Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: A boy and his mask…
Written by: Jon Lewis
Penciled by: Pete Woods
Inked by: Andrew Pepoy
Colored by: Noelle Giddings
Lettered by: Willie Schubert
Assistant Editor: Nachie Castro
Editor: Matt Idelson
Publisher: DC Comics
I’ve done a review in this style in the past. It was Outsiders #4, and the review was essentially a way for me to rant, in a slightly original way. Well, here we are again. Just know, I don’t recall being this annoyed reading a comic in quite some time.
Note: All quotes are directly from the comic in question.
â€What the hell is this?!!â€
Man, this is the type of comic book that makes me want to quit the industry. I can’t believe I wasted my money on this storyline. Ten bucks has been propelled out the window, and quite simply, there is not a single positive thing to show for it. I am so fed up; I don’t even want to write this review.
The five-part storyline started off fine, went really bad, almost flirted with being good, then fell flat. You may wonder what sparked all of this?
â€I’m not interested in having my head royally screwed with!â€
Robin received a gift of a mysterious box on his birthday in issue #116. When he activated the contents of the box, he was contacted by a robotically enhanced “version†of, butler extraordinaire, Alfred from ten years in the future. He was told that one of the members of the Batman Family would turn traitor and subjugate Gotham in a horrific reign of terror. Whatever! Robin for the last four issues has been trying to find out what the deal is.
So, what’s got my panties in a bunch you may ask? Other than the lame-o storyline listed above, there is actually quite a bit. As was fairly obvious from the outset, this was all an elaborate hoax. A hoax perpetrated by Batman, with the help of a heavily made-up Alfred. This was just to test Robin’s mettle, or some such crap. I fully believe that Batman would test Robin, but I just don’t see him going about it in this way.
â€The Neuro-Ontoscope was a sham device I cobbled together.â€
Oh great, Batman is a freaking buffoon again! To top off this nonsensical arc, Robin actually fell for this garbage. It’s one thing to have an issue or two with a storyline like this, but to have it go on for five months is just unthinkable. Batman actually tells Robin how it was all a “module.†What is he playing Dungeons and Dragons?
â€I mean really, time travel?â€
Obviously time travel doesn’t have a place in most of the Batman Family of titles; can you really try and tell me that Batman doesn’t know of its existence? So on top of being a buffoon, Batman, the greatest deductive mind on Earth, doesn’t believe in time travel. I won’t even go into the myriad times the character has himself time traveled, or been around those that have. How recently did the “Obsidian Age†storyline occur over in JLA? Yeah, I wish it didn’t exist either, but it did, and Batman should know there is time travel!
I really don’t care all that much about continuity, but a solid well thought out storyline is a must. Oh, forget it. This arc isn’t worth anymore of my time.
I do want to add a small addendum though. This issue marks the final work of the current creative team on the book. While this was not a great conclusion, all told I have had a lot of enjoyment reading the work these gentlemen have produced.
Pete Woods has been on board as the regular penciller since issue 75. He has done spectacular work with the character, and he will be missed. Thankfully he will be moving on to Detective Comics, where I am sure he will make a tremendous mark.
I don’t want to forget Andrew Pepoy’s work either. He has been the regular inker for some time now, and mingled brilliantly with Pete Woods’ pencils. I don’t know what is in store for him, but I will keep an eye out.
Series writer Jon Lewis also departs; while I hated this last arc, overall his run was very good. Especially since he followed in the footsteps of Chuck Dixon who had written every prior issue of Robin’s solo career. In fact, Mr. Lewis wrote the single best arc in the history of Tim Drake as Robin. The recently concluded “Wrong Town,†which ran from #112-115. So, I look forward to seeing what the future has in store for Mr. Lewis.
