My first comic - Robin 136 review

[Diligently Steady]

I recently made my first comic purchase and got 5 in total. Judging on the hype surrounding comic related forums, I was really looking forward to getting involved, and at the same time trying to question comics abilities at telling progressive stories.

Ive just finished my first which was Robin #13, and Im more than slightly underwhelmed with it. The very first page with penguin and that lady archer was very good as it seemed to provide a prologue to the story that was to come. The artwork was nice too, and the rain effects were very original.

However, as soon as Robin was introduced I couldn't engage with this comic at all. The first thing I noticed was how the Dark Rider appeared and threatened Robin without any introduction. And it continued to baffle me because there was no evidence of Dark Riders problems with Robin throughout the comic. I continued to read and was pretty shocked at the lack of seriousness during Dark Rider and Robins pitiful battle. Robin wasnt threatened at all by this presence, and just wasted time explaining to the reader 'how to get the job done.'

The Robin comic is 136 issues in and he decided to take ages in telling the reader the rules of defeating a villain? There was no story or emotion at all, it felt like I was reading a comic aimed at babies. And it got a whole lot cornier when , after there teasesful and unagressive battle, Dark Rider says 'Ending your misspent life is no longer just my mission. It's now become my ULTIMATE desire!' Hilarious!

Also, the person drawing is unable to sustain one image of batmans face - it constantly changes in each caption.

So overall, I find Robin 136 totally underwhelming and pointless really. Ive learned nothing, and didnt believe a word that anyone said in it.

What are you experiences with the Robin series? Have I chosen to start on a lacklustre comic or am I just not accepting comics for what they are? I hope the other four I purchased are big improvements. It's Teen Titans next...

[kingpin51]

WELCOME TO COMICS!

I'm sorry Robin was a bag experience for you but don't let that discurage you. Comics span ever genre so you should be able to fing something that entertains you. What other comics did you buy?

I personally recomend the following for readers new to comics: Batman, New Avengers, Captain America, Countdown, Supreme Power, Ultimate Spider-Man, Astonishing X-Men, The Ultimates, and Superman and Batman. These comics span a wide range of genres and writing stiles. Give these a try to see what kind of comic you like.

happy reading

[Forsaken_One]

Yeah, Robin's been going downhill lately. If you really want to get into comics I'd highly advise that you read/buy trade paperbacks. They're available for order in your local comic shop or in any given Barns and Noble or Boarders and they're a better value per page. Plus that way you don't have to start right out of the blue like you did with Robin but can start from the beginning of a series. Trades are truly the newbie's comic god. :)

[The Adventurer]

Just currious, what were the other 4 titles you picked up?

[Windbreaker]

You'll enjoy Teen Titans, I'm sure. I agree w/F One: read some trades. Best thing about going to Borders or B&N is that no one will bother you for reading without buying!

[Diligently Steady]

What are trade comics?

Im reading teen titans at the moment, and then Ive got detective comics, blood of the demon (thought id try to get into a new series), and ive kept the most hyped to last - Astonishing X-men.

[tony2074]

trades are collections of single issues that form a whole story, a bit like books, but without all the unnecessary words!! they're fairly cheap and widely available and you'll find it easier to et into comics by reading them instead of landing in the middly]e of a story alreaay underway. welcome to the boadrds-and comics-hope you enjoy yourself!!!

[Diligently Steady]

Cool. Ive finished Teen Titans and its an improvement over Robin. Im onto detective comics now and the artwork is the best yet.

Im also from Manchester, England! Are there any decent stores in Manchester, or do you buy online?

[Huh?]

Cool. Ive finished Teen Titans and its an improvement over Robin. Im onto detective comics now and the artwork is the best yet.

Im also from Manchester, England! Are there any decent stores in Manchester, or do you buy online?Welcome to comicdom, Steady!

Sorry to here about Robin. That is not one of the best comics going right now. Blood of the Demon was pretty good, but you may not enjoy it too much because that is a very old character that has not been published in a while.

I think you should try - Batman and probably New Avengers, Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men.

If you like those, then try - The Ultimates, Nightwing and Fantastic Four.

From there, you should be familiar enough with comics to start picking stuff for yourself.

[Forsaken_One]

Im also from Manchester, England! Are there any decent stores in Manchester, or do you buy online?

TRAVELLING MAN - MANCHESTER
4-4A DALE STREET
MANCHESTER
ENGLAND
M1 1JW

Only one I could find.

[cactusmaac]

Cool. Ive finished Teen Titans and its an improvement over Robin. Im onto detective comics now and the artwork is the best yet.

Im also from Manchester, England! Are there any decent stores in Manchester, or do you buy online?

Forbidden Planet's pretty good.

[Yes its me]

You should pick up Fantastic Four when issue 525 comes out because a new creative team will be on, and it should be relatively easy to follow. Also try out New Avengers, and if you like it pick up back issues because it's only 4 issues in. Two more comics that are great right now are: Batman and Captain America. Captain America is only about 4 issues in so if you like it, it won't be hard to track down the back issues. If you start reading Batman track down back issues of the current arc with the Red Hood.

-Yes

[Yes its me]

One more thing! There is a sticky at the top of the DCU Forum. It's called The Required Batman Reading List. Read that, and try to find all of the trades it mentions.

[tony2074]

i agree with catusmaac-FP is as good as its gonna get. there is a ew one over the road and round the corner, which sometimes stocks back issues long since gone from the shelves in fp.
if you decide what characters you like, i can always show up ad help you select a trade of two-knowing where they are and that. its up to you mate.
also, midlands comics has a website and they do deliver to your door. i havent used the service-so i don't know of its eliability.
any other questions, im sure the chaps here on the forums will gladly help you!!

