Four Color Marathons: Robin
Bear with me, true believers. This is a new thing I'm attempting, and I'm not wholly confident I can do it, but you won't know if you don't try. Four Color Marathons is a series of columns I'll be doing where I discuss various "runs" on superhero characters that, to me at least, personify not only that character, but just a good example of superhero comic books in general. I'm not claiming to be the be-all end-all when it comes to comics, but I hope after I finish each one of these columns you'll want to go to either Amazon or your nearest library because I've given you a new series you're excited to read.
So, without further adieu, let's get started. This week's Four Color Marathons is about one of my favorite superheroes of all time, even if he doesn't actually have any superpowers: Robin, of the famous dynamic duo, Batman and Robin.
Robin
Run Length: 1-100
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist: Tom Grummett, Phil Jimenez, Staz Johnson, Pete Woods, etc.
Usually, when a person thinks of a sidekick, they don't think of a character that's capable of carrying a story all on their own. This is why characters like "Kid Flash" and "Speedy" don't have rogues' galleries as solo heroes. (And if they do, they're REALLY obscure.) And in all honesty, the idea that a sidekick couldn't carry a story on their own was one DC supported for several decades, until November 1993, when they allowed writer Chuck Dixon to launch an ongoing about the most famous sidekick of them all, Robin. In so many ways, the writer made Robin a comic you simply would not expect it to be, but Dixon's ability to do the unexpected is what made the title such a fantastic book.
To begin with, you'd think Robin's solo adventures begin with him wanting to strike out on his own, tired of his name always coming after "Batman and", right? Yeahh...not so much:
Dixon specialized in the art of an "action opening" (IE, making the first page so interesting you want to find out what the comic is about, via something like the main character being in danger), but here it actually serves the purposes of Robin's opening issue quite well. Now, for those of you wondering just why Batman looks like he and Tony Stark have the same tailor, there was a story done back in the early 90's called "Knightfall" where the "original" Batman had a tussle with Bane. Most readers probably know where I'm going with this, but for those who don't, the ending of the story was Bane breaking Batman's back, leaving him a paraplegic. Obviously unable to continue being Batman, Bruce Wayne passed the role on to another. Unfortunately, rather than do the logical thing and pass it on to his first sidekick who "graduated", he found some relative nobody named Jean Paul Valley and named him the new Batman. Valley eventually became more and more mentally unstable (as you can see), and along the way decided that Gotham needed a new, stronger Batman--hence the outfit you see above. The entire thing was a huge crossover that ran roughly a year and a half, and it was during that time period that the Robin comic book launched.
And while launching a brand-new book during a gigantic, multi-part crossover that spanned eighteen months and who knows how many monthly ongoings may not SEEM like the brightest idea, it actually worked out quite well for the Robin series. With the real Batman gone and the replacement Batman...nuts...it forced Tim Drake/Robin to operate on his own. And Dixon wastes no time developing Robin into a competent, three-dimensional character. In the first two issues alone we see Robin escape from an addled, armored Batman, gain a sweet new ride that's basically his own version of the Batmobile (the Redbird), and solve a crime involving a chop shop gang without any help from the Dark Knight. But no superhero is complete without drama in their civilian life, so at the same time we're introduced to Tim's girlfriend Ariana (who he barely has time for between school and being Robin), and learn that his father has been missing for several months; the fallout of his first adventures as Robin (before he was given his own title).
Even better is that Dixon finds a way to make the "superhero love triangle" work without it being the tired "Superman/Lois/Clark Kent"-type deal. By issue four, he introduces a new character to the series known as Spoiler, a.k.a. Stephanie Brown, daughter of Batman villain the Cluemaster and eligible teenage female superhero who has a thing for our caped crusader. And while the idea of a superhero who has girls chasing after him in BOTH his identities isn't exactly new (look to a certain Web Head for that), it never fails to add an extra dimension to relationship drama that's entertaining to read about. Plus, personally, I've always found it more interesting when superheroes date each other anyway. Where else can you get this:
And if you think after Bruce puts on the cowl again the book suddenly becomes about Tim teaming up with Batman, think again. This entire run occurs during the most tumultuous period of Gotham City in history--they run through two completely different Batmen, two viruses capable of wiping out the city, an Earthquake, the entire city being declared off-limits by the United States government and thus REALLY becoming "Arkham City". More often than not the two are split-up to be able to cover all the trouble in Gotham, making sure that the main character of the Robin series IS Robin. And those are just the events! Independent of those, Tim deals with threats from legit Batman villains like Two-Face and Riddler, makes his own villains like The General (a kid roughly Tim's age who believed himself to be the next Napoleon), and gets dragged into battles with ninjas and martial artists that more often than not lead him directly into conflict with the dreaded Lady Shiva Woo San, the most feared martial artist in the entire DC Universe.
