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captwinghead's review against another edition
3.0
This was pretty enjoyable! I liked it the most during Duke and Riko's stories. I really like Duke's narrative - he sounds like a real teenager and he's got such a realistic personality. My first introduction to him was in All Star Batman and I've been attached to him ever since. It's a pretty unique way to start his story as one of the Batfam.
Riko is a character I don't think shows up a lot outside of this story and Robin War? and that's a bummer because I like her style.
Anyway, I didn't care that much for the expositional aspects of the book. Unfortunately, that was quite a bit of the volume.
Riko is a character I don't think shows up a lot outside of this story and Robin War? and that's a bummer because I like her style.
Anyway, I didn't care that much for the expositional aspects of the book. Unfortunately, that was quite a bit of the volume.
booksgamesvinyl's review against another edition
4.0
One of the taglines used in advertisements for We Are Robin is ‘We’re not sidekicks. We’re an army!” which is one of the first things I found intriguing about this comic. It takes an idea and a character that we’ve seen multiple times before and completely flips it on its head to create a tale of teenagers being recruited into the vigilante business.
We Are Robin ties into other previously released graphic novels within the DC Universe such as Batman: Endgame and Batman: Zero Year, however editors notes point out anything that you may not understand, whilst also forming a fully complete story that can be read whilst having no comprehension of these references. It gives a bit of fun for experienced readers but also welcomes newcomers which is a nice accommodating touch. We Are Robin also draws on other pop culture references to help shape their characters, such as Lord Of The Rings, Quentin Tarantino, and Harry Potter.
We Are Robin centers on African-American foster child Duke Thomas, who since the disappearance of his parents has seen his life spiral out of control, with his mortality repeatedly coming into question as he searches for his parents. One of the things I love about We Are Robin is that there are multiple POC protagonists, and the end of the first issue which suggests that the future is a ‘place of color’ referencing both the Robin outfits and the children who are Robin is a lovely testament to important representation.
We Are Robin: The Vigilante Business collects issues #1-#6, and gives us the adventures of six teenagers who have been recruited onto Team Robin, and each identify as being Robin, who receive messages from a mysterious source known as ‘The Nest’ that send them on missions. A main character death in just the second issue reinforces the idea of mortality that is mentioned at the start of Volume 1, and shows us that these kids aren’t indispensable as many heroes seem to be.
The first few issues dealt with bomb threats in Gotham City, as well as a look at the homeless epidemic and a crossover with Batgirl, however later issues seemed to drift away from this and towards the ideas of choice and perception of the Robins, leaving the overall arc and message a bit lost. I think more time should have been focused on both the plot and the characters, as we were only given glimpses of who they are as people and of their home lives.
The concept is solid and could definitely be an enjoyable tale, however the execution does leave a little bit to be desired personally.
We Are Robin ties into other previously released graphic novels within the DC Universe such as Batman: Endgame and Batman: Zero Year, however editors notes point out anything that you may not understand, whilst also forming a fully complete story that can be read whilst having no comprehension of these references. It gives a bit of fun for experienced readers but also welcomes newcomers which is a nice accommodating touch. We Are Robin also draws on other pop culture references to help shape their characters, such as Lord Of The Rings, Quentin Tarantino, and Harry Potter.
We Are Robin centers on African-American foster child Duke Thomas, who since the disappearance of his parents has seen his life spiral out of control, with his mortality repeatedly coming into question as he searches for his parents. One of the things I love about We Are Robin is that there are multiple POC protagonists, and the end of the first issue which suggests that the future is a ‘place of color’ referencing both the Robin outfits and the children who are Robin is a lovely testament to important representation.
We Are Robin: The Vigilante Business collects issues #1-#6, and gives us the adventures of six teenagers who have been recruited onto Team Robin, and each identify as being Robin, who receive messages from a mysterious source known as ‘The Nest’ that send them on missions. A main character death in just the second issue reinforces the idea of mortality that is mentioned at the start of Volume 1, and shows us that these kids aren’t indispensable as many heroes seem to be.
The first few issues dealt with bomb threats in Gotham City, as well as a look at the homeless epidemic and a crossover with Batgirl, however later issues seemed to drift away from this and towards the ideas of choice and perception of the Robins, leaving the overall arc and message a bit lost. I think more time should have been focused on both the plot and the characters, as we were only given glimpses of who they are as people and of their home lives.
The concept is solid and could definitely be an enjoyable tale, however the execution does leave a little bit to be desired personally.
handyqwertz's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
verkiezen's review against another edition
5.0
This is exactly what I've been looking for from DC! It was compelling, it was diverse, it was everything I look for in a comic. I'm excited for vol 2.
libscote's review against another edition
2.0
I think I would have appreciated this one more if I was more familiar with Robin as a character, or the way Batman is portrayed in the current DC universe. I felt dropped in the middle of a story I never really got. It's an interesting idea, though, to have a group of Robins, and I think for most fans they will be pleased to see how it turns out. One thing that really would have helped me would have been clearer connections between the names and the characters. There were only two I felt I could reliably name.
seawarrior's review against another edition
3.0
This is actually the first DC comic I've read that included any connection to their main heroes so I don't have a good frame of reference to judge it, but personally I think it dropped the ball.
The concept of a group of teenagers who never met previously and lead very different lives coming together to fight for the greater good is compelling, however much of the narrative and characters' inner monologues come off as more shallow than meaningful.
The choice of having homeless drug addicts as main antagonists fell flat for me too. In multiple places the emotional pull of the story focused on the effects of super-powered villainy on the lives of average people, and yet when these specific people were manipulated and used by another super-powered villain the protagonists showed absolutely no concern for their wellbeing or possible recovery.
My favorite issue included in this volume was the forth one, it disconnected from the main story but had art that was interesting, bright and unique. Its visuals also contained a sense of power that was needed but unfortunately missing from the surrounding pages.
As a whole I felt that this comic was mediocre, and while I did like a few of the characters I really am not interested in reading any more of this series.
The concept of a group of teenagers who never met previously and lead very different lives coming together to fight for the greater good is compelling, however much of the narrative and characters' inner monologues come off as more shallow than meaningful.
The choice of having homeless drug addicts as main antagonists fell flat for me too. In multiple places the emotional pull of the story focused on the effects of super-powered villainy on the lives of average people, and yet when these specific people were manipulated and used by another super-powered villain the protagonists showed absolutely no concern for their wellbeing or possible recovery.
My favorite issue included in this volume was the forth one, it disconnected from the main story but had art that was interesting, bright and unique. Its visuals also contained a sense of power that was needed but unfortunately missing from the surrounding pages.
As a whole I felt that this comic was mediocre, and while I did like a few of the characters I really am not interested in reading any more of this series.
geekery's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this a lot. The premise is rather ridiculous, but frankly so is every superhero comic ever. But these new Robins are interesting, sympathetic, diverse (in race and personality and history and what drives them) characters that I look forward to seeing more of and learning more about.
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