends. And they get to have their own headquarter Fortress of Attitude, gifted by their fathers. It has very lighthearted and fun stories with amazing arts. And it doesn't ignore Damian's character developments like most of Damian's appearances in rebirth titles.
- Adventures of the Super Sons (Volume 1) (2018): Another great series about Damian and Jon's amazing team up. It is a limited series by Peter Tomasi and takes place before Jon's trip with his grandfather. The boys accidentally spend their whole summer holiday in space fighting the group of alien children who dresses up as earth supper villains and call themselves The Gang.
Miscellaneous[]
- We Are Robin (2015): This series written by Lee Bermejo and Jorge Corona is a different kind of Robin book. It focuses on a street movement of Gotham City teenagers inspired by Robin who want to live up to his example. The group is lead by Duke Thomas, with Alfred Pennyworth as their secret benefactor.
- Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular (2020): This is one-shot featuring all of the Robins and 10 different short stories.