WE ARE ROBIN #2
Written by Lee Bermejo
Art by Jorge Corona, Khary Randolph
Published by DC Comics
Release Date: July 22, 2015
WE. ARE. ROBIN.
I will freely admit I didn’t expect a gang of vigilante teens to strike a chord and fire me up quite like We Are Robin #2 did. I enjoyed the first issue, but the second issue really hit a smoother stride with both the writing and the artwork.
Lee Bermejo has assembled an intriguing group of kids and, as much as anything, it is very intriguing as to who is arranging all this. Bermejo’s got a solid mystery going as to why these Robins are assembled and, in light of the changes that have occurred in the world of Batman, an army of Robins makes perfect sense to me. Other than Damian, the whole “Robin sidekick deal” has never been my favourite, but these kids acting as a group of Robins – a gang of them – is right up my alley. Bermejo injects the right kinds of attitude into the characters and the perfect amount of scrappiness into their dialogue. These aren’t kids that are trained by the Bat. These are street fighters with more gumption than brains and their headstrong youthfulness makes them likable and exciting characters to read.
The characters are fun to read, but Jorge Corona’s artwork is what really sold me on this issue. His style shatters any discussion of “house style” and the tone of this artwork suits the script brilliantly. There is a huge amount of kinetic energy in his action sequences, and these kids come across as just that: kids. They are not drawn with huge, hulking physiques of 25 year old Olympians. These kids look like scrappy teens that will get their asses handed to them sometimes. His visuals sell Bermejo’s script nicely and give this book a charming aesthetic. His work is what will set this book apart from the rest of the Bat family, and it is nice to see DC taking a risk and letting Corona go wild and add some style and flair to this comic.
We Are Robin #2 is a good lookin’ comic with an intriguing story. I’m already hooked by the mysterious circumstances as to how these kids are coming together to deliver some good ol’ fashioned vigilante justice to some loser criminals. Bermejo writes these kids well, and Corona gives this book some pizazz with the visuals. The artwork in the backup by Khary Randolph is solid as well and I will definitely be back for issue #3.
The Verdict: 8.0/10