[tony2074]

damn computer...odouble post, sorry.:%

[muimi]

Welcome to comic fandom! I was where you are about last fall. :) My pocket book is a lot lighter. *sigh*

Sorry to hear that Robin was disappointing! I'm sorrier to say that for the current team on Robin, it's par for the course. You made a good move getting Teen Titans -- it's an awesome book.

[DrHelix]

As an alternative to Robin, I would suggest the current Batgirl title. This has always been one of my favorites, and the new writer/artist team has really started to cook. You might want to go back a few issues for a good "jumping on point", but it's not that difficult to get into it. Good luck with comicdom.

[ACK!]

Welcome to the world of comics! I would recommend the following trade paperbacks, as they recount the modern versions of the heroes' origins:

Batman: Year One
Superman: The Man Of Steel
The New Teen Titans Archives, Volume 1
The Amazing Spider-Man Masterworks, Volume I
Wonder Woman: Gods And Mortals
The Power Of Shazam!

I could recommend other non-origin-related books, but these will give you a good foundation to build your understanding of how these heroes work.

Happy reading!

[Diligently Steady]

At the moment im trying to get the best of both worlds - DC & Marvel. Should I concentrate on just one company and get used to the network of characters, or is it good to get a taste of both companies?

And then there's also the indies...To be honest Im not a mainstream person, I always go for the underdogs, so Im kind of starting on the mainstream stuff from DC and Marvel and then intend to move on to stuff from Image and Dark Horse.

BTW, are all comics the same size? They are pretty small, im trying to figure out a way of displaying them in room so that they stand out along with my large collection of big magazines.

[Forsaken_One]

At the moment im trying to get the best of both worlds - DC & Marvel. Should I concentrate on just one company and get used to the network of characters, or is it good to get a taste of both companies?

And then there's also the indies...To be honest Im not a mainstream person, I always go for the underdogs, so Im kind of starting on the mainstream stuff from DC and Marvel and then intend to move on to stuff from Image and Dark Horse.
In my opinion you should never, ever concentrate on one company. Every single company out there has really, really good comics available and to limit yourself to one brand is unthinkable.

For example: Currently Darkhorse has some great Star Wars comics, from Infinities to Crimson Empire over to the current General Grevious stuff, and thier Conan is top notch, with great pulpy writing and just beautiful art. Beautiful. Image has Powers collected (second season with Marvel, but an awsome series), Lions Tigers and Bears, Noble Causes, Rex Mundi and Invincible, some of the best comics around in terms of both art and writing. Astro City is a line in and of itself, published by Image at first but I belive it moved on. In any event it's great, awsome writing. The Red Star is much the same. Marvel has the Ultimates, Runaways, Young Avengers, Ultimate Spider Man, Supreme Power, Madrox, Astonishing X-Men, Ultimate X-Men, and so on. And then there's DC, with Legion of Super Heros, JSA, Batgirl, Birds of Prey, Hard Time, Outsiders, Manhunter, Breach, and Teen Titans to name a few. And that's not even counting DC's Vertigo or Wildstorm imprints, with stuff like Sleeper, Ex Machina, Top 10, Sandman, Y - The Last Man, Fables, Transmetropoliton, Preacher, Books of Magic, Lucifer, Promethia, and on and on.

In other words they all have really, really good stuff. I'd also encourage you not to limit yourself to what's currently out, but go to a local big book store and see if they have any trade paperbacks. Sandman, for example, ended years ago but is one of the best comics ever made and more than deserving of a read through. Available completely in trade paperback that's been reprinted many times. Same with Preacher, Transmetropoliton, Madrox, Promethia, Top 10, and so on. Completed series are generally great quality and a lot cheaper than finding back issues. The same with classic one-trade stories like Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns. And Marvel puts out trades like nobody's buisness, you can easily get caught up to within a few months of almost all of their titles via trade, plus there are a lot of really good older stories to pick up on. They're cheaper than flimsies on a per-page basis (for the most part) and look a lot better on a booshelf. You can catch up on any number of good series that are a ways into the storyline, like Fables, Y - The Last Man, Ex Machina, Invincible, Runaways, Ultimate X-Men/Spider Man, the Ultimates, Conan, Teen Titans, Outsiders, JSA, Supreme Powers, Punisher, and so on and so forth. DC does put out trades (thus the JSA etc. on the list) but they tend to be slower than Marvel. Image and other independents are in between.

BTW, are all comics the same size? They are pretty small, im trying to figure out a way of displaying them in room so that they stand out along with my large collection of big magazines.

The best way for them to look nice with magazines would probably be to buy the trade paperbacks. Roughly the same size and even the paperbacks are a lot more stiff and easy to fit together and, as I mentioned, look great on a bookshelf. Certainly better than comics look in longboxes. In any event, not all comics are the same length; the standard seems to be about 23 pages of actual content, but some comics like Legion of Super Heros go to 32 or more, others are less than the 23 standard. 23 pages is a pretty good base number though, I think it's the most common.

Hopes that helps and wasn't too wordy.

[fuaak]

So overall, I find Robin 136 totally underwhelming and pointless really. Ive learned nothing, and didnt believe a word that anyone said in it.

You're not the only one. I recommend staying away from Robin until they get rid of Bill Willingham. There are plenty of more readable titles in every genre and style; take your pick.