Another thing that made Robin--the title and the character himself--so unique is that unlike the other Batman characters, he had a life completely independent of his superhero gig. He had school. He had friends, parents, and a girlfriend. All of whom he would have to answer to before and after he put on the cape and cowl. This offered a dynamic to the title that every other Bat-book at the time was devoid of. For instance, a few years after this run ended, Bruce Wayne would be framed for murder, and Batman's initial response to it essentially amounted to: "I have other identities I can use." When everyone closest to you is either a superhero or friends with a bunch of superheroes, it means you're pretty much free to come and go as you please. Tim Drake's home life...the fact that he HAD one at all made him unlike all the other Bat-characters who could assume their superhero guises at their own leisure. It sort of read like Spider-Man, minus the super-powers and...plus cool gadgets.
Fortunately Dixon made sure that the book was never held back by this fact. Secret identites are supposed to add to the drama and fun of a superhero comic, not suppress it entirely. One of the most fun parts of his Robin run is that a fair bit of it didn't even take place in Gotham. Tim spent a number of issues globe-trotting, either to catch criminals or to further his martial arts training. And that's another aspect of the book I always enjoyed: Tim wasn't finished training! When you read a Batman title, you go in knowing you're already at the end of Bruce Wayne's personal journey: he's done with his decade long quest to become the greatest detective/martial artist/boxer/lockpicker in the world. Same with so many other characters--they're most likely confident in their abilities, whether those abilities are enough for the job they've undertaken or not. With Robin, it's different--before Tim Drake could finish his training he had to put the costume on and get to work, and while you DO eventually see him try to finish his training, he's always second-guessing himself as Robin, wondering if his training is enough, especially considering he partners up with the likes of Batman and Nightwing. And, y'know...occasionally the Flash:
But what I loved most of all was how seamlessly it all ran together. See, in comic books today, stories are told in "arcs"--they run anywhere from three to twelve issues, and then once an arc is done, a new one starts up the following issues. It's easier to collect into "volumes" that they can sell to libraries or in bookstores. But Robin was written before this concept was as popularized as it is today: instead of having arcs, each issue usually tells a complete story, weaving in sub-plots that will eventually grow to become main plots which go on to completion as more sub-plots are added in the background. The result is a series that feels like there aren't any abrupt starts or stops, despite the fact that Dixon had to weave in countless crossovers and "major events" in the Bat-world. And through it all, he managed never to forget that Robin was a teen, dealing with topics like teens in gangs, teenagers having sex and teen pregnancies (surprisingly, these two issues were handled independently), and school violence, all without ever seeming condescending or like a "Very Special Episode"; Tim Drake was simply a teen and he had to deal with issues that all teens deal with, or it would've seemed fake. And even more to Dixon's credit, he did all that without ever forcing personal viewpoints or a specific political agenda.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of Chuck Dixon's run on Robin remains uncollected. And the way trade paperbacks are being marketed, if your library has the individual issues you've got one of the best libraries in the world (and you owe the librarians there cookies). The only way to find MOST of this series outside of more..illegal methods is going to eBay/Amazon and buying the singular issues. That or bugging DC until they accept that they were one of the only companies that DID publish decent comics in the 90's. Still, if you're curious about the early issues, there's a trade collection Robin's first six issues over at Amazon that's worth checking out.
Next time, I'll be talking about a hero everyone is probably a lot more familiar with, given how popular his movies have been and his recent appearance in the Avengers: Iron Man. Hope you're excited. (No, really.)
So, without further adieu, let's get started. This week's Four Color Marathons is about one of my favorite superheroes of all time, even if he doesn't actually have any superpowers: Robin, of the famous dynamic duo, Batman and Robin.
Robin
Run Length: 1-100
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist: Tom Grummett, Phil Jimenez, Staz Johnson, Pete Woods, etc.
Usually, when a person thinks of a sidekick, they don't think of a character that's capable of carrying a story all on their own. This is why characters like "Kid Flash" and "Speedy" don't have rogues' galleries as solo heroes. (And if they do, they're REALLY obscure.) And in all honesty, the idea that a sidekick couldn't carry a story on their own was one DC supported for several decades, until November 1993, when they allowed writer Chuck Dixon to launch an ongoing about the most famous sidekick of them all, Robin. In so many ways, the writer made Robin a comic you simply would not expect it to be, but Dixon's ability to do the unexpected is what made the title such a fantastic book.
To begin with, you'd think Robin's solo adventures begin with him wanting to strike out on his own, tired of his name always coming after "Batman and", right? Yeahh...not so much:
And while launching a brand-new book during a gigantic, multi-part crossover that spanned eighteen months and who knows how many monthly ongoings may not SEEM like the brightest idea, it actually worked out quite well for the Robin series. With the real Batman gone and the replacement Batman...nuts...it forced Tim Drake/Robin to operate on his own. And Dixon wastes no time developing Robin into a competent, three-dimensional character. In the first two issues alone we see Robin escape from an addled, armored Batman, gain a sweet new ride that's basically his own version of the Batmobile (the Redbird), and solve a crime involving a chop shop gang without any help from the Dark Knight. But no superhero is complete without drama in their civilian life, so at the same time we're introduced to Tim's girlfriend Ariana (who he barely has time for between school and being Robin), and learn that his father has been missing for several months; the fallout of his first adventures as Robin (before he was given his own title).
