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carleeiigh's review
4.0
Can Tim get a REST and some credit for basically single-handedly dealing with a gang war that his gf started?? Also surprised at the lack of Damian. Loved how he dealt with Jason just by breaking his leg like "I don't have time to deal with you rn" and then promptly breaking him out of prison out of respect for Bruce. (of course he unfortunately goes even more crazy in Battle for the Cowl but yknow Tim believes in him). Becoming Red Robin is also pretty fun, even if the costume change was just out of convenience
nickpalmieri's review
4.0
Robin #175-183, by Fabian Nicieza and (mostly) Freddie Williams II.
Had a really, really great time with this run. This whole block of issues dealt with the idea of Tim needing to grow and adapt and make his own rules in the face of Bruce's absence. They also focus on Tim's intelligence above all else, which has always been an essential element of the series.
Nicieza's first two-issue arc suffers a bit from needing to both tie into the RIP arc while also telling a story of no consequence to the RIP storyline. It's a weird balance that he doesn't quite strike, but it at least set up the next story.
The 6-part "Search for a Hero" story is wonderful, a chaotic story that doesn't feel like chaos for the sake of chaos. Nicieza brings in so many disparate elements -- Spoiler, Nightwing, Jason Todd, Lynx, Scarab, The General, Anarky, Jason Bard, Officer Harper, crooked cops Wise and Cavallo, and a half-dozen street gangs -- and he somehow manages to make it all work together in one big epic story. There was one plot beat regarding Steph that I wasn't a fan of, though that didn't ruin the story for me, and that's really my only complaint about the story. It's a fascinating, character-centric test for Tim, the guy who prides himself on his logical thinking. Freddie Williams II returns to the art duties, with a style that is more detailed but also a bit more busy than before. I preferred his prior style, but the differences are mostly cosmetic; the essential elements of his style that I liked before, the mix of realistic anatomy and architecture with expressive figure work, are still here.
The final issue, #183, "Robin Dies at Dawn," is a fitting end to Tim's time as Robin. There are send-offs for his brothers Dick and Jason, as well as for Harper, Bard, Zoanne, and Ives. And best of all, there's a final rematch against Shiva, who appeared in Tim's very first miniseries, and a short epilogue with The Obeah Man, an antagonist from before Tim even officially donned the Robin mantle. The issue had the essential "finale" feel, and I'm so glad things ended with this.
(Final fun note: the final issue was actually the 200th single issue of Robin, if you count the 15 issues of the three miniseries and the 0 and 1000000 issues. A happy coincidence.)
Had a really, really great time with this run. This whole block of issues dealt with the idea of Tim needing to grow and adapt and make his own rules in the face of Bruce's absence. They also focus on Tim's intelligence above all else, which has always been an essential element of the series.
Nicieza's first two-issue arc suffers a bit from needing to both tie into the RIP arc while also telling a story of no consequence to the RIP storyline. It's a weird balance that he doesn't quite strike, but it at least set up the next story.
The 6-part "Search for a Hero" story is wonderful, a chaotic story that doesn't feel like chaos for the sake of chaos. Nicieza brings in so many disparate elements -- Spoiler, Nightwing, Jason Todd, Lynx, Scarab, The General, Anarky, Jason Bard, Officer Harper, crooked cops Wise and Cavallo, and a half-dozen street gangs -- and he somehow manages to make it all work together in one big epic story. There was one plot beat regarding Steph that I wasn't a fan of, though that didn't ruin the story for me, and that's really my only complaint about the story. It's a fascinating, character-centric test for Tim, the guy who prides himself on his logical thinking. Freddie Williams II returns to the art duties, with a style that is more detailed but also a bit more busy than before. I preferred his prior style, but the differences are mostly cosmetic; the essential elements of his style that I liked before, the mix of realistic anatomy and architecture with expressive figure work, are still here.
The final issue, #183, "Robin Dies at Dawn," is a fitting end to Tim's time as Robin. There are send-offs for his brothers Dick and Jason, as well as for Harper, Bard, Zoanne, and Ives. And best of all, there's a final rematch against Shiva, who appeared in Tim's very first miniseries, and a short epilogue with The Obeah Man, an antagonist from before Tim even officially donned the Robin mantle. The issue had the essential "finale" feel, and I'm so glad things ended with this.
(Final fun note: the final issue was actually the 200th single issue of Robin, if you count the 15 issues of the three miniseries and the 0 and 1000000 issues. A happy coincidence.)
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