12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dixon's Writing Makes this Great, January 16, 2006
This review is from: Robin: Flying Solo (Paperback)
There was a period when nearly everything coming out of the Batcave was well-written, with amazing art, and solid continuity. This was largely due to the fact that Chuck Dixon was writing everything, making for a more cohesive Bat-Universe than when the books are written by committee. Of course, it's too much for any one person to handle indefinitely, but Dixon left a mark on the books that few have managed to equal or surpass.
Dixon's work on Robin, which he wrote for approximately the first 100 issues, is the work I'll always remember him by. Tim Drake, aka Robin III, fought tooth and nail to convince Batman that he needed another Robin, and that he was the boy for the job. The inception story is collected in Robin: A Hero Reborn (also a fantastic TPB). This paperback, Flying Solo, starts some time after that. During the Azrael era, Jean-Paul Valley takes over after Bane breaks Bruce Wayne's back. Valley, increasingly unstable, kicks Tim out of the Batcave, perfectly setting up the time for Tim Drake to break out solo.
Right away, Dixon gives Tim a depth of identity and character development that readers had never seen in the main Bat-series. Tim has a girlfriend (Ariana), a 'partner' (Stephanie Brown, aka the Spoiler), and an arsenal of low-grade Batman villains (Cluemaster, Electrocutioner). Dixon even manages to give those villains some credibility and show Tim's growth as a crimefighter. But the brilliance of the story is contained in his development of Tim's personal life. He's well-written as a teenage prodigy. It's engaging to watch him develop under the usual human pressures, plus the difficulty of crime-fighting and his worry over what the crazy Batman is up to.
Tom Grummett's art is also fantastic. It's too bad he left the series eventually - I feel that he and Dixon made a great team. If you haven't experienced the wonder of the Robin series for yourself, there's no better place to start than here. If you miss Dixon's work on Batman and/or Nightwing, try this out.
This TPB collects Robin (ongoing series) #1-6 and Showcase '94 #5-6.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A worthy sequel to the Bruce Wayne (Batman) and Dick Grayson (Robin) team, November 25, 2011
This review is from: Robin: Flying Solo (Paperback)
Bruce Wayne is no longer roaming the night skies of Gotham City and Batman's place is taken by a man named Jean Paul Valley. Although he resides in the Batcave and wears a costume, Paul is emotionally unstable and attacks the Tim Drake incarnation of Robin. The hint is clear, so Tim decides that it is a good time to become a lone crime fighter and he leaves Paul to sort out his disturbed personality.
A team of three super villains break out of jail and they are the primary opposition for Robin and his female ally the Spoiler. The villains are not the brightest group of criminals roaming the street, their big crime is to rob millions of dollars of old bills that have already been rendered unusable. Yet they are dangerous and a challenge to Robin and the Spoiler.
Tim Drake is similar to the Peter Parker of Spiderman fame in that he has trouble juggling the hero and high school gigs. Tim has a form of girlfriend, yet she is constantly being frustrated by his breaking of dates, not calling and other inconsiderate guy behavior. Since Tim keeps his Robin identity a secret, his explanations have to be lame rather than accurate.
Some of the spin-offs of long-running heroes tend to land rather lamely into the superhero universe. That is not the case here, the Tim Drake incarnation of Robin is an interesting character, he has his problems dealing with all the details of his life, yet that just makes it easier to identify with him. When you are in high school, classes, girls and superheroing make for a very busy and challenging life.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Tim Drake soars into his own title!, March 6, 2011
This review is from: Robin: Flying Solo (Paperback)
Chuck Dixon, who was such a huge part of the Bat books in the 90s, gives us young Tim Drake starring in his own title. Tim, who always seemed a lot like Peter Parker, is his usual hard-trying, hard luck self. Balancing family, friends, girls, heroes, and villains, Tim pulls it off pretty well for a teenager. Dixon completely understands this character. The book suffers from a little too much DC corniness and I'm not sure how well it holds up after all these years. The art is average. A big drawback is the second story in the book which Robin is a bit player and focuses more on the Huntress. Overall, a decent book especially if you were reading comics in the 90s.
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