NML Crossing, Episode 076 - Robin #67 (1999)

NML Crossing, Episode Seventy-Six

Robin #67 (August, 1999)
“Way Dark”
Writer - Chuck Dixon
Pencils - Staz Johnson
Inks - Stan Woch
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Letters - Tim Harkins
Edits - Illidge, O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

The summons has been made... the call to arms is in effect, and so -- we join a pair of Boys Wonder as they traverse the dank sewers in order to make their return to No Man's Land. Along the way, they're bound to run in with a geek or two... maybe even one of... ugh, Nick Scratch's goofs!

The Bada-Bin!

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NML Crossing, Episode 023 - Robin #54 (1998)

NML Crossing, Episode Twenty-Three

Robin (vol.2) #54 (June, 1998)
“Repercussions”
Writer - Chuck Dixon
Pencils - Staz Johnson
Inks - Stan Woch
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Letters - Tim Harkins
Edits - Gorfinkel & O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.95

Checking in with the Boy Wonder for a nice, quiet post-crossover issue, the likes of which we just don't get anymore!  Get nostalgic for the days before books were relaunched after every event, and we actually got to "take a breath" with our favorite heroes as they adjust to the next phase in their adventures.

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NML Crossing, Episode 018 - Robin #53 (1998)

NML Crossing, Episode Eighteen

Robin (vol.2) #53 (May, 1998)
“Cataclysm, Conclusion: Flattened
Writer - Chuck Dixon
Art - Staz Johnson & Stan Woch
Letters - Tim Harkins
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Edits - Gorfinkel & O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.95

It's taken us eighteen entire episodes, but we have finally arrived at the Cataclysmic conclusion!  Today we're going to find out who the Quakemaster REALLY is... or was... and, in so doing, your humble host (who is denser than most) will have to eat a little bit of crow!

Also: Batman befriends a dog!

Plus: Another extra-stuffed NMaiLbag! 

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NML Crossing, Episode 008 - Robin #52 (1998)

NML Crossing, Episode Eight

Robin (vol.2) #52 (April, 1998)
“Cataclysm, Part Seven: Tribunal”
Writer - Chuck Dixon
Art - Staz Johnson & Stan Woch
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Letters - Tim Harkins
Edits - Gorfinkel & O’Neil
Cover Price: $1.95

Holy Red Sky Crossover, Batman!

Today's chapter of Cataclysm... well, isn't really one!  We're going to be paying off an ongoing story arc in Robin, and getting our boy home in time to see the Gotham skyline engulfed in flame.  Please listen anyway... we've got NMaiLbag, and my usual bulletproof analysis.  Um, please listen anyway.

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JSA Classified #33 (2008)

JSA Classified #33 (February, 2008)
"Ghosts of Christmas Past"
Writer - Junior Thomas
Pencillers - Staz Johnson & Mike Norton
Inkers - Rodney Ramos & Mike Norton
Colorist - Allen Passalaqua
Letterer - Jared K. Fletcher
Assistant Editor - Harvey Richards
Editor - Michael Siglain
Cover Price: $2.99

Feels like it's been a long time since we covered the Justice Society... and, I suppose it kinda has!  Haven't read any JSA since I landed in the new house... I'm assuming when the movers "arranged" things, all the boxes I had toward the top of the stack were moved toward the bottom.  It also doesn't help that over half of them were put down with the box numbers facing the wall!

Anyhoo... came across this issue in a cheap-o bin not too long ago, and held on to it for our Twelve Days of Christmas on Infinite Earths special.

JSA Classified... hell, all of the Classified books... felt to me kinda like X-Men Unlimited.  It was a slot on the shipping schedule... however, after their "big" initial arcs quickly fell to being something of an afterthought.  Just "try out" stories... that didn't really matter, and were largely forgettable.

Does this Green Lantern issue live up to my expectation?  Let's find out...

