DCU Comic Book Reviews

ROBIN #162

Paid In Full

July 2007

Written by Adam Beechen

Pencils by Freddie E. Williams II

Inks by Freddie E. Williams II

Cover by Patrick Gleason & Wayne Faucher

Synopsis

Robin has just found the hideout for the Lords Of The Avenues gang, who are slowly dying due to their use of an experimental drug that turned them into meta-humans.  The makers of the drug, Strader Pharmaceuticals, however have sent mercenaries to kill the gang members and eliminate evidence.  Robin is able to fight off the mercenaries, but by then it is too late:  the gang members were dead.  With their deaths, there would be no chance to implicate Strader has the suppliers of the drug.  Later, Robin visits Mr. Waite, president of Strader, to find out what Waite will do next.  Before Robin gets answer, Waite is killed by Cassandra Cain, although Robin does not know this.  Later, Robin learns that the drug dealer who helped supply the drug decides to confess, implicating Waite.  For Robin, it helps. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This is not the ending I had been expecting and I don’t mean in the sense that the gang members died or event that Cassandra killed Waite.  No, I mean I was disappointed that Robin failed to find any concrete evidence that would lead to Waite and Strader.  I liked how he tracked down all of the other clues, but that final piece of the puzzle just was never there.  The only reason the case got blown away at all was because someone came out of a coma.  I say this because one of the things that Beechen has shown in his run so far is that Robin is a detective and this particular story started how strong.  But then it fizzled at the end with an extended fight sequence that led to a slow ending.  The entire storyline was intriguing and liked how Beechen approached the kids who took it and why they took it.  It is compelling stuff.  But then Robin failed to really solve the crime.  I am mollified a little bit by Robin’s own feelings at the end and I am hoping that Beechen can use this issue as a springboard for some good characterization with Tim. 

I also wonder how the death of Waite and the fallout with Strader Pharmaceuticals will affect Tim’s relationship with Zoanne.  Since her father was employed by Strader, if the company goes down the crapper, her family could be in for some tough times.  I would like to see the news of Robin’s involvement get out and have Zoanne blame Robin for all of her problems.  That would make for some interesting dynamics amongst Tim and Zoanne. 

If you take the comic, hold it upside down and then place it front of a mirror, you can read the writing in the story found in the newspaper Alfred brings to Tim on the top of page 21.  There is not much on Strader in the article, but there are some comments about various (real) Pharmaceutical companies such as Merck and Eli Lilly.  It is difficult to really know what the articles are about since the stories (and sentences) are incomplete, but the feeling I get from the small bits and pieces are that pharmaceutical companies are not always on the up and up about what they do. 

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