Review – We Are Robin #10 (DC Comics)

Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Lee Bermejo
Artwork: Jorge Corona, Rob Haynes
Release Date: 23rd March, 2016

With the team shattered and effectively disbanded following the inception of the “Robin Laws”, the latest issue of Lee Bermejo’s We Are Robin sees us checking in with each of the Robins individually as they deal with the fallout from their actions in their own unique ways. Some are doing their best to keep fighting the good fight, some are struggling to re-integrate themselves into “real life” and others are barely managing to keep their mounting frustration and sadness in check. However, when the “Jokerz” leak a viral video of a brutal comedy club shooting, it’s clear that the Robins may be forced back into action in order to deal with this growing threat to their city.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Bermejo’s writing over the previous nine issues is the fact that he has managed to introduce a group of brand new characters, each with their own unique traits and flaws, and – most importantly – make us care about them in the process. That approach pays dividends here as we touch base with the individual team members, with Dax and Dre taking centre stage as the former tries to rally the team and the latter adopts a somewhat unconventional, “hands on” approach to dealing with the threat.

Once again, Jorge Corona and Rob Haynes combine to give the book an energetic, vibrant artistic style, with Corona’s well documented love of scarves (see “Feathers” from Arcadia) giving the leader of the “Jokerz” gang a fantastic visual marker. There isn’t a huge amount of action here, with more of a reflective approach being adopted as the creators allow us a moment to take stock of events, but the groundwork is definitely being laid here for a fantastically tense eleventh issue. The final pages hammer home the severity of the threat, as well as raising an alarming red flag about the loyalty of one of the team members.

While the series has had its ups and downs thus far, there’s no denying that Bermejo has done a truly stellar job of opening up this truly intriguing corner of the DC Universe, and that the premise of the series – a motley crew of disillusioned, highly motivated youngsters wanting to keep up the good work of the now-absent Batman – is absolute gold. A solid issue then, filled with character rather than storyline development, and an absolute belter of a cliffhanger. Definitely a series worth checking out if you haven’t done so already.

Rating: 4/5.

The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson-Adams (aka Ceej)
Article Archive: Ceej Says
You can follow Ceej on Twitter