After nearly fifteen years on the comic book scene, Damian Wayne finally has a worthy adversary. No, it’s not the Joker. It’s not Penguin or Poison Ivy, and it’s definitely not the League of Assassins (please).
It’s Howard.
Batman and Robin and Howard is a whimsical, middle school-set tale due out later this year from cartoonist Jeffrey Brown, the artist behind the mega-successful Darth Vader and Son and Jedi Academy books. Lifting the veil on Batman’s behind the scenes relationship with his son as they balance their roles as crimefighters with that of being a family, it offers a down-to-earth look at Gotham’s two most famous heroes packed with laughs, whimsy and clever life lessons sure to please fans of Batman and Brown alike.
The graphic novel focuses on Robin after the Boy Wonder finds himself benched by his dad and enrolled in a new middle school where he soon strikes up a rivalry with the smartest and most athletic kid on campus, Howard. Damian is used to confronting super-villains and patrolling the mean streets of Gotham, but navigating the pitfalls of middle school social life? Well, let’s just say it’s not his strong suit. Still, how can he possibly expect his father to let him return to being Robin if a non-powered, completely ordinary kid can do everything he can do and more? Isn’t Robin supposed to be the best?
Aimed at middle school readers, but offering plenty for older fans as well, Batman and Robin and Howard is Brown’s first book for DC. Like much of his earlier work, it blends his colorful, kid-friendly art and gentle storytelling style with a franchise that’s better known these days for its darkness and action, resulting in a Batman and Robin book unlike any other. To find out how it came together, we spoke with Brown about the idea, who filled us in on what we can expect from Howard, whether we’ll be seeing any of Batman’s famous super-villains and what it would be like to have the Caped Crusader for a dad.
Batman and Robin and Howard by Jeffrey Brown will be available everywhere books and comics are sold on November 9, 2021.
Read more HERE.
