For many years there was only one Robin and as time has gone on the role of Batman’s partner has blossomed into a legacy title that many have carried. The main continuity of DC Comics has mostly allowed Damian Wayne to remain the current robin, with the likes of Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and others graduating into other heroic identities, but a new issue this week has confirmed another character eventually took the title from Damian. Though the Batman/Catwoman Special #1, released as an interlude in-between issues of Tom King’s series, spends most of its time focusing on the titular two heroes there’s a time when we see that their daughter Helenabecame Robin at least for a moment.
The new issue follows the life of Catwoman essentially from start to finish, leaping ahead a few years every couple of pages, and focusing on how her life has been interlinked with Batman’s since she was a young girl. Eventually we see the domesticity play out between the two, with Selina eventually becoming pregnant and giving birth to Helena (operating in the future as Batwoman in the Batman/Catwoman limited series. Today’s special catches up to Helena’s teenage years at a certain point, revealing that her parents disagree about bringing her out into the field, only for Bruce to have his way and to make her the new Robin, fighting alongside both her mother and father. See for yourself below.
Tragically we never get a full look at her Robin costume, but we do learn that her full name in this potential future is “Helena Alfreda Wayne.” There’s also a tender moment between she and her mother, wherein Helenda repeats a mantra that her mother has instilled in her for her time fighting crime, “If I see The Joker, run the other way,” which she repeats three times.
You can find the full solicit and cover art for the issue below.
BATMAN CATWOMAN SPECIAL #1
Written by Tom King and others
Art by John Paul Leon, Tommy Lee Edwards, Bernard Chang, Mitch Gerads and others
Some great romances are destined to be. The Batman/Catwoman series shows readers the romance between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle as it changed over their lives, but what about their connections from before they became costumed adventurers? This special, meticulously illustrated one-off issue by John Paul Leon (Batman: Creature of the Night) traces the life of Selina Kyle from its earliest days to her entry into the criminal underworld, and reveals that Bruce was actually a presence in her life all along. Whether fate or coincidence, this story gives even more reasons why Selina and Bruce’s connection is one of the most enduring love affairs in comics. Now expanded to celebrate the legacy of iconic artist John Paul Leon, whose untimely passing after a long battle with cancer shocked the comics world, this special will feature his work completed for the original story and tributes created in his name by some of his closest friends and admirers.