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We open on Thanskgiving, where Vandal Savage has just torn the Starheart from Alan Scott... and used it to manifest a specter of Alan's late daughter... Jennie-Lynn "Jade" Hayden.  Savage taunts Scott... claiming that this Jade "puppet" is currently under his control.  Nearby, a woman holds her child... a young girl that the Starheart drained the life force from in order to concoct the Jade manifestation.  Ya got all that?

Savage continues to taunt Green Lantern, and threatening the Jade entity.  If she doesn't agree to do his bidding, he promises there'll be dire consequences.  Not sure how much that might trouble someone who's already dead... but whattayagonnado?  Alan, having heard all he can standsk (he can't standsk no more), lifts himself up and wallops Vandal with a willpower-fueled uppercut.

Savage finds the physical assault almost cute... and delivers retribution in the form of... Jade!  Jade starts ripping into Alan for being such a lousy father... you'll remember that they didn't even meet until Jennie (and Todd) were adults back in the Infinity, Inc. days.

Alan absorbs one of Jade's blasts before going back on the attack against Savage.  He smashes the baddie so hard, it actually knocks Jade off of her feet.  Alan rushes to her side... and it looks as though she's trying to fight off Savage's control of her.  It doesn't last long, however.

Savage begins to stir once more, so Alan nabs the Jade entity in a construct bubble to take her away.  They don't get all that far, but far enough so they can have a brief chat.  Jade realizes that she no longer belongs in this world... and intends to return the Starheart energy to her father... and the life-force to that little girl (remember her?  I didn't!).

Jade and Green Lantern return to the fray... and, with their powers combined, make short work of the ol' caveman.

Alan and Jennie share a final hug before he reluctantly draws the Starheart energy from her back into his ring.  No sooner does she vanish than that little girl begins to stir... no worse for the wear.

As the dust settles, Lantern's teammate Wildcat arrives on the scene.  He's confused, thinking he'd just seen Jade.  Alan asks that he remain to help with the clean-up efforts... and leaves.

We jump ahead about a month... and it's Christmas Eve.  Alan arrives at the Justice Society brownstone, and is invited inside by Ma Hunkel.  We see the team trimming the tree... but Lantern just can't get into the holiday spirit this year.

He decides to leave the party early... claiming he has "a lot to do".  He takes off for a night flight over New York City, eventually arriving at Rockefeller Center.  He spies the young girl from Thanksgiving ice skating with her mother... and realizes that he'd made the right decision... hell, the only decision, four weeks earlier.

We wrap up with Alan returning to the brownstone to celebrate with his friends.

--

Well... this was alright.  I definitely feel like it had a stronger second half... though to be honest, the art was a bit more solid during the first!

The opening Vandal Savage fight felt like it went on a bit too long... and felt a bit overwritten.  It was as though Thomas really had a lot to say here... perhaps enough for a second issue, but was then told he had to do it all in one.  There are some rather wordy captions... and dialogue balloons here.

I feel like the bit about the Jade entity taking the life force from the young girl didn't get enough play.  It was mentioned very briefly... like, blink and you miss it briefly... but would ultimately be a main factor.  First time through, I missed it... and didn't understand the urgency.  Though, perhaps I shouldn't blame the story for that.  I just feel like this should have been more central during the fight.

I get that Alan's going to be conflicted seeing the specter of his late daughter... but, I mean... dude's been a superhero for a hundred years at this point, like he's never seen something like this before?  I feel like priority one should have been saving the little girl the whole way through.

The second-half was a treat... storywise.  The art felt quite a bit looser... there were two pencillers listed here, but I'm not sure who was responsible for what.

I swear I could've read an entire issue of the Justice Society trimming their tree.  For whatever reason I always associate the JSA with the holidays... really not sure why, but it just feels "right".  It's always nice to see the group together.  DC teams of this era (and today) so rarely feel like they're a "family".  I think I just assume that teams like the Justice League and Teen Titans celebrate the holidays separately... so, it's neat that the JSA comes together.

