Tag Archive: red robin


Red Robin #23 Review

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May 14, 2011

Originally Published: May 11, 2011, on Comicvine.com

Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox are targeted for assassination by the Scarab while she is still in jail! What is going on here and can Red Robin put the clues together in time before he ends up being the one feeling Scarab’s sting.

The Good

I am really enjoying the fact that Lynx seems to be turning into Tim Drake’s version of Catwoman and that as much as he may not be ready for it, his life is paralleling Bruce’s more and more with every issue and story arc he appears in.

This issue also launches a story arc that will look to tie up some loose ends that were put on hold for the time being as Tim re-enters the shady world of international assassins to catch those who would target Lucius and Bruce. And making Lucius a target is great because Tim has to interact with Tam, Lucius’s daughter, and you see a glimpse of the difficulty of balancing Tim’s life with Red Robin’s, even though Tam is aware of his alter-ego.

The Bad

If you haven’t been reading previous issues of Red Robin, you might be at a loss to who all these new villains are that Tim is dealing with and not appreciate as much the clear character development you are seeing on a issue to issue basis with this series.

Also, I understand that Tim is kind of a wild card within the Bat-family, but to see Dick and Bruce just follow his lead seemed weird. When Tim is on his own, I have no problem with him doing all the work, but to be using Dick and Bruce like pawns in one of his own plans just rubbed me the wrong way.

The Verdict

If you haven’t been reading Red Robin, you might get confused, even with this being the first issue of a new story arc. It features a lot of characters that had been introduced in previous issues of the series as major players in this arc and so you might want to check out some back issues first if you want to use this issue as a jumping on point.

Aside from that, Red Robin looks to be leaping head first into a complicated yet thrilling new direction that should rock Tim’s world with this issue and has me really looking forward to next month to see just how Tim resolves all these messes in his crime-fighting life.

4/5 Stars

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Teen Titans #94 Review

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April 20, 2011

Originally Published: April 20, 2011, on Comicvine.com

With new team member Solstice in tow, the Teen Titans look to familiarize themselves with a whole new set of demonic forces that for once have nothing to do with Raven and her daddy Trigon. Can they brush up on their Indian mythology enough in time to rescue Wonder Girl and Solstice’s parents though?

The Good

A lot of fast paced action throughout the comic helps set up some ominous undertones revolving around these new foes of the Teen Titans. Couple this with some good internal monologues from Raven and Red Robin and you can get a good feel of what the team’s overall psyche is right now. In flux, uncertain, and uncomfortable for a variety of reasons with one another, the Teen Titans are fighting inner demons as much as those from Indian mythology.

The Bad

It’s another magic based storyline for the Teen Titans. I understand that with Wonder Girl, Raven, and now Solstice on the team with such little being known about her, that magical and mythological creatures make for the most logical and frequent of foes, but it gets tiresome. I don’t want or need a mythology lesson every time I crack open a Teen Titans comic. Maybe instead of trying to introduce a horde of new villains into the Bat-Family comics, DC should look to flesh out and diversify other rogue galleries instead, like those of the Teen Titans.

The Verdict

This issue of Teen Titans gives you exactly what you would expect from the comic if you’ve been reading it to this point or even if you’re just roughly familiar with the series because it’s the same almost all the time. A good balance of character and plot development tempered with some action due to an unknown demonic force rearing its head and requiring the strength of everyone involved to overcome. Therefore, they must put aside the hints of internal team strife that are constantly simmering just below the surface due to a bevy of conflicting personalities. Everyone comes together in the end to save the day. Mix well with new characters occasionally and serve for $2.99.

For the most part, Teen Titans has become predictable and formulaic, aside from the one arc involving the Clock King a while back, which I particularly enjoyed because it broke so far away from the norm. Not to say it doesn’t deliver well on this formula it has come up with, but it would be nice to see something different from them once in a while. Of course, this also makes it easy to jump into if you know anything about the characters involved, but fans that have been reading this consistently deserve something new and exciting from this comic and they’re definitely not getting it this issue.

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Red Robin #22 Review

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April 14, 2011

Originally Published: April 13, 2011, on Comicvine.com

Part 2 of the Judgment on Gotham crossover arc for the Bat-Family comics. Azrael is on a supposed holy mission to judge Gotham along with his new sidekick, The Crusader, and will only spare the city if he can find one of its guardians pure of spirit. And so Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, and Selina Kyle of all people will be tested and judged with all of Gotham riding on the line. Is someone more earthly bound though pulling Azrael’s strings as Red Robin begins his challenge?

The Good

You really see how Red Robin’s mind works in this comic and are reminded of just how much tragedy he has overcome in his life, again reminding us that when his character is old enough, he would make a much better Batman because he thinks like Batman.

The gauntlet he has to run through in order to complete his challenge in order to be judged by Azrael also reaffirms his resourcefulness as he seems to always be thrown headfirst into challenges that would have been daunting even for Bruce Wayne in his heyday and insures us an action packed adventure.

The Bad

Azrael and this new Crusader just are not cutting it for me as the villains of this arc as they seem more like rejects from the video game Assassin’s Creed 1 instead of characters that belong in the DC Universe.

And that leads into the entire faith-based storyline, which also rubs me the wrong way. With all these characters have been through over the years, for some “holy” test of faith to be the Bat-Family’s next great challenge just seems like a waste of time. Then again, it is hinted at being part of a much larger scheme with the villain reveal at the end of the comic and this could save what is a very slow developing plot so far for this crossover arc.

The Verdict

This book is packed with some great action sequences as Tim overcomes the obstacles thrown in his path, but a very slow developing plot overshadows this. A villain reveal at the end of the comic gives me hope this crossover arc can kick it up a notch in future issues, but as of right now Azrael and the Crusader just are not doing it for me in terms of playing the villain role for an arc that was deemed worthy of crossing over multiple titles.

If you are a fan of the Bat-Family books and picked up Part 1 of this arc in Batman #708 then whether you usually pick up Red Robin or not, you should pick up this issue. If you aren’t into the Bat-Family, then this is not an issue to try to start trying to familiarize yourself with them.

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