Red Robin #8 – Review

By: Chris Yost (writer), Marcus To (penciller), Ray McCarthy (inker)

The Story: Council of Spiders, Part Four of Four: Ra’s al Ghul is dead on the floor. The League of Assassins has been outmaneuvered. The Council of Spiders outnumber Red Robin seven to one. Welcome to page one. Now scores get settled.

What’s Good: I’ve compared the feel of Yost’s Red Robin arcs to a summer blockbuster and this last act is no exception. The excitement is tense and for most of the issue, even after the outcome is called, I saw no way out for poor Tim Drake. He is seriously, seriously outclassed and he’s stuck protecting a civilian. The sparse writing complements the action by giving us just what we need to understand the story, but nothing more; Yost keeps us guessing to the very end. The development of Tim’s coming of age arc finishes in this issue too. He is wearing some awfully big boots, facing people who would have given even Bruce Wayne himself pause. Tim brings together all the teachings and advice he has received from so many different mentors, and integrates it into who he is going to be as an adult. Action and character development come together and solve what is wrong in the world. Very satisfying.

Marcus To literally had to draw a book full of action. There’s barely a panel that isn’t about the fight or watching the fight or reacting to the fight. There are a lot of combatants, yet the action is clear and clean. I really enjoyed where To blurred some of the lines and colors to show the speed of the battle.

WCBR’s Picks Of The Week

Alex’s Top Picks

Pick of the Week: Unknown Soldier #15 – It’s amazing what a change in colorist and art-style can do.  The book has gone from looking rough, and at times, crude, to being an artbook with beautiful shading and an awesome, dusty feel.  The murder-mystery turn the book has taken also points to good things coming with this arc, while Moses continues to struggle with the idea of redemption, as well as his oddly parallel relationship with young Paul.  This was probably my favourite issue of Unknown Soldier since the series’ first arc.

Most Anticipated: Stumptown #2 – I’ve been forced to wait an extra month, and that’s only made me want this second issue all the more.  Stumptown is basically Greg Rucka doing what Greg Rucka does best, combining gritty detective fiction, Sean Phillips-esque art, and one of the coolest and most human female protagonists you can find in comics today.  This looks to be a great series and is an absolute must-read for fans of Brubaker’s Criminal or Rucka’s current run on Detective Comics.

Other Picks: Siege #1, Sweet Tooth #5, Suicide Squad #67

DS’s Top Picks

Best of the Past Week: Blackest Night #6 – Only Blackest Night came out from DC last week, but even at that, it would have topped my list for the last 2 weeks. Awesome blockbuster story, getting deeper as it goes. I’m going to be really sad when it’s done.

Most Anticipated: Siege #1 – Norman Obsorn and the villains of the Marvel U against Asgard!

Other Top Picks: The Uranian #1 (wait for a nerd-out moment if I review this one!), Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #2, Red Robin #8, Superman: World of New Krypton #11.

Ray’s Top Picks

Best of the Past Week: Blackest Night #6 –  Other than being the only book in my list to come out, the epic event continues.

Most Anticipated: Sweet Tooth #5 – Jeff Lemire’s haunting tale concludes its first arc. At this point, nothing has been predictable, and every issue hasn’t disappointed.

Other Top Picks: Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #2, The Uranian #1, Red Robin #8, Siege #1