Scan barcode
walter_the_wombat's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
tshepiso's review
4.0
Robin/Batgirl Fresh Blood was a pretty fun time. As with most comics, I wasn't extremely engaged by its plot which sees the titular heroes investigate the return of the supposedly dead crime boss Blockbuster in Bludhaven.
to be honest the story doesn't have much to it. if you're a fan of the penguin and bidding wars you might enjoy it but where this cross-over shines the way Bill Willingham and Andersen Gabrych explore Cass and Tim's relationship in the fallout of the War Games event.
This comic spends a fair amount of time meditating on the innate differences between these two characters. their relationship with Batman their approach to crime and the law their different strength in fighting and detective work. and the comic manages to explore these differences without manufacturing overblown arguments or bickering. these two complimented each other so well. evidenced by the best moment in the arc's four-part special being Tim and Cass simply talking after they've defeated the penguin. I would have loved to see their relationship explored further.
While I loved Batgirl and Robin's dynamic in this comic I did take issue with the ways Anderson Gabrych wrote Cass as an individual character. The introduction of narration boxes is something that categorically hasn't been a part of batgirl comics for the first 57 issues of this comic. this choice and Cass having quippy dialogue during fights made her feel slightly off-model throughout this run. It wasn't enough to take me completely out of the story but it did bother me.
On a positive note, I did love Damian Scott's illustration in the robin comic. I adored his art in the earlier issues of batgirl and while his art in robin is different his fluidity and the soft curves in his character design just work for me in every way.
robin/batgirl fresh blood was a solid read. it had great character dynamics and sufficiently tied up character beats war games incredibly well. a refreshing red after the slog that was that arc.
to be honest the story doesn't have much to it. if you're a fan of the penguin and bidding wars you might enjoy it but where this cross-over shines the way Bill Willingham and Andersen Gabrych explore Cass and Tim's relationship in the fallout of the War Games event.
This comic spends a fair amount of time meditating on the innate differences between these two characters. their relationship with Batman their approach to crime and the law their different strength in fighting and detective work. and the comic manages to explore these differences without manufacturing overblown arguments or bickering. these two complimented each other so well. evidenced by the best moment in the arc's four-part special being Tim and Cass simply talking after they've defeated the penguin. I would have loved to see their relationship explored further.
While I loved Batgirl and Robin's dynamic in this comic I did take issue with the ways Anderson Gabrych wrote Cass as an individual character. The introduction of narration boxes is something that categorically hasn't been a part of batgirl comics for the first 57 issues of this comic. this choice and Cass having quippy dialogue during fights made her feel slightly off-model throughout this run. It wasn't enough to take me completely out of the story but it did bother me.
On a positive note, I did love Damian Scott's illustration in the robin comic. I adored his art in the earlier issues of batgirl and while his art in robin is different his fluidity and the soft curves in his character design just work for me in every way.
robin/batgirl fresh blood was a solid read. it had great character dynamics and sufficiently tied up character beats war games incredibly well. a refreshing red after the slog that was that arc.
mapatchli's review
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
captwinghead's review
4.0
This was my first real introduction into Tim Drake, the Robin I know the least about. It was okay.
I liked that it began as him taking over Nightwing's territory in Bludhaven after the events of War Games. Tim wants his independence to deal with some pretty heavy stuff because Steph died, his father was murdered and his step mother was in the hospital.
There was a theme of Tim not wanting to let his pin turn him into the Bruce. It's evident in Tim's thoughts, Alfred saying he fears Bruce has rubbed off on him and then juxtaposed in Cass later saying that, unlike him, all she's wanted is to someday become Batman.
The storyline is okay. Cass and Tim are trying to figure out if Blockbuster is alive. One, to clear Dick's conscious and two, to stop the uprising of violence in Bludhaven.
The fight scenes are some of the best I've seen. The art is pretty great at showing Cass' prowess and Tim's different fighting style. One thing I do like about Tim is that he's presented as the Robin that feels the least confident in his combat skills but way more confident in his computer skills.
Seeing him and Cass pretend to fight and then him shooting her hurt a lot, not gonna lie.
The end conversation was really interesting. I think Tim is the only Robin to disagree with the idea that Batman's methods shouldn't trump the law?
Anyway, this was okay. I got a small bit of Tim's personality and I adore Cass so it was great to see her.
4.3 stars.
I liked that it began as him taking over Nightwing's territory in Bludhaven after the events of War Games. Tim wants his independence to deal with some pretty heavy stuff because Steph died, his father was murdered and his step mother was in the hospital.
There was a theme of Tim not wanting to let his pin turn him into the Bruce. It's evident in Tim's thoughts, Alfred saying he fears Bruce has rubbed off on him and then juxtaposed in Cass later saying that, unlike him, all she's wanted is to someday become Batman.
The storyline is okay. Cass and Tim are trying to figure out if Blockbuster is alive. One, to clear Dick's conscious and two, to stop the uprising of violence in Bludhaven.
The fight scenes are some of the best I've seen. The art is pretty great at showing Cass' prowess and Tim's different fighting style. One thing I do like about Tim is that he's presented as the Robin that feels the least confident in his combat skills but way more confident in his computer skills.
Seeing him and Cass pretend to fight and then him shooting her hurt a lot, not gonna lie.
The end conversation was really interesting. I think Tim is the only Robin to disagree with the idea that Batman's methods shouldn't trump the law?
Anyway, this was okay. I got a small bit of Tim's personality and I adore Cass so it was great to see her.
4.3 stars.
purplebubblesinmytea's review
4.0
This is probably the first time in Willingham's run that I've been okay with his characterisation of anyone. Really interesting developments for Tim, and I enjoyed seeing Alfred's constant presence in his life. (Shouldn't he still be in high school? It raises so many questions about guardianship.)
This has also entirely convinced me to put down the next comic I was planning on reading and go through all of Batgirl. Tim and Cass teaming up was amazing, and now that they're both in Bludhaven, I hope they'll be crossing paths more often.
This has also entirely convinced me to put down the next comic I was planning on reading and go through all of Batgirl. Tim and Cass teaming up was amazing, and now that they're both in Bludhaven, I hope they'll be crossing paths more often.
nickpalmieri's review
2.0
Read this on 1/24/2020 for Robin #132-133 as part of my Robin read-through.
I read this about a decade ago when I was really into Cassandra Cain. Those Batgirl issues are still good and have some great quiet emotional moments, which is essential for the character. I also still really like Damion Scott's art on the Robin issues. The story is pretty stupid on the whole, though. There's really not a lot to comment on, other than that I'm glad the books didn't linger too much on the characters' grief, nor did they ignore it. The new setting is cool too, even if we didn't get to see a ton of Bludhaven, and even though I wasn't quite ready to move on from Tim's last slice of Gotham which had just been introduced.
I read this about a decade ago when I was really into Cassandra Cain. Those Batgirl issues are still good and have some great quiet emotional moments, which is essential for the character. I also still really like Damion Scott's art on the Robin issues. The story is pretty stupid on the whole, though. There's really not a lot to comment on, other than that I'm glad the books didn't linger too much on the characters' grief, nor did they ignore it. The new setting is cool too, even if we didn't get to see a ton of Bludhaven, and even though I wasn't quite ready to move on from Tim's last slice of Gotham which had just been introduced.
More...