Robin #172
Robin #172
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Pencils: David Baldeon
This issue starts out with Tim hand-gliding over an illegal casino (what’s up with all the bat-gliders lately…seriously). The story from here is pretty standard. Tim waits for Violet to show up and rob the place, Violet does, criminals are tipped off and mayhem, mayhem mayhem! This is Chuck Dixon folks, so I may make little light of the writing but, it’s handled well trust me.
The really big point I wanna bring up within this issue however, was the reveal of Spoiler. We finally see the person under the mask that has been stalking Tim, who can’t possibly be Stephanie Brown….and yet? The blonde-haired beauty penciled, appears to be none other then Stephanie Brown herself. So…why is this such a big deal?
Well….the first thing Brown being alive would resolve is, why there is no memorial case for her in the batcave. I know…..some of you are like….who gives a crap about a case, all I have to say to you is….you’d be surprised. The glaring omission of a memorial case for Stephanie has been a sore spot within DC fandom ever since her death in War Games, being aggravated even more by events in the War Crimes story. The question has always been brought up….why did the first and only female Robin never get a memorial case in the batcave. Panels have been looked over numerous times and whilest Jason Todd’s memorial case stands in 3/4s of the shots, you never see anything for Stephanie Brown. Check it out…seriously I am not making it up. Whenever Didio has been asked about the Brown issue he has always avoided it, making remarks sometimes saying to the effect it’d never happen. Many think this was a specific policy with Didio, the reasoning of this thought being to slight the role of female heroes in some such way. I don’t know about all of that BUT, with this resurrection of sorts, this issue of the memorial case could be seen to have been framework laid for upcoming stories…in that possibly Bruce never made a memorial case for Stephanie…simply because after a point, he had found her to be alive. Whether this was planned from the beginning or instituted due to fan outcry I don’t know…perhaps that’s the greater question. Again, I know this doesn’t seem huge but, trust me, look around the comic blogosphere some, it’s an issue.
Moving along, the questions arise a plenty with Stephanie’s resurrection, the actual method that will be used to explain Stephanie’s sudden re-appearance. I mean…How did Stephanie come back?…or was she ever really dead? Explanations? The Stephanie seen is a clone, a ghost, a Stephanie from a parallel Earth, somebody with plastic surgery made to look like Stephanie, maybe it’s Clayface, or this person actually is Stephanie after her body was dipped into a Lazarus Pit by some unforeseen person,…maybe Leslie lied AGAIN to Bruce and has been keeping her alive and unseen…though not well enough as she thinks. I could go on and on but, you get the gist.
One also must wonder if this sudden resurrection ties in, in any way to current or upcoming events within the DCU (Countdown, Final Crisis, Reign In Hell, Blackest Night etc, etc.). The appearance of “A” Spoiler in the Gotham Underground series seems like a portent of sorts, of things yet to come. Then again....it could be just be Didio saying "I GIVE UP", lol.
What about Tim?….all of his feelings and reactions to such a reveal as this?
Solicits for the upcoming Robin/Spoiler special coming up will probably tie up a lot of these questions....but...again...maybe not.
I could go on and on about Stephanie being alive…needless to say, it sparks a lot of questions and discussion in both past, present and future continuity in the DCU at large.
Overall this issue was decent, and I am curious to see where Dixon goes with this and how he utilizes the character of Spoiler whom seems to be...in fact Stephanie Brown. Baldeon’s penciling again was alright, it wasn’t horrible nor was it mouth watering, it was just ok. B+
