Robin War #1 Review
By Steve Lam
Robin War #1: Part 1 – “With the Greatest of Ease”
Script: Tom King / Art: Khary Randolph, Alain Mauricet, Jorge Corona, Andres Guinaldo, Walden Wong / Colors: Emilio Lopez, Chris Sotomayor, Gabe Eltaeb, Sandra Molina / Letters: Carlos M. Mangual, Tom Napolitano / Cover: Mikel Janín / Variant Cover: Lee Bermejo
Robin War, the highly anticipated DC weekly crossover event has finally arrived. The fast-paced, brightly colored first chapter is a great start to a story filled with Batman’s current and past partners. With a slew of artist bringing writer Tom King’s story to life, Robin War #1 sets a great blueprint for things to come and mysteries waiting to be solved.
Let me do this review in sort of reverse fashion. I usually talk about the story first, but this time I have to commend the art. I have to say that I was quite impressed by the shear number of artists working on this book and how coordinated they were. Never did I once feel that this issue was slapped together or discombobulated. On top of the consistency, the art is fun and dynamic. All actions scenes really convey a sense of movement to the reader. The most standout panels are ones that show our stars — the Robins. Everything looked like I was watching an animated movie. A thumbs up and high-five to the art team. Really, just crack the pages open and let your eyes feast on the bright mural of colors and clean lines.
Now that we’ve covered the gravy and the garnish, let’s move on to the meat and potatoes of Robin War. Tom King continues his craft of understanding the various incarnations of the Boy Wonder — their conflicts, issues, and beefs with each other. From Damian Wayne to Dick Grayson — even though this is very much a Damian story — all the characters are fleshed out thoroughly. Like another Batman book that has come out recently — Dark Knight III: The Master Race — Robin War‘s power lies in its ability to mirror our current world situation.
From the start, we see fear being compounded by one act. As things get out of control, Commissioner Gordon — the current Batman — is brought into the fold and things only escalate from there. King keeps the action and the character going, but gives it a rest at just the right moment. Just when you thought that it was a quiet moment between two friends, King hits us with another twist. The pacing is excellent.
From the beginning, King weaves tense conflict into the story. There are never really any dull moments. Exposition is given at the right time and we see and feel the world of Robin War. Anyone … and I mean anyone who is even a remote fan of Robin stories really need to give this issue a look. Robin War #1 is a strong start and a definite treat for fans.