REVIEW: ‘Robin,’ Issue #17

Robin #17 from DC is still setting the stage for whatever comes next, and it’s never boring. Joshua Williamson writes his final issue with this one, so first off, thank you for giving fans a stellar seventeen-issue run that molded Damian Wayne into the hero he’s become. Roger Cruz brings the art with Norm Rapmund on inks, Luis Guerrero on colors, and Troy Peteri on letters. Last time around, Damian returned to Lazarus Island with a new purpose of helping lost souls, mainly young fighters, find their way. However, that got interrupted when the villain Lord Death Man arrived, claiming his protege, Flatline, had gone mad. Robin and Connor Hawke went to Japan to confront her, but, plot twist, Lord Death Man lied.

This brings our duo, along with Flatline and Jiro, the Batman of Japan, whizzing back to Lazarus Island to find out what is going on. Lord Death Man is having a secret relationship with Mother Soul, Robin’s demon-worshipping grandmother. Right. Anyway, his begging and pleading were all a ruse to get the Boy Wonder off the island so that he could rendezvous with her in a secret cave and make a villainous deal. He has brought her the Demon’s Heart, which he will give to Mother Soul in exchange for what he wants. Things go about as you can expect, though this definitely seems to play into next month’s huge Batman vs. Robin storyline.  

Williamson has crafted Damian into a character I love and support. That’s a big step. I have loved Robin and all the characters who took on the mantle, even Jason Todd. But I hated Damian. Williamson has given him the space to mature, to develop into a character that is neither Batman nor Talia or even Ra’s. He has become, to an extent, better than his ancestors in action and outlook. This series is where all of it went down, hand-in-hand with some amazing action sequences plus further intrigue into the Lazarus Pit and the demon who brought them about.

While I’m sure sparks will fly in that series, this issue played out well, but it does so in a way that makes it feel as if this is the end of things as a whole. This means we don’t know if this story will continue or if Robin will go on. It isn’t listed for next month or the month after, so we’ll have to wait and see. So we are left with a Lord Death Man tale that comes and goes, not bad, not great, just interesting enough to read and be satisfied, but it comes with a tinge of ‘something is missing.’ And I feel that thing is this title sideswiped by yet another DC major event. We will have to look at that to see what becomes of Robin. That could be amazing. Or, it could be a downer, but this title was already doing the work, so…

Robin #17 is artistically bold, thick in border lines, and colorfully pleasing, with cool SFX and wording by Cruz, Rapmund, Guerrero, and Peteri. If this book continues, let’s hope the art team gets to stick around. This series has been an action-packed tale that snuck in teen angst and a coming-of-age tale that also made good use of underused characters. Such a treat. I recommend this issue for the way it continues to build on Damian Wayne and who he will become. 

Robin #17 is available wherever comic books are sold.