I.M.O. Review: Red Robin #1 (DC Comics) By Eddie R

The Third Robin leaves the nest.

Did you ever believe in something so strongly that you just had to go and find out if it was true or not? Have you ever been in a situation where you have felt unwanted, alone, and confused? Well you’re not alone.

Red Robin #1 deals with a sort of crisis of identity within the Batman Family as the third Robin, Tim Drake Wayne , is currently at a cross roads right now. With the mantels of both Batman and Robin having been passed to others, the question now is where does Tim fit into all of this? To make matters worse, Tim thinks Bruce is still alive and somewhere out in the world. And he intends on finding him.




Leaving his old life behind in Gotham City, and setting out in search of Bruce, Tim decides that if wants to do this, then he knows he has to choose an identity which will not tie into either Bruce or Dick. So He settles on the one hero identity which he knows has been tarnished: Red Robin.

The name Red Robin has been kicking around the DCU for a while. First appearing in the Alex Ross Kingdom Come series, as a middle ages version of Dick Grayson; Then being used by Jason Todd while traveling the Multiverse as one of the “Challenger of the unknown” in Countdown to Final Crisis, and finally being adopted by Ulysses Armstrong, better known as The General (who is now the villain Anarky), in order to settle a previous grudge he had against Tim in the “Search for a Hero” storyline: (Robin: V2 # 177- 182). It was during this confrontation with Armstrong where Tim first donned the Red Robin Costume, in order to hide his wounds and take down Anarky.

To me, the identity of Red Robin seems to be a natural evolution of the Robin mantle (and previous series). And Tim seems very well suited for assuming this role. He is a man on a mission, and wants to make sure nothing will lead back to his previous life, or interfere with his current one.

But as much as we try to plan out everything in advance, something’s always creeps up. If Tim thinks he’s alone in his search for Bruce, he’s wrong. And knowing the villain who appears at the end of the issue, he won’t settle for anything less either until he finds Bruce Wayne as well.

8/10

Eddie R
Review Co-Editor