Review — ‘Tim Drake: Robin’ #10 Sacrifices Logic For Nostalgia In Series Finale

The latest in a line of Robin series have come to a close, and it’s a conclusion that creates mixed emotions. It’s a perfect encapsulation of the entirety of Tim Drake: Robin.

Meghan Fitzmartin, Nikola Cizmesija, Lee Loughridge, and Tom Napolitano bring Tim’s solo adventures to an end.

The Chaos Monsters have Tim and Kate Kane hostage. Tim has to think fast in order to stop them from killing them both. Lucky for him, he has friends looking for him, ready to put a stop to the monsters that have already changed his life.

I’m not going to fault Fitzmartin for the rushed ending. There’s more than one element of this story that makes it obvious that it was intended to be an issue or two longer. The biggest issue for me is the leaps of logic the story makes to resolve the plot. Tim getting back-up then facing the leader of the cult alone, that makes sense.

But Bernard, who still doesn’t explicitly know Tim’s dual identity, being the one to gather the Bat-family doesn’t make much sense- but could work- but then Tim’s neighbors show up as well, and it makes absolutely no sense. It’s sweet and plays to the emotions, but it feels more like doing it as a last hurrah for the series rather than to serve the story being told, marring this concluding chapter.

As much as I like initial series artist Riley Rossmo, Cizmesija is such a better fit for the story being told here. His work with Loughridge is moody and dark. It has just enough impressionistic flair that it captures the horror vibes that the script is trying to create, while staying realistic enough that it’s alienating. Loughridge makes everything incredibly dark, without making it murky and difficult to read. I think with this art team onboard earlier, the series may have lasted longer.

Napolitano’s letters add a lot to the script to create a horrific feel. The mixed case font and irregular word balloons both give Tim a sense of youth, and a little bit of desperation. His speech balloons feel more measured, but he adds a few artistic touches like incomplete borders that match Cizmesija’s art style.

I’ve enjoyed this series, but it’s often had issues putting emotional moments ahead of plot. That’s not a bad thing if your plot is tied up tight, even if the explanations aren’t explicit. It’s not always been clear, but it’s still been an enjoyable read.

Tim Drake: Robin #10 is available now from DC Comics.