Red Robin #4 Review

DC synopsis:

"The Grail" part 4 of 4! In this explosive conclusion to the debut arc, Red Robin's search leads him to the deserts of the Middle East with the League of Assassins by his side. How many lines will he cross to prove that Bruce Wayne is alive? One journey ends, but a far deadlier one begins as Red Robin learns the truth - although he may not survive to tell anyone, because back in Gotham City, Red Robin faces off with the one man who could stop his quest: Batman!"

Story by Christopher Yost Art by Ramon Bachs Cover by Francis Manapul

The first arc of Tim Wayne's (Drake) new solo adventure comes to a close in Red Robin #4 and I'm sad to say it's a mixed bag of brilliance and bad scripting.

Being a fan and collector of the original Robin series - before DC brought it to a swift end earlier this year - I have massive hopes, and as such, great expectations for this book but so far it's been frustrating.

The core concept of the series is Tim's search for Bruce Wayne and his staunch belief that the former Batman is still alive somewhere out there. It's the only batbook dealing with this right now and when it does deal with the Bruce Wayne search, it does so brilliantly, as you'll see by reading Red Robin #4, which ties in with the shots of Bruce at the end of Final Crisis.

There's also a flashback sequence also between Drake and Grayson. This works well and reveals a bit more about why Tim left Gotham. It is an interesting read.

It's at this point the debut arc should have ended. Next we're faced with a mysterious villain from the council who easily disperses of the Red Robin and the league of assassins setting up the next arc, the Council of Spiders..

All in all, a horrid ending to what should have been a quality comic. This could have been so much better.

Let's just hope DC get their fingers out in the next arc. - R