We've seen a few different Robins in the DCU. When the New 52 reboot arrived, a lot of people questioned how we could have Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne all be Robins within a five year time period. Now we're going to have a whole bunch more!
The idea of being a Robin is being taken to a different place now. Damian may still be going by the name but he's running around the world in his solo book, ROBIN: SON OF BATMAN. In Gotham City, a group of regular kids are now declaring WE ARE ROBIN.
I'll admit, when I first heard about the idea, I had some doubts. Regular kids, with no training, running around looking for trouble to take on in the streets of Gotham just seemed like a crazy and bad idea for them. That is part of the charm of the new series. As writer Lee Bermejo said in our interview:
Obviously it’s easier for them to see themselves in Robin as opposed to Batman. It’s just that concept of bringing light into a dark world. Essentially it’s a symbol.
These kids may be tired of living in the dangerous world Gotham has to offer. They've decided to do something about it.
Duke Thomas
Duke was introduced during Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Zero Year arc in BATMAN. It's great when a new character is introduced and something is done with them. He's our connection into the series. We many not know a lot about him but we did just see him during Endgame. That has helped set his direction here. He has a loose connection to Batman and it'll be interesting to see more of his story unfold.
The series is clearly set within the Bat-Universe but still has its own feel.
Leslie Thompkins and Others?
We get to see Leslie Thompkins in this issue. Too often, classic civilian characters like Leslie are left on the sidelines. She may not have a huge role in the series but her connection to Duke could allow us to see more of her. Having a pre-existing Batman character that isn't a major character come in and out further cements the series in the Bat-Universe without making it feel forced. If suddenly Jason Todd started giving them pointers or Tim Drake, that would seem out of character and a little unnatural.
Leslie may not be a permanent supporting character in the series. It will depend on where exactly Duke goes during his personal mission. This could be a chance to see other under-utilized supporting characters throughout the Bat-verse. Maybe we'll even see Harold. (Actually I'm kind of kidding about him).
Who or What is the Nest?
Who doesn't like a good mystery? We may not fully know how or when these kids first decided to band together and hit the streets. What we have seen is some texts from someone or something calling itself "The Nest." Could there be someone assisting these kids? Who is doing all the coordination? For some reason they had their sights on Duke. Is this just some "senior" member of the Robins or could it be something more? What about those last couple pages?
New Characters
Some readers complain when we get yet another Batman book or another book featuring characters already in a ba-jillion other titles. This is a chance for readers to get in on the ground floor. We're just being introduced to these characters. There's likely to be others popping in and out or waiting to be introduced. Some may be reluctant to accept new characters but I say why not give them a chance? Let them grow on you?
The important thing is to try something different. We need to let publishers know we're open to new or different concepts instead of the same few characters done over and over again. There is a lot of potential seen in this first issue. It's definitely worth checking out.