Red Robin

Detective Comics #938

Detective Comics #938The Bat-break-out issue features Batwoman leading her time inside her father’s super-secret base to battle the Colony of Batmen to rescue Batman and expose Jake Kane‘s illegal war on domestic soil. Heavy on action, the issue spends the time to highlight each member as Clayface continues to prove useful, Cassandra Cain continues to kick some serious ass (although too much off it off-panel), and the back-and-forth between Red Robin and Spoiler continues to be a highlight of the comic.

Detective Comics #938 delves into a bit of the backstory behind the Colony and Kane’s obsession with a secret arm of the League of Assassins which Batman doesn’t even believe exists.

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Detective Comics #937

Detective Comics #937Detective Comics #937 answers some very important questions about how the army of Batmen were created and why. While Batwoman reluctantly leads her team against her own father, with a pit stop through the deep underground of Gotham which Red Robin has made good use of, Batman breaks out of his cell and does a little investigating as to just what the hell is going on.

The most important piece of information Detective Comics #937 offers is just how the Batmen were able to take down Batman (technically they didn’t, their tech did). This addresses my one big complaint with the arc so far as well as points out a glaring weakness for the soldiers who are relying not only on tech stolen from Batman but a sophisticated computer program based on his own fighting style (which, of course could be vulnerable to the right kind of attack).

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Detective Comics #936

Detective Comics #936Betrayal is the theme of Detective Comics #936. With Batman taken down by an elite team of armored Bat-soldiers, Batwoman activates her team of Red Robin, Stephanie Brown, Clayface, and Cassandra Cain. Needing all the help she can get, Batwoman also enlists the help of her father Colonel Jacob Kane and that’s when things go from bad to worse for our heroes.

Revealing that the U.S. Military is behind the Bat-soldier strike force which is under Kane’s control, Batwoman’s father uses her misplaced trust to have the team attack the heroes’ base. Neither the betrayal nor her father’s offer to join the sanctioned team shakes Batwoman’s purpose. Getting her entire team out of danger, now the real struggle begins as the heroes will be forced to take on the United States Government, stop whatever they have planned, and save Gotham’s greatest son.

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Detective Comics #935

Detective Comics #935As the team of young heroes (Red Robin, Stephanie Brown, and Cassandra Cain) rebels against the pace of Batwoman‘s training, Batman is attacked by a large group of Bat-armored warriors who obviously have some connection to the Dark Knight’s past.

From the short appearance we get here, it’s obvious that armored soldiers are part of some mysterious group (The League of Assassins, perhaps), but what do they want with Batman? And is there appearance what has triggered Batman’s recent plans?

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Detective Comics #934

Picking up its original numbering, Detective Comics returns as more of a Bat-Family book than a Batman solo title. Concerned that a new villain has been keeping tabs on Gotham’s vigilantes (Red Robin, Stephanie Brown, and Cassandra Cain), Batman enlists the help of Batwoman to get the younger generation trained for the battle yet to come. A Bat Book Camp, if you will. And, to throw a curve ball in the mix, Batman enlists Clayface to be part of the team.

Sure, there are small things I could nitpick about the choices here. I’d rather see Tim Drake in his pre-New 52 costume than a tweaked version of his first Robin costume. Stephanie Brown should be Batgirl not Spoiler. And Cassandra Cain would feel far more at home in the Bat-Family as Black Bat rather that “Orphan” (what a terrible name for a hero).

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