Welcome to the Bat-family
After Dick Grayson's introduction to Batman in Dark Victory, Year One expands on the personal examination of the young Bat-family. No longer mourning his parents' deaths, Dick settles into high school; Alfred, uncomfortable with the path Bruce has allowed Dick to set out on, helps the young teenager settle into his new life; and Bruce... Well, Bruce stays largely out of Dick's way until the final pages.
While we don't get much of a chance to examine Bruce's viewpoint, this allows Robin to fight crime away from the Bat's shadow, and spread his wings as Robin.
And he does so in a sharp-looking Gotham of bright, solid colors. It might not be the most obvious fit for Batman's brooding, cheerless mood, but it fits Robin just fine and is fun to look at.
While I'm prepared to suspend my disbelief just far enough to believe bullets won't hit him, Robin's villain-propelling kicks are at odds with his character. He relies on the physical strength of Batman to fight and interrogate henchmen, when it'd be more interesting to see him use his own trapeze artist's accuracy and flexibility to avoid competing on the brute strength he shouldn't have at his age. In her Year One story, Batgirl struggled to settle in -- at the same stage, Robin is almost ready to throw on Batman's cowl.
It's difficult to guess from part one whether the series will take a serious or goofy tone; Alfred's narration is thoughtful, and the crime Robin investigates here is hardly light fare, but the Mad Hatter and Wacky Races-style Batmobile parked in the Batcave point to a lighter story ahead. Either way, I'm sure it'll be entertaining.
