Going into Robin #175, I was afraid. I hate, hate, hate tie-ins. Their content and trajectory feel forced and awkward. Quite simply, the writers are writing to a diagram, and it feels like they are trying to jam plot points into place. This Robin, of course, ties into Batman' "R.I.P." arc, which, let's be honest here, is loopy as all hell.

I was afraid that Dixon, who has been pretty straight-forward and normal (as normal as comics go, anyways) in this book's recent run, would be forced to go crazy with Robin's character. Boy, was I surprised to see Fabian Nicieza's name on the cover of this issue. No Dixon. I do suppose that this swap came before Dixon walked, of course, but I don't pay attention to preview sheets, so I didn't see the name change coming. I've been told that Nicieza's work is on point, but I liked the not-so-serious Robin that Dixon was bringing to the shelves. That's just me, though, a little too resistant to change.

I, however, love the cover of the issue. This issue is titled "Death of a Family," lining up, obviously, with the controversial "A Death in the Family" featuring the demise of Jason Todd. Here we have Tim Drake holding Batman exactly like Batman was holding Jason Todd on the cover of "A Death in the Family," except mirrored.



Mad props to my boy Williams on this one. 1,000 points taken away for subtlety skills, however. Where Batman R.I.P. spews excellent subtleties, will the Robin tie-in come out with guns a-blazing? Let's see.

The setup is actually pretty cool. Robin has one of Batman's early casebooks, the one he made off with in Morrison's main line, and he's trying to figure out if the Bats has actually gone crazy. Time in the issue is split between Robin recounting the days he and Dick Grayson spent waiting for Batman to complete his Thögal Ritual and the current mode of Tim searching for his partner in crime... fighting.

Drake is reduced to using the help of the Penguin as Stephanie questions his every move. Clearly forced beyond his own limits, Robin knows something is wrong with Batman, and he's trying his damndest to set things right.

What's gone from Dixon's Robin story is the banter. Not so much of that here. It's heavy stuff. Robin is trying to find Batman, and the book comes filled with a sense of desperation. Nicieza's really pulling something off in this issue; he's elevating the title to a level of weight while caught up in a buck-wild, major event. R.I.P. seems like it would cause trouble for plenty of writers, but Nicieza is really rising to the occasion.

I’m not crazy for the art. Sure, it gets the job done. Panels are laid out impressively, the colors are dark like the current arc should be, and the characters themselves look just fine. But nothing really pops off the pages. It's all sort of a wash as you move from beginning to end. The fight sequences seem to blend into the waiting. Plus, Bennett's first Robin appearance on the second and third pages has Tim Drake looking all kinds of Hispanic. Weird.

As far as tie-ins go, this one works. Robin #175 never feels forced or bloated. The work is consistent with the Morrison run, yes, but it seems that Morrison built in the potential for tie-in with his book. This series complements R.I.P. pretty well, and if you're looking to understand every angle of the whacky story you may want to invest some time in the Robin side of the mix-up. Fans of Robin will, of course, love what they get.

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