Robin is a book that has slowly moved back onto my radar.  In fact, it’s been in stealth mode for a good three or four months now.  It’s not that the book has been bad, per se, but it just hasn’t been all that interesting.  I was loving what Beechen was doing with the book before he left, and Dixon was putting together a solid effort before he left.  Then, R.I.P. came along, which was overwrought and didn’t make much sense in the context of Morrison’s tale.  And while DC made the smart choice in moving Robin away from R.I.P., it’s current state still leaves me a bit confused.

The place that the current book is in is a weird one.  It’s set in the post-R.I.P. Gotham, yet it’s trying very hard not to divulge too much about what happens as well as trying to avoid establishing a new status quo that might contradict the end of R.I.P..  So, in a way, the book languishes in storyline limbo, ever haunting a good storyline while not sinking to the halls of storyline hell.  My main problem with the book is that it has a lot of great ideas going on in it without much payoff.  Tim’s love life has turned into a “love pentagon,” Gotham is falling apart while Tim is struggling to keep control without Bruce, and there’s this mysterious man in a Red Robin costume.  But while these ideas sound good on paper, when executed they make the title something of a mess.  My brain is having a difficult time keeping everything together.  Nicieza  is jumping from idea to idea to idea without giving the reader context or time to really grasp into what’s going on.  I couldn’t remember who the hell “Ketchum” was or who these gang members were or just who the hell the crooked cops were.  It was just too much to fast.  I feel like this story needs a little room to breathe.  Really, this story focuses on how Tim handles the chaos of the world around him, but that chaos slips into the pages a little bit.  While the overall read is entertaining, especially if you look at the bigger picture stuff, your mind will be distracted by the nuances and details of the story itself.

I am so glad to see Freddie Williams II back on this book.  It’s been a long while since his pencils have graced this book, and it’s just excellent.  He draws with a lot of energy, but he’s also really great at making Tim look like a teenager.  He’s able to distinguish his figures really nicely, and his action sequences are also fun to read.  He’s just a really great artist drawing a really great book.  I only hope he’s on this title for a while.

Fans of Robin will probably like this issue, but if you’re someone who has jumped back and forth, I’d be hard pressed to tell you that it’s amazing enough to come back for.  Hopefully, this storyline will pick up and tie together to make some sense, and I have faith that the creator’s will.  But for this issue, I’m just left a little stumped.