Overall... if you're a fan of the Justice Society, you're going to really enjoy this... at least the second half.  Does it feel like an afterthought?  Well, sorta.  Is that a bad thing?  Well, not always.  I'd say if you come across this on the cheap, don't hesitate to grab it.  I don't see this one becoming a "Holiday Tradition", but it's enjoyable enough nonetheless.  Available digitally.

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On the Ninth Day of Christmas on Infinite Earths, I give to you JSA Classified #33, The Spirit #13, Justice League Unlimited #28, Shade the Changing Man (vol.2) #19, Action Comics #762!  Young Justice #40, Superman: The Man of Steel #109, Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special, and a Red Hood and the Outlaws Annual #2 Review.

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Robin #59 (1998)

Robin #59 (December, 1998)
"Brutality 101"
Writer - Chuck Dixon
Penciller - Staz Johnson
Inker - Stan Woch
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Letterer - Tim Harkins
Associate Editor - Jordan B. Gorfinkel
Editor - Denny O'Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

Sticking with the Dixon Robin stuffs for today... having had such a wonderful time revisiting it.  I'm sadly of two minds about it... love it so much, but at the same time it makes me miss this era.  No worries though, we're not going All-Robin, All-the-Time... 

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We pick up right where we left off... Robin face to grizzled face with Steeljacket.  Tim comments that the last time they tangled, he was lucky enough to have some police officers nearby to give him a hand... today, that is not the case.  All he's got is a pair of geeks behind glass, and they ain't in any rush to lend a hand.  Tim is able to flee (for the time being) and takes the opportunity to catch his breath.

We shift scenes to a touching discussion between Stephanie Brown and her mother.  Steph is very apologetic about her current condition... and her mother is, almost surprisingly cool about the whole thing.  Ya see, she blames herself for most of what's gone wrong in her daughter's life... and seems proud of how well she has turned out in spite of it all.

Back at the wreckage, Steeljacket resumes his attack on the Boy Wonder.  They tussle until Robin is able to catch the creeper by the toe... and then snap his ankle!  Dang.  After this his school chums flee the scene.

Back at the Batcave, Robin marks the name "Steeljacket" off the bat-list of bat-villains who are still loose on the streets of Gotham following the quake.  He asks Alfred for a bit of privacy so he may make a phone call.  I love that there is a corded phone in the Batcave, by the way.  He calls Steph, who shares the story about her chat with mom... then asks Tim for a favor.  Well, judging from the cover, it's gotta be a doozy, right?  Are you ready?  She asks Tim... to join her at her birthing classes!  Dun dun dunnnn... I shouldn't be too hard on it... this opens up a ton of comedic potential.

The following morning during gym class, Tim and his classmates are hoofin' it on the track.  Tim notices his goofy pals Ives and Philmont, ya know... the guys who were hiding from Steeljacket... he notices them trailing far behind the other boys.  So he fakes a charlie horse so that he can allow them to catch up to him.  Before they can chat, a pair of ne'er do well bullies start razzin' them.

They demand Philmont join them for a walk in the woods.  Rather than fight it, Phil slumps his shoulders and submissively obeys.  Tim is about to intervene when Ives grabs him by the sleeve... he doesn't think they should induce the bullies' ire toward them.  Tim, realizing he doesn't want to blow his cover, agrees to hang back.  This is going to be important.

Later on during fifth period, Tim is called to the Dean's office.  He sees Ives sitting in the lobby as well.  Inside Mr. Blassingame's office, Tim is told that Philmont was just found DEAD in the woods.  Uh-oh...  Now Tim's mad.  He spills the beans and gives the Dean the names of the pair of bullies... Josh Stanzland and Mark Meachum.

Outside in the hall, Ives is freaking out that he'd overheard Tim snitching on the bullies... thinking they'll be next on their hit list.  Tim, enraged, caves in a locker and tells Ives that their buddy didn't just get beat up... he got killed.

