As the heroes who have held the Robin title inch closer to crossing paths with the so-called “first Robin”, they’re encountering a wholly unexpected group of young criminals modeled after DC villains Joker, Penguin, and Poison Ivy. While Batman’s rogues don’t seem like the mentoring type, this new crew is without a doubt intimately familiar with the criminal elements of Gotham, just as the Robins are familiar with them.
The sidekick trope has been discussed for years by fans but the series Robins by Tim Seely and Baldemar Rivas seems determined to address the issues of child heroes directly. The comic previously had the former and current Robins get together to candidly talk out the idea of how their role as Batman’s sidekick affected them. Now, as their investigation begins to pick up, the Robins are seeing how toxic the idea of child assistants are in a much more dire way.
Robins #2 picks up where the last issue left off, with all of the Robins looking into the death of Lou Delcaine, the first criminal Dick Grayson took down as Robin (referred to as his “gauntlet”). Before his death, Delcaine mentioned other criminals who’d had first encounters with a Robin were also recently broken out of prison. The death and prison escape were masterminded by the young woman proclaiming to be the first Robin. However, for the breakout, she had hired help in the form of several garishly-dressed young people. The detective work of Batman’s mentees leads them to a cemetery where they find their gauntlets being held hostage by a group Nightwing seems to unfortunately recall.
The Junior Supercriminals, young men and women based off some of Gotham’s greatest threats and as Dick puts it “Totally awful, useless sidekicks”. The group isn’t an original creation for Seely and Rivas, with the group appearing first appearing all the way back in E. Nelson Bridwell and Ric Estrada’s Super Friends #1 in 1976. Trained by their mentors in the art of evil, the Junior Supercriminals were meant to help villains get on equal ground with heroes who bolstered their fighting force with younger heroes and sidekicks. Despite the junior criminals looking up to their inspirations, they mention various abuses they’ve encountered from their mentors. From having obscenities screamed at them to being physically assaulted, the Supercriminals have a complex relationship, to say the least. The group’s presence is a dark parallel to the crew of Robins, who are finally confronting their pasts and reflecting on how being Robin personally affected them.
While the Junior Supercriminals may not be respected by Dick Grayson, including them is a bold move in a comic that examines the ethics of bringing children and young people into the adult world of good and evil. After all, if the role of sidekicks is good enough for Penguin, Poison Ivy, and Joker what does that say about one of DC’s greatest heroes?
