Robin #1

Robin #1

DC Comics 2021

Written by Joshua Williamson

Illustrated by Gleb Melnikov

Lettered by ALW’s Troy Peteri

After learning of the deadly League of Lazarus tournament, Damian Wayne has a new mission: winning the tournament and prove he is the greatest fighter in the DC Universe! But first he must find the secret island where it’s all going down! This brand-new solo Robin series will force Damian Wayne to find his own path away from both sides of his family! New mysteries! New supporting cast! First appearances of new characters! And lots of fights!

To be honest Damian has always been a character I’ve hated. I don’t think he’s ever been interesting and his arrogance and entitlement have bugged me since day one. If he learns anything about humility and being humble I think i’d be knocked over by a grain of sand. So why are we here? Simple I love Joshua’s writing and his ability to craft a tale and he’s got a very acure understanding of the evil personalities, there’s Ghosted, Nailbiter, Birthright but my favourite will always be Necessary Evil. So if there is anyone who can sway my opinions on Damian it will be Mr. Williamson.

While I may not agree with the romanticised opening between Bruce and Damian in his musings because I think he’s a lost cause and much better off without him whether he’s his son or not. I do get the bit about soul searching however and wanting to find a path that ties him to neither his mother or his father’s side but to truly find a path of his own. Still one raised as he knows only fighting and it is the expected path, peace would’ve been something interesting to see him try. The character development that we see is really nice. With the pacing here it’s spot on and takes us beautifully through the pages revealing the story.

The story & plot development we see through how this is structured as well as the layers within the story really capture the readers attention and engages the mind extremely well. I also like how we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it continues to move the story forward is exceptionally well rendered. There is something about this that actually appeals me as we see Ravager where he’s at and the cliffhanger ending is nothing short of brilliant. Perhaps in his haste to find his own path he’s headed right towards the very combination of both.

I do like the interiors here. There is a dichotomy to how we see the backgrounds compared to the characters that i’m really kind of digging. I do question the new outfit it’s way into pixie territory and the colour scheme is highly questionable to me. With a few tweaks, like getting rid of the skirt and I could get into this. The way we see the backgrounds utilised within the composition of the panels as they work their magic bringing out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is great to see. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a very talented eye for storytelling. The colour work has some of the most incredible moments within these pages. The mountains and greenery on the Island for instance is absolutely stunning! The way we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilise to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is done with such aplomb.

For a character I dislike I do think this could be an extremely interesting story to keep reading. Joshua manages to create this dynamic with whom and what we see that continues to grow on the reader long after the book is put down. With new and old characters alike I’ll be interested in seeing where this first arc takes Damian and if he is able to actually learn something about himself.