There is some debate among Batman fans as to which of his junior partners is the best Robin. Batman #147 doesn’t shed any new light on this debate. However, it does give it an ironic spin, introducing what is intended to be Batman’s ultimate sidekick.
Written by Chip Zdarsky, with art by Jorge Jiménez, Batman #147 continues the battle between Batman and his Zur-En-Arrh persona. This psychic construct was intended to save Batman in the event of his being mentally compromised, Instead, Zur-En-Arrh concluded he would be a better Batman. To that end, he took over a robot body and pretended to be Bruce Wayne in a new form. Only Damian Wayne, the current Robin, accepted this story completely.
However, Damian Wayne soon discovered the truth, as Zur-En-Arrh began building a League of Zur-En-Arrh’s from across the multiverse, in their own robot bodies. Unsurprisingly, Zur-En-Arrh was prepared for the possibility of Damian rebelling, as he was too difficult to control. This led to the reveal of Zur-En-Arrh’s ideal partner — a robot Robin who would follow his orders.
The Real Value of Robin to Batman
This scene stood as a counterpoint to the rest of the issue, which centered on Bruce Wayne. He fled to a remote cabin, hoping to put distance between himself and his allies when Zur-En-Arrh came for him. However, he was joined by Tim Drake, the third Robin, who had guessed where Bruce would try to hide from a more sinister version of himself.
Bruce admitted he had a tendency to try and go it alone when things get rough. However, he said this had nothing to do with not trusting his allies. Instead, he went off on his own because he feared losing his found family if he failed. Tim sympathized, but pointed out that Bruce had trained his family to take care of themselves. He also suggested that Zur-En-Arrh’s weakness was that he couldn’t trust anyone like Bruce Wayne did.
Beyond reinforcing the theme that Batman’s strength is born of love, this scene affirmed the value of Robin to Batman. The Dark Knight needs a squire, not only to watch his back, but also to tell him when he’s gone astray. It is doubly fitting that this message is delivered by Tim Drake, who originally earned the Robin mantle by saving Batman from himself.
Batman #147 is now available on-line and at comic shops everywhere.
