Batman & Robin Adventures, Vol. 3

DC Animated Universe

by Kelley Puckett, Bo Hampton (Illustrator)

The adventure continues in this follow-up to the four-time Emmy Award-winning Batman: The Animated Series! Join Batman and Robin as they fight the deadliest, craziest villains Gotham City has to offer. The Dynamic Duo takes on the likes of Two-Face, the Riddler, Ra's al Ghul and more.

Batman & Robin Adventures Vol. 3 collects issues #19-25 and Annual #2, featuring stories inspired by the animated television series and written by Ty Templeton (Batman '66 Meets The Green Hornet), Hilary J. Bader (The New Batman Adventures), Bo Hampton (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight), Brandon Kruse (The Tick), Joe Staton (Green Lantern) and others.

Genres: Comics, Superheroes, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Batman, Fiction, Childrens

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 24, 2018

About the author

Kelley Puckett is a comic book writer. He is the creator of the character Cassandra Cain, the Batgirl who succeeded Barbara Gordon and who was succeeded herself by Stephanie Brown, as well as the second Green Arrow, Connor Hawke.

Reviews

[Dr Rashmit Mishra · Rating 3 out of 5]

So Paul Dini stopped writing these books , and there’s a significant drop in quality in terms of stories and dialogues. Much of the stories in this book were unrealistic and felt unrelated to the mythos of Batman as a character . Most stories in fact portrayed batman and robin as reliant on luck more than their brain and Braun to get out of sticky situations, I won’t say that this was a bad book , or didn’t feel "Batman” but , it wasn’t fun to read and felt out of place . I don’t think I’d continue with more of these Paul Dini universe books if Paul Dini isn’t involved

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things peter out a bit at the end but this is still a great collection for any Batman the Animated Series fan. The majority of the collection is so good, you'll hear the characters' voices as you read. A strong rebound from the somewhat mediocre previous volume.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Underwhelming as compared to the previous two volumes. It is not bad by any means, but the quality of depth and story we are getting now is microscopic.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Batman: The Animated Series" was undoubtedly one of the best cartoons ever made. So, it's little wonder than the comic tie-ins are also awesome stories. These aren't quite as "fleshed-out" as the ones in the actual show, but they're quick, enjoyable reads that give fans exactly what they want: action, solid and interesting stories, and a bit more time with these characters. As a huge Robin fan, I love that most of these stories have the Boy Wonder as a strong player (hence the title). That's an added bonus for me. The best part of these comics is that they offer a bit more fun without deviating from the basic Batman mythos: he's still a dark and brooding character... just not TOO dark and brooding. It's a happy medium between the "coolness" that is Batman, and also a little, tiny bit of the campiness that came from Batman's early publication days (and from being something designed originally for kids). What can I say, if you're a Bat-fan, these are a nice way to lighten up the mood without losing who Batman is. (Side note: My favorite comic was definitely the one where the GCPD were taking bets on how many criminals the Dynamic Duo would bring in. Great action plus laughs.)

[Zachary King · Rating 5 out of 5]

More great animated Batman adventures! This volume includes arguably the finest Batgirl/Riddler story ever, a fascinating Ra's al Ghul tale with UFOs (which reads very differently as an adult!), and a wonderful annual with flashbacks to Bruce's training with Zatara. Also included: an odd one-sided romance between Killer Croc and Summer Gleeson, a GCPD betting pool, and the animated debut of the Huntress. I could read these comics for the rest of my life.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Batman & Robin Adventures volumes are always a delight, both from the clever, sometimes dark stories and the welcome return to Batman: The Animated Series-inspired artwork. This volume features a number of fun hits, but also two big misses in the double-length issues featuring the Hypnotist and Ra's al-Ghul. The former is confusing and overdeveloped, the latter features an alien abduction and Men in Black - too dumb for Batman. All the other issues are typically solid, fortunately.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, fun collection that consist of short, stand-alone stories that take place within the animated Batman Universe. Nothing extraordinary, but certainly entertaining in its own right.

[Lizzie & Koala Skywalker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading the bulk of this graphic novel. I would have given it 5 stars, but I didn't like the story about Ra's al Ghul. ~ Lizzie :)

[Harley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Give me book 4 DC you cowards

[Miss December · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 rounded down. Not the best Ra's al-Ghul story. The GCPD betting pool was awesome, Riddler/Batgirl was terrific, and I'm always happy to see Zatanna :)

[I.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

More stories that could have easily been episodes of the cartoon with excellent art and pacing. Maybe the ufo one jumped the shark a bit but the riddler and two face issues were all timers.

[Victor Orozco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this collection in my library and thought to myself how cool it was, but my brain needed to see it in the best light possible, so I learned about the collection's three volumes. I want to say I loved Batman: The Animated Series. I always found it odd that they renamed it 'Batman & Robin Adventures' for some reason; it wasn't like the radical change in art that was the Kids WB series. My guess was to keep it kid-oriented by increasing the importance of his sidekick. Still, I was all for it if this could bring back happy memories. These stories were ideas thrown out, but couldn't be adapted because they were too short. Having finished the previous two volumes, the final volume was in, and I was just as happy with it as I was with the last volume.

Duty of the Huntress. Bruce Timm and Paul Dini have done their best in adapting the Batman comics in their own way, with guest stars from other major stories. Sometimes, adding characters like Jonah Hex, Zatanna, and the Creeper, as well as all the villains that had never been adapted from other TV shows and films. But their previous collection introduced Deadman and Catman. This one brings in a favorite of mine in Helena Bertinelli, aka the Huntress. The vengeful vigilante regaled in the cross and hunters smock-frock against the men who murdered her family.

Through the Long Night. A somewhat humorous look at the GCPD taking bets on their superheroes claiming criminals against their fellow boys in blue.

Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk? A caper against the Riddler with Batgirl involving herself to save her father.

Fifty Fifty. Two-Face is manipulated by an old mob boss he put away in his District Attorney days, as he loses his lucky coin in exchange for a simple quarter.

Crocodile Tears. Killer Croc has known nothing but cruelty his entire existence, so he gets riled up when he is put in a sympathetic light by Summer Gleeson.

Token of Faith. Zatanna returns when a former twisted rival of her father's comes back with a medallion that he believes amplifies his hypnotic powers. Thanks to learning skills from her father, Batman & Robin obtain the willpower and skills to fight back.

Touch of Death. Poison Ivy ironically comes face to face with a man spreading a highly infectious poison that brings death to all.

Demon in the Sky. Ra's al Ghul is abducted by aliens, but it is the aliens who become his victims. With their ship taken over by the Demon's Head, he plans to use this craft to bring on humanity's destruction. But Batman has something to say about that.

And so it ends. I enjoyed this collection of comics, just as good as the second volume. My favorite is with Huntress. It's reassuring to know that she will return to the Justice League Animated Series as a guest star. I understand why this was never adapted into an episode, what with her origin story being the murder of her family, even Batman wasn't shown that until a Justice League Animated Series episode as well. I also enjoyed the return of Zatanna. I even enjoyed a flashback that John Zatara knew of a man and contacted him via a powerful amulet, referring to him as "Clark." Yeah, that one. Makes sense given they both premiered in the same Action Comics issue. Other stories were fine. It makes me sad that it comes to an end, in this form. My guess is the WB Animated series version of the Animated series will continue the story.

[Michael Fricker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Art style is cool and matches Batman: The Animated Series. These comics are short form stories of the same characters from the show.