Star Spangled Comics

[Slash Man]

I've been reading through the Robin Archives compiling Robin's very first solo outings in Star Spangled Comics, and so far I love it. I figured I might share some random thoughts. Robin had long been an interesting character in his own right with Dick occupying a much different role than Bruce. These adventures are concurrent with the ongoing Batman stories, and while a lot of the stories are scaled down for a lone teenager to handle, a lot of stories are large scale conflicts where Batman simply isn't available in time to intervene, like when Robin had to dispose of a stolen atomic bomb. And sometimes, there's no stakes at all and it's just a fun adventure story, like the times he went back in time through hypnosis.

The "Robin Crusoe" issue was fascinating; it starts with Robin crashing the Batplane he received as a birthday present years ago. In all it's a great survival story that shows Robin's true resilience, but I feel like there's a few issues present. Robin's radio transmitter being destroyed by water seems like a recent convenience, and the fact that he doesn't have a utility knife at his disposal seems odd considering all the gadgets he does have (wouldn't a batarang have done the trick?). This issue may also unwittingly be the first appearance of the Nightwing mullet as Robin is unable to cut his hair whilst on the island, which makes me wonder how long he was really missing for. The story says at least a few weeks, but the math on growing out a few inches of hair suggests a while... where was Batman?

A trope that the comics run into in general seems to be the bad guys knocking Robin out with a hit to the head to assume he's dead, or put him into a death trap. I'm no expert on concussions, but being bludgeoned repeatedly with a blackjack can't be good for your long term health.

The Clock King is one of my favorite characters from Batman: The Animated Series, and the character of the same name from Green Arrow's rogue gallery bore virtually no resemblance to Temple Fugate. Turns out, Robin's enemy Clock bore a much closer resemblance to the eventual villain, and was likely a more direct inspiration. I think he at least inspired the Clock King of the 60s series, as both instances were written by Bill Finger (many of these issues still being penned by Batman and Robin's creators is a treat as well).

Something interesting to note is that the comic continuity still adhered to the real-life timeline and Robin is now a teenager in high school, making him about 14 or 15 now.