March
17 Detective Comics #817

Creators: James Robinson, writer; Leonard Kirk and Andy Clarke, artists
DC, 32 pages, color, $2.50
So? As with Superman #650, One Year Later restores a lot of the status quo to the Batman franchise. Jim Gordon is once again Commissioner Gordon and Batman and Robin return after a year’s absence to battle Poison Ivy. Not much happens in this issue, but it is nice to see Robinson back writing comics. Kirk does some nicely detailed and atmospheric artwork that’s perfect for Gotham City. This book is not without its mysteries. There’s reference to terrible events in the past year and it’s not clear that this Robin is the same Robin we’re used to. There’s less to sink your teeth into in this issue than in Superman, but with seven more episodes to go this is a good jumping on point and Robinson is always good for some excellent character work that’s well worth reading. Grade: B