7 Best Robin Stories, Ranked

Robin is the Boy Wonder, and although he’s often left out of adaptations and Elseworlds, there’s no denying that he’s one of the most essential components of Batman’s mythos. The first Robin was introduced less than a year after Batman himself, and he was considered an essential part of the Dark Knight’s adventures. Everywhere Batman went, Robin followed. Just look at any DC promotional material from before the mid 1980s. You’re sure to find Robin standing alongside Batman, ready to save the world. Even though he’s a sidekick, Robin has starred in more major stories than most independent heroes, and some of those rank among the best in DC history.

Today, we’re going to give the Boy Wonder his due and take a look at seven of Robin’s best stories. To keep this from being a list about the best Batman stories of all time, we’re only counting stories where Robin is either the main character or plays so significant a role that removing him would fundamentally alter the theme of the story. For example, “The Cult,” which is one of Batman’s best underrated storylines, features Jason Todd, but I can’t say he’s essential enough to qualify it as a Robin story, despite its greatness. With all of that established, let’s rank these Robins’ storylines. 

7) “Year of Blood”

Damian Wayne is easily the most controversial Robin, and that’s saying a lot when Jason Todd exists. He was raised to be an assassin, and those tendencies and lack of empathy often had him clash with the Bat-Family in his early years. However, Damian eventually learned better and tried to redeem his past, which culminated in “Year of Blood.” This story dug into Damian’s mindset and guilt during his time with his mother, presenting him and his uneasy ally, NoBody, as the broken children they were. They were both looking for love and forgiveness, and this story’s tale of redemption is a wonderful superhero classic and foundational to who Damian is. So long as writers remember it exists, of course.

6) “A Lonely Place of Dying”

After Jason Todd’s death, Batman was in a bad place, but the introduction of Tim Drake pulled him back to the right path. Tim had the most unique Robin introduction, deducing Batman’s identity himself and operating under the universal truth that he taught the heroes and the audience: Batman needs a Robin. He forced himself into the narrative and our hearts in the best way, and even redesigned the Robin costume for the first time. This story perfectly set the stage for Tim’s career as Robin, highlighting that he is here to help Batman above all, just like a sidekick and partner should. This is foundational Robin reading, and very much still holds up.

5) Batman and Robin: Year One

This newly-minted origin for Bruce and Dick’s first year as partners is a breakout hit through and through. The pair struggles to build a proper relationship, with Batman unused to letting another person operate alongside him and Dick fighting to prove Robin deserves to exist. There are wonderful character moments and an intriguing mystery, although the plot gets a bit unsteady around the middle. Still, the final issue is one of the greatest endings in all of comics, perfectly encapsulating everything we love about Batman and Robin as the Dynamic Duo. This is a heartwrenching tale that reads like a modern take on the Golden Age with Silver Age optimism, and that is worth the price of admission alone.

4) “Batman Reborn”

This is another story focused on Batman and Robin learning to work together, although this time Dick is Batman, and Damian is his Robin. With Bruce seemingly dead, Dick embraced his role as Batman and brought Damian in to fight alongside him. Along with introducing the incredibly scary Professor Pyg, this story jump-started one of the best Batman and Robin comics ever published. This Dynamic Duo was a complete inversion of the norm, with Batman being lighthearted and Robin being the serious one who needed reigned in. They both fought to prove to the other, and themselves, that they could be who they said they were, and their dynamic is truly second to none.

3) “Deathwish”

Batman and Robin have always been characters defined by tragedy, but Tim is special in the sense that his trauma occurred during his time as Robin instead of spurring it on. He lost both his parents and his best friend, and thought the love of his life was dead for far too long. “Deathwish” was the ultimate culmination of that grief, exploring Tim’s descent into violence and pain while he fought to defend Gotham City. He risked his life like it was worthless, ultimately leading to a heartwrenching monologue over his father’s grave, with Tim and Batman promising to make sure the sins and accidents of the past were never repeated. This tragically beautiful issue captures Tim’s emotional journey up to this point in all the best ways.

2) Robin (2021)

This entire seventeen-issue series covers the storyline of Damian’s redemption as Robin after the horrific character assassination he’d suffered by returning to killing. This is the best Damian Wayne character building since his introduction, and perfectly combines high-octane action with a deep dive into who Damian is and who he wants to be. The Lazarus Tournament was pure fun, Flatline was introduced by literally stealing Damian’s heart, and it gave Connor Hawke all the respect he is owed. This story didn’t explore if Damian wanted to be Robin or not, but rather focused on what Damian wanted his Robin to look like. Damian learning to ask for help is genuinely one of the best arcs in all of DC.

1) Dark Victory

As a sequel to the legendary Long Halloween, this story stands as not just one of the best Batman stories ever, or even the best Robin story of all time, but the best origin story for Robin you’ll ever see. After Harvey Dent’s fall to Two-Face, Batman was more alone than ever. Enter Dick Grayson, a young boy who experienced a similar tragedy to Bruce, who became the light in Batman’s dark heart. Robin became the hero that he needed to avenge his parents, but also the living embodiment of the connections, which was a core theme. Batman survived, stayed a true hero, because he wasn’t alone. This story showed everyone that Batman and Robin were the world’s best duo, and nothing can change that.

Which Robin is your favorite, and which of their stories do you consider the best? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!

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