ROBIN #9 - August 1994

 

The Triumph

Credits:  Chuck Dixon (writer), Tom Grummett (layouts), Ray Kryssing (finishes), Albert De Guzman (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  Robin returns to the Batcave and is relieved to find Bruce inside instead of Jean-Paul.  He tries to go about his daily life as Tim Drake, but is exhausted following the previous forty-eight hours.  The next night, he responds to a hostage situation at a museum.  Robin tricks the criminals into revealing their locations over their walkie-talkies, allowing Batman to pick them off.  After Robin helps Batman finish the final criminal, Batman assures him that the job is still his if he wants it.

Review:  Oddly enough, this issue marks Bruce Wayne’s full return as Batman.  Since DC didn’t make a big deal about it, there’s a sense that the other shoe is about to drop.  Dixon leaves a few hints regarding Bruce’s attitude that “changes must be made,” but he spends the vast majority of the issue touching base with the series’ ongoing subplots and giving the audience an old-school Batman/Robin team-up.  The museum fight scene is fun, and it’s worth noting that Batman actually cracks a smile at one point, but the best moments of the story deal with Tim Drake’s normal life.  I can’t imagine that launching this ongoing series in the middle of a massive crossover event did the continuing subplots any favors, but Dixon is able to explore how exactly the major upheavals in the Batman’s world can impact Tim’s life.  If you really did just endure six straight issues of fight scenes, you probably would fall asleep while on a date with your girlfriend.  The small human touches are what made the Robin series so enjoyable throughout the ‘90s.  Hopefully these brief glimpses in the Knightfall trades will encourage anyone who missed out on the book the first time to hunt down the back issues.