Red Robin #4

I'm having a real disconnection with most of the Bat-world these days. I just don't buy Tim Drake as Red Robin, he's too angsty and surly, far different from the character I've liked for so long. I suppose having him team up with Ra's Al Ghul to try and discover what happened to Batman is interesting, but I don't like the alliance. Drake should know better than to team up with a nutbar like Ra's Al Ghul. Of course, perhaps my apathy for the Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul crossover is leaking over into this title. Chris Yost does a nice job of delivering on the fight promised on the cover (Dick Grayson vs. Tim Drake) without really compromising either character. Neither of these guys goes crazy, and it is clear they still care about each other. Their brotherly relationship is one of the better aspects of the issue.

Drake heads off to the Middle East and discovers a cave painting of the bat symbol, clear evidence that Bruce was sent back in time rather than being killed (or so it seems to Drake, I'm not sure how he can be certain Bats didn't do that some other time he had to skip around in time). Having Drake start to appreciate having a posse, even if they are killers, then taking them away was a nice touch. I'm hoping The Widower is some kind of anti-hero, but since he reports to a group called the Council of Spiders, I'm pretty sure he'll end up being a bad guy.

Ramon Bachs' art is ok, but sometimes things seem out of focus, almost like he drew everything at a smaller size and had his pencils enlarged electronically. Perhaps that's a result of the coloring?

Average