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Before we go in too deep I really wanna express my appreciation that this issue marks the end of the... horrendous mid-90's glossy paper... I haven't made a big deal out of it for the past two discussions, because... eh, I probably complain about that too much anyway.  It does no favors to the art, and... if I'm being honest, is a pain in the butt to take photos of, and I'm glad that it's gone for this issue.  With that spoo out of the way, let's get on to it...

Another very enjoyable issue here.  As has become normal from this era of Robin... we get two very different story segments.  There's an action section, which is decent comic book action... and a far superior character section (very-special-episode-ness and all).  We don't quite get the scene depicted on the cover, but we do get some good Tim & Steph interaction here.

The bullying/murder story we get in the second half is pretty well taken.  I appreciate the fact that, while Robin could easily wipe the track with these fools... he doesn't.  He needs to be Tim Drake while he's at school... can't afford to tip anyone off to his dual identity.  Even better here... if he had beaten up the bullies, his friend would still be alive.  This opens up so many storytelling options... we get to investigate Tim's guilt while he investigates the murder.

Speaking of guilt... we get a nice chat between Stephanie and her mother.  Steph is surprised that her mother is taking her pregnancy so well... Mom tells Stephanie that she blames herself for choices she made... She feels guilty... which makes Stephanie feel guilty... I'm seeing (or imagining) the theme of this issue.

Overall... Chuck Dixon's Robin is still wholeheartedly recommended.  So much fun, so much heart... just don't say I didn't warn ya... it makes a lot of what has come since look pretty weak.  You're gonna be homesick for some awesome 1990's Bat-books.  Like I said, this run is available digitally... (Don't worry... not an affiliate link, nobody knows who I am).

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Robin #58 (1998)

Robin #58 (October, 1998)
"The Stranger"
Writer - Chuck Dixon
Penciller - Staz Johnson
Inker - Stan Woch
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Letterer - Tim Harkins
Associate Editor - Jordan B. Gorfinkel
Editor - Denny O'Neil
Cover Price: $1.99

Had so much fun with Tim and Steph I decided maybe we should hang out with them a little longer.  I mean, Stephanie is going to need some looking after what with her being in a "family way".  Is Tim the daddy?  Can you get pregnant from a kiss?  We'll answer all those questions and more... right now!

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We open on a gobsmacked Boy Wonder... Stephanie Brown is p-p-p-pregnant?!?  We get the distinct impression here that for a brief moment, Tim fears the baby might be his.  This facilitates Stephanie giving him the quick 'n dirty on the birds and the bees...and births one of my favorite Robin references... "Boy Virgin".

She continues, stating she hasn't told the father-to-be as he fled Gotham in the wake of the quake.  She hasn't yet told her mother, either.  Tim suggests she does at least confide in her mom, because there's "things" that need to be done.  Stephanie flies off the handle, immediately taking this as Tim telling her to get an abortion... not so, however... Tim just wants her to start having regular doctor's visits and for her to consider "hanging up the tights"... at least for the time being.

Later Robin returns to the Batcave and we see that it and the Mansion are being reinforced by handyman extraordinaire Harold... who is quite the strong fella.  Batman heads out on patrol, taking Robin's Redbird, leaving the Boy Wonder behind to watch the monitors.

Robin hops on-line and gives a call to Oracle.  He asks her if they can talk some "non-professional" stuffs.  He confides in her that his friend is pregnant... after some "your friend?" confusion and razzing, Babs decides to lend him an ear.  I really miss the Oracle dynamic... really disappointed in what Barbara's become since 2011.

We shift scenes to check in on a trio of Tim's school chums.  They are debating whether or not Han Solo and Princess Leia got married following Return of the Jedi... which, I think we have a better idea of nowadays.  They also decide that the Star Wars "book" continuity "doesn't count"... which is somewhat prophetic.  Anyhoo, they look into the broken window of an almost destroyed bakery... destroyed due to the Cataclysm... and they see a weird critter chompin' on some nondescript baked good.

