As I move forward in time to the beginning of the 1990's I am forced to consider the "Robin: A Hero Reborn" trade paperback one of the better comic book collections of all time.  Written by Chuck Dixon to begin a new era of Batman, and drawn with classic eighties style by Tom Lyle, I focus on the first Robin limited series and the first issue of that storyline.

Many fans are familiar with the storyline that ending in the death of the second Robin, a death that was left up to the readers of the Batman comic to decide by dialing one telephone number to vote to kill Robin and a second to save his life.  When the votes were tallied, Jason Todd was dead, and the need for a new Robin was apparent almost immediately.

Enter Tim Drake, a young boy so smart he figures out Batman's secret identity while all of Gotham's reporters, detectives, and villains have no clue.  Pretty snappy for a young kid.  Then we find out he can fight, and before long Batman recruits him to be Robin #3.

Pretty tame stuff right? Well not when you juxtapose this innocent youth with his fears of taking on Gotham and Bruce replies:  "You just need the edge."  Here we see the generation of a classic theme: young man coming of age, but allegorically it reflects on Bruce Wayne's own passage into adulthood.  We see Batman's world through the POV of a young warrior who has yet to find his taste for battle and blood.

The tone here is brooding, solemn, and insecure, as Tim's fears are juxtaposed with with the torture of an old martial arts master who was once defeated and destroyed by the King Snake.  King Snake's lieutenant has returned to force more information out of the man and she is successful.  Naming the villain the "King Snake" in a book about a pubescent crime fighter is too hilarious to go on without a phallic reference.  Yes, the King Snake is blind, and Robin must master his power so he can fight and stop the King Snake over a series of story arcs with the same villain.

All in all the book stands out as a favorite because I still identify with the youthful protagonist as I was his age when these books came out.  Currently I am around Batman's age and still find that shockingly difficult to resolve.  Still, it is a fine comic book that has been reprinted many times and can often be found in comic shops as they seemed to publish a few more than the public was ready for.  I hope you enjoy it, and Blessed Be.