Customer Reviews

Robin: Wanted

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

At the start of Robin: Wanted, our young hero is being pummelled by blows from an unseen assailant, not depicted; all we see are the hits to Robin's body. This seems a bit of a 'cheat' to hide a killer's identity, although the flipside is that it makes us identify with Robin's suddenly disjointed point-of-view. He is ambushed so quickly and effectively that he is thoroughly confused , and unable to to identify his attacker in even the slightest way. Actually, this technique seems reminiscent of films where a stalker or killer is always depicted in shadow, or partly obscured, or running away in the distance, until that moment when the lighting is finally helpful and the killer is revealed. In the case of what's happening to Robin, though, we have a fairly prolonged fight where effort must be taken to show that Robin is not a careless amateur who can't detect a single clue about who is in close, clobbering him. This is achieved by having Robin's vision hampered by floodlights, and some smoke, so that Robin ends up looking quite proficient at holding his own in a difficult situation. In the end, the feeling of a 'cheat' is cleverly negated; the plot demands that neither Robin nor the reader easily discern the identity of the attacker, but I would say that fights that go on for three pages where we don't see one of the combatants--just black streaks of motion like hostile wet-paint--are not very exciting to look at. Interestingly, when the ambusher later goes on to attack and kill a petty criminal named Annalea, we see more of the attacker revealed--a leg, two hands gripping Annalea's head and preparing to Do The Twist. And since the killer's identity is successfully hidden then, I don't know why Robin couldn't at least have been shown to be fightingg a human being, not deadly ink smears.

Next, two invasions of two near-impenetrable fortresses for the price of one. Robin is forced to infiltrate a Gotham City Police station in order to retrieve a Batgirl costume taken off the body of a girl he is accused of murdering, so he can search it for clues that will help clear his name. Later on, it is also necessary that he sneak into super-secure Blackgate Prison to break out the notorious David Cain, so he can hand Cain over to the person who has framed him and is threatening to execute a hostage Robin cares for deeply. Both of these incredible stealth missions go a long way in showcasing how talented Robin really is, especially Robin's effectiveness against an army of cops who suddenly become aware of his presence in their own building. Robin's technique for eluding not only regular police officers but also an elite, organic, free-range, hickory-smoked, Cajun (sorry: forget "organic, free range, hickory-smoked, Cajun"; I've been reading too many slick, trendy product labels at the grocery store lately, and I apologize. Just: elite) team of SWAT personnel specially trained, armed, and armored to subdue costumed-types a lot tougher than a non-powered Batman sidekick, is not entirely original. But still fun to watch. Inevitably, we see at least thirty cops outsmarted by one guy, which can strain credibility, but always makes the hero look so good.

The finale of the first story: Robin confronts the person who has framed and manipulated him, and so the mystery is solved. The lesson here is that things are often much simpler than they appear, and sometimes all the complicatedness is designed to hide the obvious. Readers not hoodwinked will still be treated to a tense stand-off between Robin and yet another small army--this time they're assassins not cops--and then a terrific fight, this time with no combatants obscured by tricky lighting or artists not drawing them in. Robin's best bit here comes from quickly deducing how to take out a whole lot of highly-skilled foes really fast, with one splendid maneuver.

Wanted also contains a whole other adventure for Robin, as he and his enemy, the new Captain Boomerang, search for a bomb that was activated long ago by the Joker--we're talking a very loooooong-range plan on the part of the Crime Prince of Clowns--a bomb that is not where it is supposed to be. Someone has moved the bomb just when, after many years of merrily ticking away, it is about to go off. Robin's crime prevention is impeded somewhat, by some study-time with his new tutor, by some quality time with Bruce Wayne, and by his squaring off with Boomerang in a flurry of thrown projectiles issued from both sides. But eventually Robin and his new, barely tolerated ally start breaking into various old Bat-foes' hideouts, looking for a naughty, dirty bomb ready to count down and go boom. This is a fast-paced romp, handled fairly lightly despite the bomb threat, as our heroes battle booby-trapped villains' nests, not the villains themselves. The mayhem-festooned room that actually hosts the bomb is especially entertaining, given the nature of its single-minded...occupants.

This bit of retroactive plotting--the Joker having planted a bomb way back in the Englehart/Rogers, Joker-fish days, that no one knows about til many years later, when its boom is about to find its ka--is fairly contrived. But the slice-of-life subplots, and the inclusion of the despised Captain Boomerang, help dress it up nicely.

The boy wonder is framed for murder. It's the end of infinite crisis and the beginning of a new year and he's framed for murder and Robin must use his detective skills to prove his inn-o-cennce. Oh yeah, Batgirls' personality change is explained in 'Teen Titans: East' also a very good story.

The art work is nice but I always felt that Cassandra Cain (Batgirl) should be prettier. The nose is bit too big in this graphic novel. The change of character from "destruction daughter" needs more explanation probably from the coming issues.

Very quick and easy read, some of the previous books are handy to have read before this one. It just seemed very short to me. Maybe I'm expecting too much out of it, but I had just read "Robin: Unmasked" in the same weekend and it seemed to have more of a storyline

Loved the comic. tim drake is the man. The comic came very quickly and wasin great shape. i would buy from them again.