It's a Spoiler warning concerning, the SPOILER! Oh, the irony. Oh, the humanity.
Oh, Oh, Oh, there is nothing like gratification. Last summer at Wizard World Chicago I bought this incredible print of Tim Drake as Robin, Nightwing, and Jason Todd in the Red Robin costume...This year, I'll be scoping for the full foursome.
"Now you know why there's no memorial in the cave." Despite the appearance of the Spoiler's costume in Robin's lab in Titans Tower, it never sat right with me that no matter how many summer panels asked Dan Didio where the memorial was, he stuck to the short and quick answer of something in the vein of "forget it." I actually was feeling emotion about it; I was perturbed. Dixon did in this one book what it takes other writers six months to break down, but I digress, because LOOK AT THIS COVER. A departure from the usual Robin color scheme, there is really something captivating about this cover. I usually go straight for story but you cannot keep from getting completely mesmerized.
Pop open the cover, it's got everything you need: 1)Robin, the "fake" Spoiler, and Violet in a triple-teen-tussle, which ends with a fast escape in the much-damaged Red Bird with a suggestion of a new Robin vehicle to come; 2) the walk-on appearance of the Penguin to remind you who's really covering the big picture; 3) Batman cameo? Oh yes, that too; leading up to 4) that's right, the return of a dead hero, Stephanie Brown, the Spoiler, Robin to the Fourth.
Is it hackneyed? Maybe. The permanency mavens might be put off by her return after only being dead about a year and a half, but if you ask me, her departure happened too soon. And come on, the only good dead Robin is a Robin murdered by the Joker. I'll stand by that till my own grave.
Ultimately, you got to walk away with Stephanie back, allowing her to play a part (hopefully) in Batman R.I.P. You get a baseline explanation for her whereabouts that you won't need to wait two months for. Also a potential return to the status quo with Dr. Leslie Thompkins and the B-man was good news. That relationship being on the outs never really fit it with the all-time Batman truisms. The DC Nation page reveals an upcoming Robin/Spoiler Special to keep your mouth watering. Will we now get the final question answered? Will Robin finally have a love interest that lasts more than a couple issues? Has he learned anything from Stephanie's death and now return? Will Stephanie go after Wonder Girl to put an end to the bitter rivalry with Ace the Bathound in tow? I'm not taking this one off my pull list any time soon.
Recently the iFanboy team posed the question: As a child, do you fantasize about being Batman or Robin? My answer: of course the sidekick, because while being Batman opens the door to a world of gloom and instilling fright, which I'm sure is attractive to the right person, being Robin gives you the ability to be insulated, make mistakes, win fights, learn lessons, make out with your thought to be dead girl friend and then turn around to see the Batman beaming - which he only does for you - no matter what the case (unless it's the Frank Miller All-Star Batman - then you're likely to get shived). Robin all the way.
Story: 5 - Excellent
Art: 4 - Very Good
