The latest evolution of Batman lore just gave Robin a surprising new costume, bringing him closer to the Dark Knight's own design than ever. The twist comes in new miniseries Batman: Dark Age, which begins Bruce Wayne's story in the 1950s, seeing the Caped Crusader's career run alongside real historical events. Of course, in this kind of long view, there is no Batman without Robin.
In Batman: Dark Age #5, Batman and Dick Grayson attend a fire at Arkham Asylum in 1976. Despite Robin already having his red, yellow and green costume, he attends the fire with a very different look - a flame retardant suit identical to the Dark Knight's own, but with his 'R' logo on the chest. It's fascinating to see Dick dressed as a mini-Batman, given he's traditionally had a very different appearance.
In Dark Age, it seems that all Batman's Robins will be consolidated into the first, Dick Grayson. Formerly forced into working for the gangster Carmine Falcone, Dick was taken in by Bruce Wayne. Sadly, the framing device of an older Bruce Wayne has confirmed that Dick will die tragically, though not yet with any degree of detail.
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Robin's New Costume Embraces the Dark Knight's Design
Dark Age Is a Gold Mine of Retro Redesigns
First appearing in 1950, Robin's design has remained relatively consistent ever since, though with more flexibility shown for the latest holder of the codename - Bruce Wayne's son Damian. However, even there, DC has kept a firm hand on what Robin is allowed to look like. In creator notes for their Batman & Robin vol. 1: Batman Reborn, Grant Morrison reveals they intended Damian Wayne's Robin to wear a black costume with yellow detailing, cleaving much closer to Batman's design. Sadly, Morrison's vision was turned down by DC for taking Robin too far "off-model," though fans at least get to see Frank Quitely's sketches of the look.
Despite this decision, it makes sense that Robin would be allowed a more Batman-like costume in Dark Age, which takes place in an alternate reality with the fire-retardant costume only appearing on a few pages. Indeed, one of the most enjoyable suggestions of Robin's costume is that this more realistic version of Batman isn't willing to waste funds deg an entirely new specialty costume for when Robin is firefighting - though he does bother to include his sidekick's new insignia.
Dark Age also includes a new version of Robin's traditional costume, with Dark Age #4 debuting a new look that originally included a feathered cowl (which Robin quickly turned into a weapon.) Batman and his rogues' gallery have received similar new looks, grounding them in the time and place of the story.
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With only one issue left, hopefully there's still more time for fashionable retro redesigns for Batman, Gotham's villains, and Bruce Wayne's increasingly prominent Justice League allies. Robin finally has his 'mini-Batman' costume thanks to Dark Age, though sadly even that can't save Dick Grayson from the tragic fate looming in the near future.
Batman: Dark Age #5 is available now from DC Comics.
