Writers: Joshua Williamson
Art: Gleb Melnikov
Letters: ALW’s Troy Peteri
Publisher: DC
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 4/27/2021
Reviewer: Soycornholio
I LOVE Damian Wayne. After Dick Grayson, he is my favorite Robin. Damian is cocky, smart, lethal, and he knows it. His latest adventures have lead him to an island where the opponents fight to the death. This is right up his alley. Let’s take a peek into Joshua Williamson’s latest comic, Robin #1.
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Fight Club:
What’s the first rule of Fight Club? You do not talk about Fight Club! Damian has landed himself a first-class coin to Lazarus Island. On this island, deadly fighters compete to prove who is the strongest. Throughout reading this issue, I picked up on Fight Club meets Mortal Kombat vibes. It reminds me of Fight Club because of the underground nature of it. You have to be invited in AND of course, there are rules. However, this comic also leans heavily into the Mortal Kombat arena. Maybe it was because Warner Bros. just dropped the latest Mortal Kombat movie (go check that out) but Damian seems at home in this type of environment. He has the opportunity to be a hardy little jerk and demonstrate why he knows he is deadly. Maybe there could be a new MK 11 DLC with Damian Wayne. They did it with the Joker and Damian is scrappy enough!
Kid Stuff:
When I think of Damian Wayne, I think of that little kid who appeared in the Harley Quinn tv show with the high pitch voice claiming “I am Batman”. He is a brat. He is beyond spoiled and he knows it. But, even though Damian is an expert combatant, he is still a 14-year-old kid. In one scene, we see him reading a manga comic book with his tiny backpack next to him. Damian is very much like his father in this regard. On the outside, they’re tough and have a reputation to uphold. On the inside, they’re still human. So when you see these little rays of light within their hurricane of emotions, you fall for them even more.
Synergy:
Willamson and Melnikov have what I call artistic synergy. Their work compliments one another. Melnikov draws beautiful art. His art is what I want to see in a 2021 comic book. Willamson writes as if a close friend is relaying a conversation to you that they had overheard. It is easy to read. In some comics, I find myself re-reading certain boxes over and over and over again. This is not the case with Williamson. I gobbled this story the same way I devoured any Harry Potter book or Geoff Johns’s Teen Titans.
Final Thoughts:
My biggest complaint about this story is that it was too dang short! I wanted more. DC has spoiled us during these last few months with the mammoth undertaking of the Infinite Universe. In some cases, we were treated to 3 full stories in one issue. On one hand, I am happy that they have returned to the “one story” status quo. On the other hand, for a comic like this, I would love to see some type of back story. Damian Wayne needs to belong to DC’s Black Label. We need full-on cursing, blood, and guts with any story he is a part of. I would 1000% recommend picking up this comic. You will not be disappointed.