Robin #175 review

Shattered Pieces (RIP tie-in)

Robin has Bruce's "Black Casebook" which is a record of his early days, the contents of which are weighing heavily on him while he looks back to their past experiences in their year off after the events of Infinite Crisis. Stephanie Brown, The Spoiler, shows up while Tim is scanning the pages of the diary. He intends to share the information in the book, redacted in places of course, to try to corroborate the contents. Tim fears Batman has lost his mind due to a possible post hypnotic suggestion planted in his mind during a ten day period spent in isolation (covered in an earlier issue of Batman). He goes and sees a Seargent Harper at GCPD to give her the scanner. After running around, beating down some thugs, he goes to The Penguin to strike a deal for a large sum of money. Find Batman by dawn. Naturally, the Penguin is up for it. Joining back up with Spoiler again, Robin declares that if Batman isn't "right in the head" that he's going to take him down.

I haven't been a regular reader of Robin in a long long time. The last issues I picked up, in fact, were during the whole Resurrection of Ra's Al-Guhl debacle. I recall the Robin and Nightwing issues beig the strongest parts of that whole weak-kneed little crossover. This issue, written by Fabian Nicieza is...okay. I mean, it's pretty much a restatement of what's been going on over in Batman for the most part and nothing really happens. It comes across as shiftless and without focus for most of the issue. The closer we get to the end, however, it really seems to find a direction. Robin? Taking down Batman? Holy shit! Course, it's not gonna happen. Flipping through the new Previews today, I got pretty spoiled to the ending of RIP. This does, however, lend credence to the notion that Tim Drake will take up the mantle of Batman.

What I really dug this issue was all the flashback stuff to the year off. Batman in a cave for 49 days in Nanda Parbat, Tim and Dick take off and do some nuanced crime-fighting/007 high roller type shit. That was really cool. Getting a chance to see Dick in a swank environment, hot wiminz all around him, lapping it all up, Tim vaguely embarassed.....tight stuff. I love the relationship between these two characters. Maybe it's a lame idea, but cancel both Nightwing and Robin and reboot them under a single title, Nightwing & Robin (or Robin & Nightwing to maintain the notion that Robin is Batman's sidekick and not Nightwing's). Maybe it's just a stupid and fleeting thought, but I think it would have potential. Nightwing is supposed to be the natural heir to Batman anyway, and I don't see that Tim Drake ever really learns anything from the Bat to begin with. Tim and Dick, however, have a really interesting personal relationship that has great potential for exploration. Call me crazy, but I like this idea.

What really really bugs me...fucking bothers me...is the relationship between RObin and Spoiler. I remember back when they had this heavy romantic relationship going on that really drove the title. Now, with Spoiler's...resurrection...it's this strained, childish, stupid.....thing. I don't know if they know where to go with these two now. It's just a lot of sniping back and forth, nothing interesting or worth reading. There was that moment at the end, however, with Robin confiding his grand plan, but they need to kill this angst bullshit before it ruins their relationship.

Overall...well, it's been a week. Anyone still wondering whether or not to pick this up can skip it. It's not bad, but it really lends nothing that you probably haven't read online already.