RED ROBIN #14 surprised me. It wasn’t because of the ongoing plot or some shocking twist. No, it was because this issue offers some of the best characterizations of Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, and Dick Grayson that I’ve seen outside of a Grant Morrison-penned title.
Now that Tim Drake is back in Gotham and trying to re-integrate into the new Bat-family, he played his first hand in last month’s issue by forming a “hit list” of various enemies. This calculated approach to crime-fighting is designed to take down target after target, with some sort of unforeseen endgame in mind.
The issue opens with Damian trying to hack into Tim’s database, eager to figure out what his “competition” is up to…and he doesn’t like what he finds. Meanwhile, Red Robin is taking down one of those new-fangled one-shot villains -- Brutale he’s called. Dude looks like a cross between Scarecrow and Ragman, and he has a bunch of knives. He’s definitely a lot cooler than some of the other characters seen in this title’s past.
Anyway, the rest of the issue moves the plot forward only a tad, with some continued interaction between Tim and Tam Fox, the revolution that Vicki Vale may be on to Tim’s “scandalous nightlife” more than initially thought, and the reveal of the next “hit list” target.
But like I said earlier, none of that is what makes this issue shine -- it’s the character interaction that does. I’m going to spoil this for you -- what Damian discovered at the start of this issue was that he was on a hidden part of the “hit list.” As contrived as something like that may seem, it makes sense with Tim’s “operating like Bruce would have” behavior -- he’s only preparing for every eventuality.
This leads to some captivating character moments throughout the issue. Damian uncharacteristically teams up with Tim to go on patrol. Determined to get to the bottom of it all, Damian cuts Tim’s line mid-swing and corners him into a fight. Dick/Batman eventually comes and breaks them up, but the main reason they stop fighting is because of where they ended up -- Crime Alley. What an incredibly chilling moment, forcing three “Robins” to come together.
In the aftermath of the confrontation, even more heartfelt moments occur, even with Damian. His character has constantly evolved throughout Morrison’s titles, and it’s nice to see another writer play around with that a bit. And no matter which Robin you’re talking about, one of the character’s best traits was that he would always bring Batman back down to earth, and bring some light to the darkness, even if for a moment. Keeping that in mind, seeing how Dick handled Tim’s actions was an extremely gratifying moment, almost a complete reversal of the Batman/Robin dynamic.
In all of my blabbering about how great the writing was, I almost forgot to mention the art. Marcus To was simply amazing in this issue and shows that he can handle both kinetic, flowing action scenes as well as quiet, emotional moments with ease.
In my opinion, this title has really turned around with a clear direction and amazing art. Although I still wouldn't consider it an essential companion to all the Morrison craziness, I can’t wait to see where Nicieza goes with it next.
GRADE: A-
Ryan Hoss reviews RED ROBIN and other comics for BOF.
He runs and maintains his own portfolio website at RYANHOSS.COM, as well as SMBMOVIE.COM.
Email him at RYAN.HOSS@MAILCITY.COM.
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