DC Comics today announced a new 12-issue comic book series, Batman and Robin: Year One, by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee. The adventures start on Wednesday, October 16, when the first issue of the new series is available at participating local comic book shops.

In Batman and Robin: Year One, Bruce Wayne is adjusting to adopting orphan Dick Grayson, while a new crime boss called the General arrives in Gotham to take over by disrupting other mobs. What is his connection to Two-Face? Batman and Robin seek answers, balancing their roles as father and son and as a dynamic duo, with Dick Grayson’s future at stake.

“While Batman and Robin are the main characters, this story is really about Bruce and Dick,” said Mark Waid. “It takes place shortly after Bruce adopted Dick, and Bruce realizes he has no idea how to be a father. He has no role model—his own father was long dead by the time he was Dick’s age. Nothing has prepared him for this, and Alfred doesn’t have much experience either.”

“Dick is everything Bruce is not—impetuous, flamboyant, reckless,” said Chris Samnee. “But he’s also precise; he can stick a landing. He’ll follow orders when they make sense, but he’s ready to improvise, testing his role as part of the Dynamic Duo. The first pages will show how they act and react as they patrol Gotham City together. We’re excited for this story to be told.”

Batman and Robin: Year One #1, co-plotted by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee, written by Mark Waid, art and main cover by Chris Samnee, color by Matheus Lopes, and lettering by Clayton Cowles, will have variant covers by Mikel Janín, Matteo Scalera, Karl Kerschl (1:25), and Lee Weeks (1:50). Batman and Robin: Year One #1 will be available at local comic book shops on October 16, 2024.