Red Robin #26 – Review

By: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Marcus To (penciller), Ray McCarthy (inker), Guy Major (colorist)

The Story: Boomerang, you should know better than anyone: what goes around, comes around.

The Review: Boy, what to say about Captain Boomerang?  Conceived during an “anything-goes” era of comics, his stubborn fixation to his weapon of choice in lieu of any other skills or powers made him one of the wackier buffoons from the Flash’s rogues gallery.  He gained some prestige recently for a featured role in Brightest Day, but the story for which he’s most famous is almost certainly his murder of Jack Drake, father of then-Robin Tim Drake.

This incident brought about major changes in Tim’s life, including his adoption under Bruce Wayne’s name, and likely led to his current identity as Red Robin.  It’s thus fitting that for this final issue, Tim turns his eye on the man that arguably catalyzed his second life as a character.  Up until Identity Crisis, Tim had been thoughtful and intelligent, but resistant to the idea of becoming anything like Batman.  These issue shows things have definitely changed since then.

All of Tim’s schemes bear the Red Robin stamp of mindboggling foresightedness, but this last one takes the cake as he predicts, with stunning accuracy, the unpredictable: human nature.  Yet even at his most serious, Boomerang remains a simpleminded man (Batman remarks, “But you knew…Harkness would only make one decision.”), so manipulating him probably isn’t the hardest task in the world, but that doesn’t take away from the impressive number of variables Tim moves with meticulous precision to push Digger to seal his own fate.

All this chess-like play, just so Tim can get his revenge on his father’s murderer and still claim he kept his hands clean.  This just confirms his entrance into that murky area that frequently plagues Bruce’s methods, but in some ways, Tim’s actions this issue indicate he’s actually more entrenched in gray than his mentor.  Batman certainly has bones to pick with a lot of folks, but he’s not the type to carry out a personal vendetta with such painstaking obsession.

All this may hint at a dark future for Red Robin, but it also proves he has really become his own person, a fully-realized figure among the many Robins beyond “the nerdy one.”  Compare him to Dick, who suffered his own tragedies and grim experiences, but none of it seeming to stick to him.  Even with the Batman cowl on, he doesn’t hesitate to give Tim a sympathetic hand and benefit of the doubt, signs of his perpetually bright outlook, one Tim doesn’t necessarily share.

Nicieza has a wonderful way of using DC’s enormous inventory of faces and places to enrich Red Robin’s world, weaving them together to make any kind of story seem possible.  How many other writers would remember that Gangbuster works as S.T.A.R. Labs’ head of security?  How many would think of having Boomerang turn to Mr. Freeze for the cryogenic power he needs to access the energies he wants—and using Freeze’s beloved wife to convince him to do it?

In honor of this bittersweet occasion, To delivers his best work yet, a great example of why his art has been such valuable part of this title.  DC has some beautiful artists, but I can personally vouch that many of them have a hard time making the action sing.  To almost never has that problem; that first two-page splash of Tim dodging Digger’s boomerangs practically explodes off the page, it has that much energy.  But don’t overlook To’s dramatic work, as he gives commendable expression to the characters, especially Boomerang, who hasn’t looked this convincing in a long time.

Conclusion: Nicieza drops sentimentality for sobriety for this final issue.  We have no hugs or happy endings here, but a serious look at Red Robin’s uncertain future that is no less compelling and appropriate.

Grade: A-

– Minhquan Nguyen

Some Musings: – It’s these subtle character things that make me love Nicieza’s writing: Gangbuster takes the time to look after a security guard made sick from drinking ipecac-laced coffee.  What a great boss.  What a hero.  I say this with absolute sincerity.