Red Robin #5

Written by Chris Yost ; Art by Ramon Bachs.

I'm not a great fan of teenage sidekick comics, and I picked up Red Robin only because it promised to lead to the mystery surrounding the fate of recently vanished Bruce Wayne. The series started off with an epic, world-spanning romp involving an almost grown-up Tim Drake; and after the first two issues I decided to stay with the title. The series seems to be set out as a coming-of-age story for a character who has lost, within the span of a few years, his father, girl friend, adoptive father, and who has been recently deposed as Robin, and sends our newly brooding hero on a quest around the world to find out the whereabouts of that other brooding hero, Bruce Wayne. He soon becomes embroiled with Ra's al Ghul, also on the look-out for Bruce Wayne, and with the League of Assassins.

Issue #5 opens a new story arc which sees Tim saved by the League and agreeing to work with them to defeat their enemy, the Council of Spider. It sets up a new villain, the Wanderer, and establishes a potential love affair between Drake and one of the assassins, while also throwing one of Lucius Fox's attractive daughters into the mix.

Using a Lost-like time-hopping storytelling technique, writer Chris Yost keeps up the tension throughout. The art work is solid and adequate but not outstanding. The book has one big problem, 'though, and that is Red Robin's downright silly costume (daft even by comic book standards). Red Robin is a solid title with a promising, riveting story line.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.