A challenging first review of an unexpected but worthwhile book

Well here it is, my first ever comic review – and how terribly exciting it is. Yet I also feel a degree of trepidation as I start because, as it turns out, reviewing comics is really, really hard.

I’ve done a load of film reviews for The Newplex now, and the key things I look for to comment on have become quite routine; plot, writing, direction, performances, cinematography, and so on. While I don’t have any formal education in film theory, after 20 plus years of cinemagoing, the vast majority of us could quite happily add some reasonably informed comments to a discussion about a film (a fact that probably shouldn’t be highlighted on this website where I want you drooling masses to hang of my every musing).

But that’s film, and today I’m reviewing Robin War – a graphic novel – it’s a completely different beast.

My life story

I’ve been an active fan of the comic book world for about six years now, which really isn’t all that long. My introduction came with 2012’s Batman Arkham Asylum video game, where I became instantly enamoured with the dark and surreal visions of incredibly real social issues: crime, corruption, inequality, class, mental health, family, and pretty much anything else you can think of.

Arkham Asylum changed everything I thought I knew about comics – which I had presumed were the reserve of children. A veil of snobbery was lifted, and I became a fan of all things comic (including an unreserved embracing of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which was just solidifying its position as the box office juggernaut it is today) pretty much overnight.

But the world of comics is vast, and each significant character is steeped in as much mythology as any Greek/Roman god – with just as many variations of the same stories, and even more complex links between them all. So even though I’ve managed to work my way through a fair amount of content in these last six years, I’m conscious of the fact that I am – in the greater scheme of things – still a little bit of a noob.

But this is The Newplex, damnit. If I can’t post my barely informed ramblings on a subject I care a great deal about here, then where? Twitter? Not bloody likely – I don’t have the mettle for the dismissive “No. This is wrong” retweets with comments (not even replies).

So here we go, Robin War – what did I think?

A challenging review

This was a bit of a challenging one for my first review as Robin War was a crossover event that ran across a handful of different DC lines, each with a varying degree of importance to the overall arc. Robin War (specials), Grayson, Detective Comics, Robin: Son of Batman, Gotham Academy, Red Hood/Arsenal, and Teen Titans are all included in this meaty collected edition.

This rather threw my initial approach to comic reviewing out the window. Based on how I tend to think about films, it seemed logical to me that the way to go about reviewing a comic would be to look at the writing, art, plot, layout, and things of that nature. Yet in a book with this many credits, that becomes nearly impossible.

But we solider on…

The story

Robin War depicts the ordinary youth of Gotham taking up the mantle of Batman’s sidekick en masse in an effort to shape up their city. After an encounter with one of these ‘Robins’ ends in tragedy however, Gotham starts cracking down on these amateur vigilantes in extreme ways. Men who formally held the title of Robin in an official capacity (Agent 37, Red Hood, and Red Robin) are drawn into the struggle between the authorities and these well-meaning but ill-trained kids.

There are a few twists along the way, but that is basically the gist of it. Despite being over 200 pages long, the actual meat of the plot is relatively straightforward. The collection starts with Robin War #1 and ends with Robin War #2 and it’s in these two issues where pretty much where all the action happens. The various issues from other titles in between the two Robin War comics are where all the background is filled in, and boy is there a lot of background.

With so many different lines going into this graphic novel, there are inevitably some parts that are better than others. For example, I really liked the writing, tone, and art of Teen Titans section, but I really, really, didn’t like anything about the Gotham Academy part – which seemed to drag on for ages.

This made for a strange dynamic when considering Robin War as a singular graphic novel, because there were some characters I was invested in significantly more than others. The Teen Titans were cool, interesting, and up against a compelling villain. I found myself wanting to get to know these characters (some of which I’d not encountered before, such as Bunker) and became excited to see how they would play into the Robin War arc. But then we had the characters of Gotham Academy, who seemed childish (probably owing to the fact that they are children), and generally uninteresting. I think there was a subplot about one girl upset that her friend hadn’t asked her to be roommates or something like that. Between that and the child-friendly art style, I totally checked out of that section. To be clear, Gotham Academy was aimed at children – I’m not meant to like it, but when sandwiched in with some really cool stuff, it only accentuated how much of a dull detour it really was.

Having said that, one massive bonus of Robin War is the diversity of the lines it includes. Sure, they’re all Gotham/Bat Gamily centric, but with so many lines to pick from in the New 52 era, Robin War gives you a whirlwind tour around what was on offer and gives you a chance to see what you might like to read further. After a super compelling issue from Teen Titans, I will certainly be going back to read the entire series.

The Robin symbol

When I bought Robin War, I was looking for a graphic novel that explored the relationships between the various incarnations of Robin as well as just showing some of his everyday bad-assery. After reading Robin War, I realise I have books in my collection that better fit that role. If you’re looking for a character study of any of the Robins, I don’t think you’re going to find it here.

What does make this book worth reading, however, is the examination of Robin as an idea, and not an individual. We’ve had loads of opportunities to look at Batman as a symbol, with many writers offering their versions of exactly what that symbol is and why Gotham needs it. But few have taken the time to look at Robin in the same way. Robin isn’t just a man (or boy), but a mantle – like Batman – that is passed on to each worthy successor, and Robin War shows what a modern youth movement might find in that symbol and what they would do with it.

This makes Robin War incredibly relevant. We live in a time where the youth are the most politically engaged group of all, with a general rejection of the status quo and with many social campaigns being lead by the youngsters affected most by the issues. If nothing else, Robin War captures that sense of empowerment and accompanying confusion as to how to actually implement meaningful change.

Overall

So while Robin War may not have been the Robin story I was hoping for, it was still certainly worth reading. Not just for the exposure to a range of New 52 lines that I will definitely be checking out (and ones that I now know I should avoid like the plague), but for offering a take on what a symbol like Robin might mean to today’s youth – which is something I certainly hadn’t considered. Yes there are better stories out there to explore how the Bat Family operates, but as whirlwind tour of what was happening towards the end of the New 52 era, Robin War serves a purpose.

So, overall, if you fancy something a little different on your reading list, give Robin War a try. It won’t be the Damian Wayne, Tim Drake, Jason Todd, or Dick Grayson story you were expecting, but it’s a worthwhile story nonetheless.