Posted in: Comics, Review | Tagged: Batman, comic book reviews, damian wayne, dick grayson, jason todd, robin, tim drake

REVIEW: Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 — "There Are Some Real Gems In This Special"

Published Thu, 19 Mar 2020 15:00:19 -0500

by Hannibal Tabu

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(DC Comics, creative team: Marv Wolfman, Tom Grummett, Scott Hanna, Adriana Lucas, Tom Napolitano, Chuck Dixon, Scott McDaniel, Rob Hunter, Protobunker, Carlos M. Mangual, Devin Grayson, Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund, Hi-Fi, Troy Peteri, Tim Seeley, Tom King, Mikel Janin, Jeromy Cox, Judd Winick, Dustin Nguyen, John Kalisz, Steve Wands, Adam Beechen, Freddie E. Williams 2nd, Jeremy Colwell, Rob Leigh, Jame Tynion 4th, Javier Fernandez, David Baron, Amy Wolfram, Damion Scott, Brad Anderson, Andworld Design, Peter J. Tomasi, Jorge Jiminez, Alejandro Sanchez, Robbie Thompson, Ramon Villalobos, Tamra Bonvillain)

Once you get past the ten dollar cover price (a dime a page, basically), there are some real gems in this special. Now, of course, there are some basic stories that don't do anything you couldn't see coming, but nothing actually bad. Let's focus, instead, on what went right. There is possibly the most effective Jason Todd story ever here, an oh-so-brief moment of understanding the character in Winick's script given surprisingly effective visual storytelling urgency by Nguyen, Kalisz and Wands. That's a very pleasant surprise. Then, there's a look at Dick Grayson's time as a spy that uses an effective and fresh spin on a familiar, litany-like framing device, courtesy of Seeley, King, Janin, Cox and Napolitano. That's worth seeing. Tynion, Fernandez, Baron and Mangual deftly mix action and characterization (especially Damian) in a great piece on Tim Drake. Those three stories are really good, and as noted, nothing stinks up the place in these pages. If Robin's your freaking jam, that might be enough for you to pick up this celebration of the franchise. Otherwise, whew, ten bucks? RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

ROBIN 80TH ANNIVERSARY 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR #1
written by MARV WOLFMAN, CHUCK DIXON, DEVIN GRAYSON, TIM SEELEY, TOM KING, JUDD WINICK, JAMES TYNION IV, AMY WOLFRAM, ROBBIE THOMPSON, ADAM GLASS, PETER J. TOMASI, and more!
art by TOM GRUMMETT, SCOTT McDANIEL, MIKEL JANÍN, KENNETH ROCAFORT, FREDDIE E. WILLIAMS II, JAVI FERNANDEZ, NICOLA SCOTT, DUSTIN NGUYEN, ANDY KUBERT, FRANK MILLER, and others
cover by LEE WEEKS
DC Comics celebrates Robin the Boy Wonder's 80th anniversary in style with an all-star creative team representing each iteration of the iconic character across eight decades of history! From the high-flying adventures of Dick Grayson to the tragedy of Jason Todd, the enthusiasm of Tim Drake and the arrogance of Damian Wayne, the persistence of Stephanie Brown and the rebelliousness of Carrie Kelley—the mantle of Robin has been worn by many, but always represents one thing: a hero.