Category Archives: Batman
Robin Watch: Harper Row Gets It Right
Welcome to a new, ongoing feature here at Henchman-4-Hire! By now we all know that the most recent Robin, Damian Wayne, died in the heat of battle. And so for the first time since the late 80s, Batman is without a Robin. But like how chocolate needs peanut butter and peanut butter needs jelly, Batman needs a Robin, so it’s only a matter of time before a new hero rises into that iconic role.
Being the huge Robin fan that I am, I’m going to cover the ongoing search for a new Robin. Whether it happens in the comics themselves or maybe interviews with the writers and creators, I’m going to stay on the front lines of Batman journalism – which, of course, is the best kind of journalism.
Let’s kick things off with this week’s Batman #18, one of the first comics to deal with the fallout of Damian’s death. Writer Scott Snyder has taken the curious tactic of having the issue star Robin frontrunner Harper Row as she tries to help a grieving Batman.
With an butt-kicking
I was a big fan of this issue, and my full review will go up on Saturday with the rest of the Hench-Sized reviews. But first I want to explore this issue for the ways in which it pushes Harper ever closer to becoming the new Robin. I recently wrote several articles about this subject, both on why I fully support Harper as the new Robin, as well as the criteria that goes into picking a successful new Robin.
Suffice to say, in this issue, Harper Row gets everything right.
Join me after the jump to see what I mean.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 3/2/13
Robin Week comes to a close with my official review of Batman Incorporated #8. It’s actually a very good comic, so it’s great to see Damian go out at the height of his awesomeness and popularity; kind of like Seinfeld or Calvin & Hobbes. I would even be tempted to give Damian’s demise the Comic Book of the Week, but that award has to go to Hawkeye #8. Writer Matt Fraction had an amazing week, delivering the one-two romantic punch of Hawkeye and FF, two amazing comics that reinforce why I love the medium in the first place. If you’re not reading either book then you’re definitely missing out.
Who would have thought that coming out of the big The Avengers movie last summer, the two characters with the best comics would be Hawkeye and Thor? Speaking of which, why doesn’t the Black Widow have her own comic series? That seems like it would be a no-brainer, especially for Marvel NOW! Oh well, this is why Marvel is not paying me the big bucks.
Comic Reviews: Aquaman #17, Batman Incorporated #8, FF #4, Hawkeye #8, Talon #5, Uncanny Avengers #4, Uncanny X-Force #2, Uncanny X-Men #2 and Young Avengers #2.
I Support Harper Row as the New Robin
The body of the previous Robin isn’t even cold yet, but already I’m throwing my considerable blogging weight behind Harper Row for the new Robin! I know some of my readers, and probably a lot of comic book readers in general, would rather Batman not get a new Robin, at least not right away. And that’s a perfectly fine idea. DC should go ahead and tell some stories of Batman dealing with the death of his son and being a lone vigilante for awhile.
But Batman needs a Robin. He will get a new one. It’s inevitable. Robin makes the comics richer, he makes Batman richer, he makes the stories richer; Robin is just a good character to have around.
And Harper Row should be the new Robin.
She’s hip and knows the Internets
I also think DC should replace Damian sooner rather than later, for a number of reasons. Mostly because the reboot needs a Robin to call its own. Damian was created before anyone even had the idea of a reboot, and while a lot of characters were tweaked and altered, Damian was untouched when the whole universe was remade. And it’s clear now that he was only on loan to DC from Grant Morrison.
DC needs their own Robin, one who can stand the test of time and exist as his or her own character, not just at the whim of a single writer. Tim Drake was such a character.He wasn’t created to become Robin just for a single story, he became Robin and was allowed to grow and expand over years of stories. If DC plans to make this DCnU continuity a lasting thing, then being able to tell the story of a new Robin from the ground up is a great idea.
And Harper Row is the obvious choice. I mean, c’mon, surely she was created for just this purpose!
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