Robin #15 from DC leaves the “Shadow War” crossover and returns to what made this series a winner. Joshua Williamson is writer, with Roger Cruz as penciller and Norm Rapmund handling inks. Luis Guerrero stays on as colorist while Troy Peteri remains on letters. In the last issue, we were neck-deep in the struggle between Geo-Force, Talia, and Deathstroke—a whole lot of chaos with little real bite.
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First up is a flashback showcasing Batman and Talia fighting over Damian. Basically, it’s a custody dispute with Robin literally between them, and overall it wasn’t bad. It highlighted this annoyance being far back in his past and how his parents failed at civility, so it’s a problem that makes the Boy Wonder relatable to many fans, no doubt. Since we saw this in ‘Shadow War,’ it seemed a bit unnecessary, and it doubles back into Damian’s present, so you get this twice in one issue. But that’s my only quip for Robin #15.
So now Damian blows off some steam in Gotham fighting the Red Triangle Gang because criminal clowns are cringe. And they are, even to our hero. The fight is well choreographed, has a funny moment or two, and ups the intensity as it goes on. It made for a nice opener to clear the cobwebs from the crossover.
Next, Williamson offered a slice of life with the Bat-Family that felt wholesome and exhibited his familiarity with each character. The best part about this issue was not only Damian finding a goal for himself by the end, but that the focus was back on the main character. This focus seemed to be sorely lacking during the ‘Shadow War’, even his own title. There could have been some mention of mourning since his brother, Respawn, was killed during that event. But it’s nice to have the settings and characters this series introduced begin to come back to the forefront.
Robin #15 reveals Williamson never lost his touch with the character. Damian just got lost, for a minute, in the shuffle of a huge crossover. But issue #15 shows Williamson never forgot where this book was headed. Robin is on track, and what lies ahead will be more of the epic hero growth, team-ups with other Lazarus fighters, and nifty action that made this book five stars every month. He also gives readers a dose of what’s going on with Talia, which may also be a preview of her appearance in Detective Comics, so quite a bit of groundwork gets laid out in this issue. Groundwork that I’m looking forward to watching expand in the months ahead.
The artwork by Cruz remains as colorful as Lucas’ many bright hues. Damian always appears like a child, and there was a lot of variety in the clowns, crucial since all of them came in the same colors. The SFX and lettering are clean-cut and expressive.
Robin #15 is a solid book that returns to what it did best: establish Robin as his own hero, even a leader, one who can begin a new chapter in his life, and for other characters we still don’t yet know well enough. Hopefully, we won’t have to endure any more parental tugs-of-war as it seemed clear long ago Damian had made his own path. Let’s hope he gets to keep blazing it.
Robin #15 is available wherever comic books are sold.
Robin #15
TL;DR
Robin #15 is a solid book that returns to what it did best: establish Robin as his own hero, even a leader, one who can begin a new chapter in his life, and for other characters we still don’t yet know well enough. Hopefully, we won’t have to endure any more parental tugs-of-war as it seemed clear long ago Damian had made his own path. Let’s hope he gets to keep blazing it.
