The Pull List: Red Robin



Since my early teen years, I have been a fan of the third Robin (now Red Robin), Tim Drake. I'm not completely certain as to "why". It could be that he was relateable, at that age. He was a teenager that WANTED to be a hero, training hard under Batman and Lady Shiva to be the best crimefighter he could, never shirking his duties, but simultaneously being very much a teenager at school.

It could be that I was envious of his demeanor. The calm, logical way he approached his career as Robin was and is something I would like to emulate in my everyday life.

Or it could be that he's just been in awesome comics since I first read about him in Young Justice and his 180+ issue Robin series, a trend that continues with this new comic, Red Robin.

Initially, I had all sorts of problems with this comic, something the people over at ComicBloc forums can easily attest to. The opening twelve issue arc had me in an actual nerd rage (which can only happen over miniscule crap that doesn't matter) where I nitpicked the tinsiest problem in each successive issue, until I read the last three issues, which both brought Tim back to greatness as a character and finally allowed him to deal with all the trauma he had experienced over the past few years of DC events that one by one stole his family and friends.

Once I noticed that (and the gorgeous art by Marcus To), this series became a must-read, and has remained such after the writer switch to the very talented and very underappreciated Fabian Nicieza.

It's been a while since I read this series, but if you like globe-trotting, martial arts action, teen romance, superheroes, and cool-headed, tactical teenagers that take people down with their minds before ever fighting with their fists (and very beautiful artwork), Red Robin is the series to go to.



Jump on Issue: Red Robin 13.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sage Spoils The Plot: Kamen Rider Decade

Image
Starting a new section today, entitled Sage Spoils The Plot. I pondered over this name for quite a while, but as I thought about it, I realized calling it commentary or blogging or whatever is just bullshit. What you're REALLY doing is spoiling the plot and adding your own brand of shitty humor. So, why not be honest? Plus, Sage Spoils The Plot has kind of a ring to it. For the first section we're doing the new Kamen Rider series of 2009, Kamen Rider Decade. Kamen Rider checks a lot of "totally fucking awesome" boxes for me. A lot of people might call it, "Japanese Power Rangers" (which is untrue from the start since that already exists) due to the suits and the fight scenes. I accept this. That said, its proof that anything done right can be cool--so when you get rid of the over-acting, toss in a good plot (exceptionally good plots actually), add in some well done characterization, and tone down the stupid-level of the fight scenes and make them look less l
Read more

The New 52, Corrected: Justice Legion A

Image
What Happened: It’s another replacement book.  This time we’re getting rid of Legion Lost.  What I’d Change: Enjoy the adventures of the Justice League of the 853rd century.  Why: Put simply?  Legion Lost didn’t have enough legs to function as an ongoing series.  A group of the Legion’s best members go to the past to combat an alien virus...and then what.  They get stuck?  Meh.  The appeal of the Legion is they’re from the future.  This could have been a great MINI-series; something with a beginning, a middle, and an end.  As an ongoing I got bored, really fast.  So instead let’s replace them with a book about the Justice League of the far future. DC's got a terrible habit of making up awesome concepts and then leaving them by the wayside, this is one of DC’s greatest and its only been revisited like, twice.  (Once by Geoff Johns with Booster Gold 1,000,000 and once with Chris Roberson with some Superman/Batman comic.)   It helps lighten the hit that came with Flashpoint
Read more