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A review by tshepiso
Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood by Andersen Gabrych, Bill Willingham, Jesse Delperdang, Damion Scott, Alé Garza
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.