Even better is that Dixon finds a way to make the "superhero love triangle" work without it being the tired "Superman/Lois/Clark Kent"-type deal. By issue four, he introduces a new character to the series known as Spoiler, a.k.a. Stephanie Brown, daughter of Batman villain the Cluemaster and eligible teenage female superhero who has a thing for our caped crusader. And while the idea of a superhero who has girls chasing after him in BOTH his identities isn't exactly new (look to a certain Web Head for that), it never fails to add an extra dimension to relationship drama that's entertaining to read about. Plus, personally, I've always found it more interesting when superheroes date each other anyway. Where else can you get this:
And if you think after Bruce puts on the cowl again the book suddenly becomes about Tim teaming up with Batman, think again. This entire run occurs during the most tumultuous period of Gotham City in history--they run through two completely different Batmen, two viruses capable of wiping out the city, an Earthquake, the entire city being declared off-limits by the United States government and thus REALLY becoming "Arkham City". More often than not the two are split-up to be able to cover all the trouble in Gotham, making sure that the main character of the Robin series IS Robin. And those are just the events! Independent of those, Tim deals with threats from legit Batman villains like Two-Face and Riddler, makes his own villains like The General (a kid roughly Tim's age who believed himself to be the next Napoleon), and gets dragged into battles with ninjas and martial artists that more often than not lead him directly into conflict with the dreaded Lady Shiva Woo San, the most feared martial artist in the entire DC Universe.
Another thing that made Robin--the title and the character himself--so unique is that unlike the other Batman characters, he had a life completely independent of his superhero gig. He had school. He had friends, parents, and a girlfriend. All of whom he would have to answer to before and after he put on the cape and cowl. This offered a dynamic to the title that every other Bat-book at the time was devoid of. For instance, a few years after this run ended, Bruce Wayne would be framed for murder, and Batman's initial response to it essentially amounted to: "I have other identities I can use." When everyone closest to you is either a superhero or friends with a bunch of superheroes, it means you're pretty much free to come and go as you please. Tim Drake's home life...the fact that he HAD one at all made him unlike all the other Bat-characters who could assume their superhero guises at their own leisure. It sort of read like Spider-Man, minus the super-powers and...plus cool gadgets.
Fortunately Dixon made sure that the book was never held back by this fact. Secret identites are supposed to add to the drama and fun of a superhero comic, not suppress it entirely. One of the most fun parts of his Robin run is that a fair bit of it didn't even take place in Gotham. Tim spent a number of issues globe-trotting, either to catch criminals or to further his martial arts training. And that's another aspect of the book I always enjoyed: Tim wasn't finished training! When you read a Batman title, you go in knowing you're already at the end of Bruce Wayne's personal journey: he's done with his decade long quest to become the greatest detective/martial artist/boxer/lockpicker in the world. Same with so many other characters--they're most likely confident in their abilities, whether those abilities are enough for the job they've undertaken or not. With Robin, it's different--before Tim Drake could finish his training he had to put the costume on and get to work, and while you DO eventually see him try to finish his training, he's always second-guessing himself as Robin, wondering if his training is enough, especially considering he partners up with the likes of Batman and Nightwing. And, y'know...occasionally the Flash:
But what I loved most of all was how seamlessly it all ran together. See, in comic books today, stories are told in "arcs"--they run anywhere from three to twelve issues, and then once an arc is done, a new one starts up the following issues. It's easier to collect into "volumes" that they can sell to libraries or in bookstores. But Robin was written before this concept was as popularized as it is today: instead of having arcs, each issue usually tells a complete story, weaving in sub-plots that will eventually grow to become main plots which go on to completion as more sub-plots are added in the background. The result is a series that feels like there aren't any abrupt starts or stops, despite the fact that Dixon had to weave in countless crossovers and "major events" in the Bat-world. And through it all, he managed never to forget that Robin was a teen, dealing with topics like teens in gangs, teenagers having sex and teen pregnancies (surprisingly, these two issues were handled independently), and school violence, all without ever seeming condescending or like a "Very Special Episode"; Tim Drake was simply a teen and he had to deal with issues that all teens deal with, or it would've seemed fake. And even more to Dixon's credit, he did all that without ever forcing personal viewpoints or a specific political agenda.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of Chuck Dixon's run on Robin remains uncollected. And the way trade paperbacks are being marketed, if your library has the individual issues you've got one of the best libraries in the world (and you owe the librarians there cookies). The only way to find MOST of this series outside of more..illegal methods is going to eBay/Amazon and buying the singular issues. That or bugging DC until they accept that they were one of the only companies that DID publish decent comics in the 90's. Still, if you're curious about the early issues, there's a trade collection Robin's first six issues over at Amazon that's worth checking out.
Next time, I'll be talking about a hero everyone is probably a lot more familiar with, given how popular his movies have been and his recent appearance in the Avengers: Iron Man. Hope you're excited. (No, really.)
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