The young prince Damian Wayne was raised to be the heir to the fearsome League of Assassins–to follow in the footsteps of his deadly mother, Talia, and the Demon’s Head himself, his grandfather Ra’s al Ghul. But everything changed when his father, the Batman, reclaimed him and brought him back to Gotham City. As Robin, young Damian suddenly discovered he was merely one of a number of princes, preceded in the role by his brothers Nightwing, Red Hood, and Red Robin…and Damian doesn’t care to be merely anything. But when his father is forced to leave the city on urgent business, and a rash of abductions is accompanied by whispers of a demon stalking Gotham’s dark alleys, Damian will find himself battling alongside his adoptive brothers–and in the process, learning what the mantle of Robin really means! The Boy Wonder #1 features the talent of Juni Ba and is a hell of a debut issue.

Juni Ba is a hell of a talent. It was clear early on this is a comic creator who is going to break big at some point. Djeliya is the first release I became aware of Ba and it has been entertaining to see the rise since. The Boy Wonder #1 takes Ba’s talent in both writing and art and delivers a debut that takes a classic storytelling technique and delivers a hell of a start.

Captured by a bank robber, a masked hostage recounts the story of a king and his three adopted sons and the fourth son he didn’t know he had and eventually meets. It’s the story of Batman and his Robins with Damian at the center trying to stand out from the others and figuring out what makes each of them so special.

Ba delivers a comic that takes a classic fantasy story, and storytelling style, and putting Batman and his boys front and center. You get a sense of questioning from Damian’s tale as he attempts to piece together what makes each Robin so special and feel sorry for his attempt to make himself special as well. It’s cute and there’s some empathy for Damian, a character who has grown so much over the years.

Ba’s talent extends to the art which is amazing to look at and blends classic creators like Tim Sale and Darwyn Cooke with his own spin and style. It’s fantastic to look at and the whole package delivers a read that feels like a bard recounting a grand adventure for a fantasy party. It’s classic in some ways and works so well.

The Boy Wonder #1 is the excellence I expected from Juni Ba, living up the high standards. It’s a great read that, if it keeps it up, is likely to be a modern classic comic fans won’t want to miss.

Story: Juni Ba Art: Juni Ba
Color: Chris O’Halloran Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle