Robin Rises: Omega #1

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Andy Kubert (pencils), Jonathan Glapion (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Invasion of the body-snatchers.

The Review: Superhero deaths and resurrections have become so commonplace nowadays that I do believe an unwritten etiquette has developed regarding the proper amount of time that must pass before publishers and writers can start thinking about bringing a character back from the dead. From my completely unscientific observations, it seems the mourning period is somewhere between one-and-a-half to two years, give or take a few months.

And what do you know, it’s been just about a year and a half since Damian Wayne was pincushioned to death in Batman Inc. #8, and now we have a storyline titled, quite explicitly, Robin Rises. There’s a possibility Damian might not come back—the title emphasizes it’s Robin who’s rising without specifying which one—but whoever picks up that red, green, and yellow mantle, it’s Damian who’ll carry this story along. Let’s hope for a good one, at least.

Unfortunately, things get off to a decidedly dull start when the issue leads with a long summary of Bruce’s history with the Al Ghuls, from beginning to end. All told, his recollection clocks in at a whopping seven pages, probably accounting for at least a dollar of the $4.99 the issue will cost you. Obviously, for those with any familiarity at all with the Bat-Al Ghul relationship, this is not how you’d prefer to spend your time or money. Newbies to the mythos will disagree, but you’ll be vastly outnumbered, I’m afraid.*

Once things get rolling, though, the issue’s quite alright. The first line out of the gate should give you an idea of what to expect from the storyline: “We have come for chaos!” So speaks Glorious Godfrey of Apokolips in his typically extravagant, showy way, descriptions that are just as appropriate for this issue itself. Pitting Frankenstein, Batman, Ra’s, and an army of ninjas versus Godfrey’s squadron of Parademons and Justifiers—this is big-budget action enough even before the Justice League makes a guest appearance.

Sadly, the League is at fault for some of the issue’s weakest moments, mindlessly bolstering Batman’s forces and delivering some of the cheesiest battle quips you can think of: “You obviously don’t come in peace—but feel free to leave in pieces!” “[W]e’re gonna wipe the ice with these guys!” “Pull that trigger—and the only person having a last moment will be YOU!” Luthor’s unapologetic callousness to the situation is mildly amusing, but otherwise, the League has less collective personality than Godfrey by himself: “…So if you’d prefer to keep your blood from splattering all over this [catching some snow on his tongue] delightful white substance, I suggest handing over the crystal, Batman.”

With so much fighting going on, clues as to the actual substance of the story are few and far in between. Darkseid’s reasons for targeting Damian is revealed: a Chaos Shard, a fragment of the crystal Bruce and Clark destroyed in Batman/Superman #4, inexplicably hidden in Damian’s sarcophagus. The Shard supposedly amplifies energy and defies physics like nobody’s business, but more interestingly, Godfrey observes a trace of the Shard’s power resides in Damian’s corpse itself. This could have something to do with his potential resurrection or perhaps with Bruce’s vision that “Damian…saves us all,” or both. If Damian saves us all, that necessarily means he has to come back in some form, no?

The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, and having seen so much of Joe Kubert’s work a few years back, I can positively say that his son lives up to his stylistic legacy. Andy’s uses the same keen lines and shapes them with similarly sharp angles, rendering some very classic visuals. But while Joe’s work had the composed, graceful wisdom of a man whose years mellowed him over time, Andy’s art has the energetic fire of someone who still wants to make some noise. Glapion’s inks are thin but tight, allowing Andy’s lines to stay clean without fraying, and Anderson’s soft, almost quaint colors suit Andy’s art better than your modern glossy hues.

Conclusion: Shockingly little happens in this issue, which is mostly a big fight fest, but there’s a somewhat enjoyable old-school, anything-can-happen feel to it.

Grade: C+

- Minhquan Nguyen

Some Musings: * Besides, Wikipedia would clear things up more comprehensively than any amount of in-issue exposition.

- Frank’s always losing an arm, conveniently enough. Convenient because it’s easily replaceable and lets him keep working. I’d like to see what happens when his head or foot are lopped off.