Robin #101by Trisha SebastianReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk.
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Credits Grade: 9 This marks the first solo issue by Jon Lewis, the new Robin writer, and boy does he have a task ahead of him. He has to follow a well-liked writer and his first solo story is part of a crossover as well. He's taking the book and the character in a completely new direction. If this were a baseball game, it'd be like a relief pitcher trying to finish a game the inning directly after the starting pitcher leaves for the last inning and you're facing a home-run hitter with the bases loaded and a full count.This is how you do a crossover. You don't ignore the main story in favor of the crossover. You keep those plot threads going. You follow up on the cliffhanger from the previous issue. You follow up on the elements of the previous issue in the crossover while retaining the unique elements of the individual books. That way, for those collectors who need the whole story, there's a way to keep this issue without thinking of the story as having been derailed. There's a lot going on in this issue. Robin wakes up from his unscheduled Batman-induced nap and decides to investigate the events at the ruins of the old opera house in his civillian clothing while Spoiler does the same in a work capacity. Never before has the diarist internal monologue device been used more effectively when detailing Spoiler and Robin's different reactions to the performers on stage. I wonder if the fact that Stephanie has a cold has an effect on her reaction in addition to her distance from the stage. On the "World Without..." side, it's interesting to note that while Superboy, Secret, Empress, Wonder Girl and Arrowette became completely different people due to Bedlam's effects, Robin stayed essentially the same intuitive and smart person he was all along. He's able to figure out how to destroy the strange machine and he already has deduced the identity of the alternate Robin and Batman. (Query: If given enough time, would Bedlam also be able to find out the secret identities of the other heroes of the DCU? Lex Luthor better not get his hands on this kid.) Perhaps this is telling our heroes that no matter what happens in their pasts, they are the ones who make their own destiny and shape who they are. The visual jolt that is the differences between pages 12 and 13 further serve to show that the two worlds are completely different. It's interesting to see Rebecca Woods' attempt at "manga-style" with the use of speedlines on page 14 and the use of background in the fourth panel of page 15 to convey emotion. It's also interesting how in the third panel on page 21, the picture of Bedlam is drawn in Todd Nauck's style. I don't think such an effect would have been easily made possible without the aid of computer programs. Again, as stated previously in my review of Impulse #85, I'm still going to be reading the other books in this crossover, but I can't wait for things to get back to normal in Robin. Written: May 13, 2002
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