Red Robin #9

Christopher Yost has turned things around to exactly what I'm looking for in a Robin title starring Tim Drake: fun. Now that Tim has determined that Bats is still alive and just lost in time, his outlook has totally changed. Tim's narration about being barely able to keep a smile off his face makes this book fun to read, and even the impending threat of Ra's Al Ghul and his league of assassins has to throttle back because we see Tim having such a great time re-connecting with his world. Connor Kent makes a brief appearance and that's nice, but the final splash promises an even better reunion next month when Tim and Stephanie Brown/Batgirl reconnect. Tim Drake is a character that has always been defined by his self-awareness and his exultation in the super-hero lifestyle. With those elements missing, the first few issues of this series felt like they had no connection to the great history of the character. But by adding in good guest stars, spider-assassins, Ra's, and now the Killer Moth, things feel like they are coming back on track for the character. His place in the DCU is being re-established as we watch, and its fun that the character is going through a similar self-discovery.

Marcus To's pencils are slick and shiny, making his Killer Moth very cool. I never get a sense of the Red Robin costume being leather, which hurts a tad since Conner cracks a joke about it, but that's a small complaint. To's pencils look similar to Tim Seeley's crisp pencils. He's a good fit for this book.

Good