Batman and Robin ran from 2009 to 2011 (issues #1–26), published by DC Comics, with art initially by Frank Quitely and subsequently by Philip Tan, Cameron Stewart, and Frazer Irving. The series was part of Morrison’s larger Batman epic — which stretched from Batman #655 through Batman Incorporated — but it functions beautifully as a standalone work.
The premise is that Bruce Wayne is dead (or rather, lost in time — Morrison’s larger plot is complicated) and Dick Grayson, the original Robin, has taken over as Batman. His Robin is Damian Wayne, Bruce’s biological son by Talia al Ghul — a ten-year-old trained by assassins, arrogant, violent, and desperate for approval. The reversal of the traditional dynamic — the Batman is now the cheerful, acrobatic one and the Robin is the dark, brooding one — generates both comedy and genuine pathos.
Morrison and Quitely’s first arc, “Batman Reborn,” is a masterclass in superhero storytelling: the action sequences are inventive and visually stunning, the character dynamics between Dick and Damian are perfectly calibrated, and the villain — Professor Pyg, a disturbing creation who turns people into “dollotrons” through surgical masks — is genuinely frightening. The series demonstrated that Morrison could write pop entertainment as effectively as avant-garde experimentation.
Collecting Batman and Robin (Morrison run)
Key issues: #1 (2009, Morrison/Quitely).
Market values:
- Batman and Robin #1, NM: $8–$25
- Complete Morrison run #1–26: $50–$150
- Deluxe hardcovers (3 volumes): $20–$35 each
- Trade paperback collections: $15–$20 each