It’s been almost two years since Batman and Robin ended, and the Rebirthed status quo hasn’t gotten DC any closer to a traditional Dynamic Duo. Tom King and David Finch’s first Batman arc was about two new protegés, the super-powered Gotham and Gotham Girl; while in All-Star Batman Scott Snyder and John Romita Jr. paired Batman with Duke Thomas. While Damian and the other Robins showed up briefly in the Batman arc “I Am Bane,” for the most part he has stuck to the new Teen Titans and team-ups with Superboy in Super Sons. With Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason having moved over to Superman, perhaps Rebirth’s most memorable Batman and Robin joint appearances have been in issues #10-11 (January 2017) and 20-25 (June-August 2017) of that title.

Dick helps Damian through some parental issues in Batman #33, by Tom King and Joelle Jones

Superficially this looks like a structural issue. Batman appears regularly in 5 ongoing series, four of which (Detective Comics, Justice League, Justice League of America and Trinity) feature him with various combinations of heroes. Likewise, Damian appears regularly only in Super Sons and Teen Titans. Since neither shows up that often in the other’s titles, there’s little (if any) overlap. Indeed, across his titles Batman seems to be building (or rebuilding) relationships with several other heroes, none of which is his offspring. For example, in Detective Tim’s apparent death became a significant subplot for Bruce, which is fine; but in hindsight makes us wonder even more about what’s going on with Bruce and Damian.

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The lack of attention is especially puzzling in light of some other rekindled mentor-protege relationships. Both versions of Wally West have gotten a decent amount of attention in The Flash. Tempest (the former Aqualad) is helping Mera in Aquaman. Most significantly, Jon “Superboy” Kent has been a major part of the Rebirthed Superman titles. Superman especially focuses on building up the “Super-Family” of Clark, Lois and Jon — which is still kind of a new thing even after a year’s worth of biweekly comics. Perhaps that (along with the Tomasi-written Super Sons) is Tomasi and Gleason’s way to fill a post-Batman and Robin void.

So why not do more with comics’ foundational pair? To us it just makes sense. At the risk of repeating the obvious, Damian is Bruce’s son. They live together in Wayne Manor (although Damian has just started at Metropolis’ West-Reeve school). Bruce has both emotional and practical interests in making sure that Damian becomes a well-rounded superhero. They might not have the smiles-and-field-trips relationship that the Kents do, but they don’t have a particularly bad one.

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Rarely do we see that now in the main Bat-books. Bruce getting engaged to Selina Kyle was one of the biggest events in both their lives; and as shown in December 2017-January 2018’s “Rules of Engagement” arc (Batman issues #33-35), Alfred spilled the beans to the Robins because Bruce hadn’t done it yet. Moreover, Dick and Damian had to track Bruce to a desolate Middle Eastern cave to have anything approaching a discussion about it. Dick even had to explain Bruce’s emotional state to Damian. Now, we understand that each issue is just 20 pages of story every two weeks, and it can’t all be about Damian coming to grips with his dad not choosing to settle down with his mom. Still, we’re on board with the engagement, and we look forward to Damian’s interactions in the expanding Bat-Family (assuming that Bruce and Selina do get married).

Super-parenting in Super-Sons #10, by Peter Tomasi, Jose Luis and Scott Hanna

More to the point, though, we’d like at least some indications that Batman and Robin are back in the old nightly-patrol routine. Right now Batman has his colleagues and Robin has his, with the two meeting only infrequently. Heck, the recent “Super-Sons Of Tomorrow” crossover (Superman issues #37-38, Super Sons #11-12 and Teen Titans #15) barely had Bruce in it at all. Robin was created to give Batman someone to talk to, and these days (ironically) that’s not as much of a problem. As mentioned above, in the Rebirth era alone Bruce has mentored several characters, from Clayface and Spoiler to Signal and the younger JLAers. It’s good that Damian has his own friends and allies; but he should also be a regular part of Bruce’s innermost circle along with Dick, Selina and Alfred.

This is classic “show don’t tell” territory, and DC can’t just let Bruce and Damian’s relationship be implied. The Dynamic Duo’s appeal is a two-way street: Batman gives Robin the chance to go adventuring, while Robin shows Batman how much fun those adventures can be. Those interactions have changed over the years, according to how each Robin’s distinct personality combines with Batman’s own experiences. Nevertheless, Damian’s unique relationship to Bruce has the potential for something entirely new. Regardless of costumes and codenames, they’ll always be together; and that should produce a bond more profound than any previous Dynamic Duo has shared.

Maybe this is just a product of Rebirth’s world-building. Maybe it’s part of the Bat-office’s long game, and somewhere down the line Bruce and Damian will get back to sharing adventures. Not everything in superhero comics has to be nostalgia-driven, but this Dynamic Duo has possibilities too rich to ignore. Here’s hoping that sooner rather than later, the Bat-books’ creative teams will craft compelling stories of father and son.

Do you want to see more Batman and Robin team-ups? Let us know in the comments!