We rejoin Stephanie as she and her mother talk to a counselor at the Gotham County Social Services office.  Mrs. Brown tells the counselor that Stephanie has decided to have the child... from here, things get a bit uncomfortable... the counselor appears to begin pressuring Stephanie into considering having an abortion.  We'll leave this here for now... and talk about it some more (in a very "riding the fence" sort of way) down below in the review/reflection portion.

We meet back up with Tim as he is shooting some hoops with his dorky friends.  They tell him the story of seeing a "monster".  We then enter into flashback... which wasn't terribly clear my first time reading this... the geeks are doing some urban spelunking through the Gotham wreckage.  Robin is hanging out keeping an eye on them... to keep them safe he gives them a spook and sends them running.  I'm guessing Robin was the "monster" they saw... rather than the creepy critter they saw in the bakery?  Okey dokey.  Anyhoo, they plan on returning to the wreckage to prove the beastie's existence.

Back with Steph and Mom... they are now visiting... I wanna say it's an adoption agency... but there's a dude there offering her up to a hundred grand for her baby.  I didn't know adoption worked like that... you'd almost figure folks would view this as a viable career if this were the case, no?  Can't say I speak with any experience on the subject... for all I know, this is the way it goes.  Stephanie doesn't take too kindly to all this, and they walk out.

That night, Robin and Stephanie have a rooftop pow wow.  They have a fairly uncomfortable chat before Robin bugs out to meet up with his foolish monster hunting friends.

The next several pages feature the boys seeing a monster... and Robin swinging through Gotham City engaging in some very teenagery introspection.  When he finally arrives at the wreckage he sees his pals locked inside a sort of vault... it's basically the image from the cover... he then turns around to find himself in the presence of... Steeljacket (who?)!  To be continued...

--

Well, this is a pretty run of the mill issue.  Thankfully a Chuck Dixon "run of the mill" issue is still better than most.  We've got a few things to cover and reflect on here...

First, love the conversation between Tim and Stephanie to start things off.  "Boy Virgin" elicited one of those half cough-half laugh things that you instantly regret because you spend the next five minutes attempting in vain to clear your throat.  Still worth it though.  I also really enjoyed Tim confiding in Barbara... I know I say this a lot... but scenes like this really make me feel homesick for the pre-Didio-darkening DC Universe.

Stephanie seeking out her "options" felt a bit stilted to me.  I have always heard that Chuck Dixon has some pretty strong political leanings, though, as opposed to some of his fellow creators... doesn't really leak them into his work.  Here though, I fell like he let it slip a bit.  The counselor at the clinic may as well have been drawn with a forked tail and horns.  I can't outright say there aren't counselors who speak like she does... and that perhaps make certain "suggestion(s)" to "girls in trouble", but I would have preferred a bit more ambiguity here.  I would have liked it if Stephanie was presented with all of her options in a more balanced kind of way, allowing her to make an educated decision... rather than painting either side as good or bad.  I don't think it's comics' place to say one way or another.

I did have some issues with the pacing... especially the flashback jump.  It wasn't entirely clear that it was a flashback, at least to me, at the offset.  That might just be due to my reading these out of context... for all I know, this scene actually occurred earlier in the series and I just forgot about it.  Either way, this was the weaker part of the issue...

In checking out the letters page... which features the proper way to perform CPR... I found that the following month was going to be the tie-in to DC One Million with Robin #1,000,000... meaning that it would be two months before this story resumes.  Can't help but feel this was a missed opportunity.  Stephanie revealing her pregnancy would have been a much stronger two-month long cliffhanger than what we get here.

Overall... perhaps not as strong an outing as last issue's Date Night, but still a fun issue of Robin.  Definitely worth tracking down and checking out.  Like we discovered yesterday... this is all available over at DC Digital.

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