Robin # 177 - Red Robin Returns!

I know it seems a weird choice for me to go with a Robin comic for a review this week, but readers of this blog know I really love seeing Red Robin in action. Jason Todd really did a great job adopting the role in the final issues of Countdown, and I was anxious to see him appear in a regular DC title. Well, Red Robin is back, but it isn't Jason Todd!

The cover alone should be enough to grab you, but the opening pages show you right off the bat that you're not looking at the same guy you'd seen in the tights before.

Jason Todd's return is cool, but I have to say it's a little bit of a letdown to see him back in his "Red Hood" suit after seeing him end the Countdown as Red Robin. I think DC's really killed the momentum here with this character. It's like they said, "Never mind, everything's back like it was before." Of course, given the current state of DC's storylines, we shouldn't be surprised.

The mysterious new Red Robin makes a few appearances throughout the book, but just who it is and what they want we can't say. Unfortunately, again given DC's current state of reboots while storytelling, this will probably turn out to be woman in a bulky suit again (he constantly covers his mouth when closeups are involved, even on the cover...and since we wouldn't recognize any hero just from their mouth it's a sure giveaway they're hiding something instantly recognizable--like lipstick or something).

Lest you think I hate the story, I don't. There are plenty of faults, and unless some really amazing plot twist occurs in the next month or so (this is another Jason Todd from one of the alternate realities they visited, or the Jason Todd we're seeing now is from another reality, etc) I think we're headed for a letdown...but the story moves along nicely and it's interesting to see Robin face off against his predecessor again. This isn't a book I usually pick up with any regularity, but I'm going to have to stick around at least until we see who's wearing the RR suit.