DCU Comic Book Reviews

ROBIN #147

The Virtual Cell Part Two:  Rocket Man

April 2006

Written by Bill Willingham & Bill Williams

Pencils by Scott McDaniel

Inks by Andy Owens

Cover by Scott McDaniel & Andy Owens

Synopsis

The Teen Titans have infiltrated an old Cadmus Labs facility in the hopes they can find a potential cure for the ailing Superboy.  Unfortunately, they have also found a huge, zombie-like Brainiac creature.  During the fight with the creature, Wonder Girl realizes that she is slowly losing her powers do the recent disappearance of Paradise Island.  Eventually, they are able to defeat the creature and then grab dozens of vials of potential medicine.  On the way out, however, they run into other Brainiac creatures.  In the process of getting past them to their ship, they manage to break all of the vials, but one.  That one vial, however, helps to cure Conner.  Later, Robin tries to call his fake Uncle Eddie and real Stepmom Dana in Blüdhaven but all circuits in busy.  He then calls Luthor followed up with a call to the Veteran. 

Review

“I’m sure they’ll have the eventual, inevitable falling out.  With the usual attempted homicide and gratuitous bloodletting.”

I am not sure how I feel about this issue.  It was good in the sense that the main story of Superboy’s illness was resolved and the action was pretty good.  Yet, a lot of the action was repetitive as it seems as if the story was stretched out to accommodate the story into two issues, which seems to be done because we all know the entire DCU will undergo a radical shift in all of the books next month.  But I’m not entirely sure this issue is the blame as it would seems as if Robin has been in a holding pattern for several months now.  With the appearance of Shadowpact and the Crisis tie-ins, not much has happened to Robin and when things do happen (see:  Robin vs. Johnny Warlock), it seems perfunctory as if Willingham knew he had to finish the story but did not have the space to do it. 

Another problem for this issue is that it felt more like a Teen Titans issue than it did a Robin issue.  It is always nice to see his team members appear in his book, but I think it works better when he appear alone (like Superboy a few issues ago) rather than the entire team. 

At the end Lex states that the cure for Superboy works only once.  The next time the serum or whatever in the vial is used, it would kill Superboy.  That’s nice.  So, why does he have so many of the goddamn things lying around?  What?  It’s not to kill him just once, he wants to do it multiple times?

How cool is it that not only was Speedy the one who killed the zombie creature at the beginning, but she was also the only one to save a vial?  Mia was a late addition to the team, so it is nice to see her in such an integral part of the action.-- Review by MRB 

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