DC Comics Review: Red Robin #4

Rating: ***

I wasn’t thrilled that Damian Wayne would be replacing Tim Drake as Robin, but with that disappointment came the revelation that Tim was now the new Red Robin.  In my reviews of this series so far, I haven’t been all that thrilled with the writing or the artwork for this series.  The first two issues were okay, but the last issue was not very good and I began to think that maybe it was time to drop this title.  This month’s issue was able to prevent that decision from being made.  Writer Chris Yost has written a good issue - maybe the best in the series so far, but Ramon Bachs artwork is still weighing things down which prevents me from giving this book a better rating. 

Our story picks up with Tim in Iraq.  The members of the League of Assassins that we’ve seen in the previous issues are there waiting for him to assist him with his mission in locating Bruce Wayne.  It dawned on me in this issue that these three members of the League of Assassins don’t look like people Ra’s al Ghul would normally have in his League.  The lead member in this trio is a black man who fought against Tim and the other members of the Bat Family as a ninja when Ra’s was being resurrected.  Normally I picture Middle Eastern assassins with Ra’s, but at this point it doesn’t really matter.

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DC Comics Review: Red Robin #2

Rating: ***

Another descent issue of Red Robin by writer Chris Yost.  I’m not blown away here, but I am enjoying this new journey that Tim Wayne is on right now.  Tim is alone.  He feels betrayed by Dick Grayson his “older brother” so to speak and the bastard son of the Batman family Damian has taken over his job as Robin.  As mentioned in the previous issue, Tim Wayne believes that his mentor and adopted father Bruce Wayne the original Batman is still alive and well and Tim has gone out into the world to search for clues as to his whereabouts.

He’s currently in Paris and finds himself fighting a group of assassins.  The assassins turn to be working for one of Batman’s deadliest enemies: Ra’s al Ghul.  Ra’s has an offer for Tim.  He agrees with and he also believes that Bruce Wayne is really alive and wants to help him.  How does Ra’s know Bruce is alive?  We don’t know.  Why does Ra’s want to help Tim?  We don’t know this one either, but I’m assuming Ra’s wants his revenge on Bruce and what better way to do it than use his son to get to him.

I’ve mentioned this before and I said that Tim seems to becoming more dark like his father Bruce.  When he’s fighting Ra’s’ assassins, he’s thinking about how he needs to work on his voice in the same way Bruce put on his “Batman” voice when he was fighting.  He’s also pushing people away in the same Bruce has done so in the past.  He deletes the messages of friends who are trying to contact him and he turns his back on Stephanie - the Spoiler who comes looking for him in this issue.

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